Anguillan Roast Chicken Recipes

PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Let chicken and 1 tablespoon butter stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove and discard the plastic pop-up timer from chicken if there is one. Remove the giblets and excess fat from the chicken cavity. Rinse chicken inside and out under cold running water. Dry chicken thoroughly with paper towels. Tuck the wing tips under the body. Sprinkle the cavity of the chicken liberally with salt and pepper, and set aside.
• In the center of a heavy-duty roasting pan, place onion slices in two rows, touching. Place the palm of your hand on top of lemon and, pressing down, roll lemon back and forth several times. This softens the lemon and allows the juice to flow more freely. Pierce entire surface of lemon with a fork. Using the side of a large knife, gently press on garlic cloves to open slightly. Insert garlic cloves, thyme sprigs, and lemon into cavity. Place chicken in pan, on onion slices. Cut about 18 inches of kitchen twine, bring chicken legs forward, cross them, and tie together.
• Spread the softened butter over entire surface of chicken, and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Place in the oven, and roast until skin is deep golden brown and crisp and the juices run clear when pierced, about 1 1/2 hours. When chicken seems done, insert an instant-read thermometer into the breast, then the thigh. The breast temperature should read 180 degrees and the thigh 190 degrees.
• Remove chicken from oven, and transfer to a cutting board with a well. Let chicken stand 10 to 15 minutes so the juices settle. Meanwhile, pour the pan drippings into a shallow bowl or fat separator, and leave onions in the pan. Leave any brown baked-on bits in the bottom of the roasting pan, and remove and discard any blackened bits. Using a large spoon or fat separator, skim off and discard as much fat as possible. Pour the remaining drippings and the juices that have collected under the resting chicken back into the roasting pan. Place on the stove over medium-high heat to cook, about 1 minute. Add chicken stock, raise heat to high, and, using a wooden spoon, stir up and combine the brown bits with the stock until the liquid is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Strain the gravy into a small bowl, pressing on onions to extract any liquid. Discard onions, and stir in the remaining tablespoon of cold butter until melted and incorporated. Untie the legs, and remove and discard garlic, thyme, and lemon. Carve, and serve gravy on the side.

PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the onions, carrots, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.
• Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.

ANGUILLAN BARBECUE SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and chile and sauté until just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Stir in the tomato paste, barbecue sauce, hot sauce, 1/4 cup each vinegar and sugar, the rum, 1/4 cup water, the oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until thick and richly flavored, 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Remove from the heat and taste for seasoning, adding salt, vinegar, or sugar as necessary; the sauce should be highly seasoned. Add water if the sauce seems too thick.
• Any unused sauce may be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 weeks.
• Makes 3 to 4 cups.

PALESTINIAN CHICKEN

Steps:

• 1. Rinse the chicken breasts under cold running water, then drain and blot dry with paper towels. Arrange the breasts in a nonreactive baking dish large enough to hold them in one layer and set aside.2. Combine the yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, salt, cinnamon, pepper, cardamom, and cloves in a small nonreactive bowl and whisk to blend. Pour the mixture over the chicken in the baking dish and spread it over the breasts to cover completely, using your fingers. Cover and let marinate, in the refrigerator, 4 to 12 hours (the longer the better).3. Preheat the grill, using the two-tiered method.4. When ready to cook, oil the grill grate. Remove the chicken breasts from the baking dish and arrange, skin side down, on the grate over the hotter section of the grill. Cook.5. Transfer the chicken breasts to serving plates or a platter and serve.Serves 4