Herb Roasted Hen With Wild Arugula Salad Recipes

ROASTED CITRUS-HERB GAME HEN

Steps:

• Place an oven rack in the lower 1/3 of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Rinse the game hens and pat dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, shallots, orange zest, lemon zest, thyme, mint, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Rub 2 tablespoons of the zest mixture over the skins of the game hens. Place the remainder of the zest mixture under the skin and into the cavities of the hens. Using kitchen twine, truss the legs together. Place the hens in a shallow 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Add the chicken stock, Marsala wine, lemon juice, orange juice, and cranberries. Roast for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the leg juices run clear. Remove the game hens and set aside. Place the flour in a small saucepan. Whisk in the pan juices. Bring the juices to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes until slightly thickened. Whisk in the butter and season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
• To serve, remove the kitchen twine and place the hens on 2 serving plates. Drizzle with the citrus-herb sauce.

HERB ROASTED CHICKEN WITH WILD MUSHROOM & MARSALA WINE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Wash the chicken under cold running water then pat dry. Combine the garlic and butter and spread the mixture under the skin of the chicken and all over the body. Season the bird all over including the cavity with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Take half of the thyme and rosemary and put this along with the garlic and any remaining butter inside the cavity. Fold the wing tips under the bird and tie legs together with kitchen twine.
• Take a large roasting dish and add the mushrooms and shallots. Scatter remaining thyme and rosemary over the pan and add the marsala and stock (depending on the depth of your roasting pan you may not need all of the marsala and stock -- it should be enough to cover the bottom of the pan but not submerge the mushrooms and shallots). Place the chicken on top and drizzle some extra-virgin olive oil over the whole pan and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Roast in the hot oven for 1 hour or until the internal temp of the bird registers 160 F between the leg and thigh. You may need to add more stock to the bottom of the pan if all the liquid evaporates while cooking. When done, place the bird on a plate and rest for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile take the pan with the mushrooms, shallots and juices and gently simmer over low heat on the stove top while scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen all the browned bits and extract all the flavor. Skim any excess fat off the jus and discard. Give it a final taste and seasoning before serving the marsala, mushrooms, and shallots with the herb roasted chicken and jus.

CORNISH HENS WITH LEMON AND HERBS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place hens in a roasting pan, breast sides up. Place 2 thyme sprigs and 1 lemon half in cavity of each hen. Loosen skin from breast, and place remaining thyme and the parsley underneath. Squeeze remaining lemon halves over hens. Rub butter all over hens. Season generously with salt and pepper.
• Roast hens, rotating pan halfway through, until skin turns golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 180 degrees, 45 to 50 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Cut hens in half lengthwise. Garnish with thyme sprigs, and serve with lemon wedges.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH BREAD AND ARUGULA SALAD

Steps:

• Place the chicken in a baking dish. Using your fingers, gently loosen the skin from the breasts and thighs without breaking the skin. Carefully slide the sprigs of thyme and the garlic under the skin. Put the lemon in the cavity. Tie the legs together and tuck the wings under the body. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of sea salt and the pepper, cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. (Be sure your oven is very clean!) Place the bread in a medium (10-inch) cast-iron skillet in a single layer. Brush the chicken with olive oil and place it, breast side up, on top of the bread. Roast for 30 minutes, turn it over and roast for 15 minutes, until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh. Wrap the skillet tightly with aluminum foil and allow the chicken to rest at room temperature for a full 30 minutes. (Don¿t worry; it will stay hot.) The bread will be almost burnt on the bottom and soft with the pan drippings on top.
• Place the Arugula Salad in a very large, shallow serving platter. Put the chicken and the bread on a cutting board. Cut the bread into 1-inch squares and sprinkle them on the salad. Carve the chicken thickly (see note) and place it on top of the salad. Spoon the pan juices over the chicken, sprinkle it with sea salt, and serve warm.
• Whisk the vinegar, mustard, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together in a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Whisk in the olive oil, stir in the scallions and currants, and set aside.
• Place the arugula in a large bowl, add the vinaigrette, and toss well.

WILD ARUGULA SALAD

Steps:

• Place arugula in a large bowl; drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine.

HERB-ROASTED HEN WITH WILD ARUGULA SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Fit a roasting pan with a rack; place onion and fennel slices on top of rack and set roasting pan aside.
• Remove giblets from chicken and discard or reserve for another use. Rinse chicken inside and out and pat dry, very well. Season cavity with salt and pepper and truss chicken with kitchen twine.
• Generously season outside of chicken and set on vegetables in roasting pan. Transfer to oven and roast until chicken reaches 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh (avoiding bone), 50 to 60 minutes.
• Remove chicken from roasting pan and stir thyme and butter into pan juices. Baste chicken with pan juice mixture and let stand 15 minutes.
• Remove twine and place chicken breast side up. Cut through the skin between breast and thigh. Gently pull leg away to expose joint. Cut through joint to free the whole leg. Cut off wings at joints. Cut through joint where drumstick meets the thigh in a firm downward motion. Slice each breast half from bone, working knife along contour of rib cage. Serve chicken pieces with arugula salad.