Mark Bittman Roast Chicken Recipes

ROAST CHICKEN WITH FENNEL

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees. Drizzle bottom of shallow roasting pan or baking sheet with about half the olive oil and cover it with a layer of the fennel. Overlap pieces if necessary but use whole pan. Drizzle remaining oil over fennel and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cut up chicken if necessary and sprinkle the pieces with salt and pepper.
• Top fennel with the chicken parts, skin side up. Ideally, you'll have a layer of fennel pretty much covered by a layer of chicken, but it's fine if some of the fennel roasts uncovered. Spoon some of the oil from bottom of pan over chicken. If there is not enough, drizzle additional olive oil over the chicken. Roast about 15 minutes, then baste chicken with pan drippings and rotate the pan. If necessary, adjust oven temperature so chicken browns but does not burn.
• The chicken will be done in about 30 minutes. Serve each piece with some fennel and a little of the pan juices spooned over, garnished with parsley and a lemon wedge.

MARK BITTMAN'S ROAST CHICKEN PARTS WITH BUTTER OR OLIVE OIL (PLU

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Put the oil or butter in a roasting pan and put the pan in the oven for a couple of minutes, until the oil is hot or the butter melts. Add the chicken and turn it couple of times in the fat, leaving it skin side up. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and return the pan to the oven.
• After the chicken has cooked for 15 minutes, toss about 1/4 of the herb or herb mixture over it and turn the pieces. Sprinkle on another quarter of the herb and roast for another 10 minutes.
• Turn the chicken over (now skin side up again), add another quarter of the herb, and cook until the chicken is done (you'll see clear juices if you make a small cut in the meat near the bone) a total of 30-40 minutes at most. Garnish with the remaining herb and skim excess fat from the pan juices if necessary; serve, with some of the juices spooned over it.
• Variations:
• Add several cloves of garlic (20 wouldn't be too many).
• Add a cup or so of chopped onion, shallot, or leek.
• Add a cup or so of sliced fresh mushrooms, after the first 15 minutes of roasting.
• Add 2-3 lemons (oranges and limes are good, too). When the chicken is done, squeeze the hot lemon juice over it.
• Use Compound Butter, Flavored Oil, or a Vinaigrette from the beginning of the cooking or as a basting sauce during the cooking.
• Stir in a dollop of grainy French-style mustard when the chicken is done.
• Add a couple handfuls of cherry tomatoes and some black olives after turning the chicken skin side up again.
• Stir in a cup of any salsa in the last 10 minutes of cooking or spoon on top of the cooked chicken before serving.

SIMPLEST ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Put a cast-iron skillet on a low rack in the oven and heat the oven to 500 degrees. Rub the chicken all over with the oil and sprinkle it generously with salt and pepper.
• When the oven and skillet are hot, carefully put the chicken in the skillet, breast side up. Roast for 15 minutes, then turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees. Continue to roast until the bird is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the meaty part of the thigh reads 155 to 165 degrees.
• Tip the pan to let the juices flow from the chicken's cavity into the pan. Transfer the chicken to a platter and let it rest for at least 5 minutes. Carve and serve.

CHICKEN WITH VINEGAR (MARK BITTMAN)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450. Set large skillet (with steep sides to minimize spattering) over med-high heat. Add 2 T. oil and wait a minute. When it is good and hot, place chicken in skillet, skin side down. Cook undisturbed for about 5 minute or until nicely browned. (For breasts, it was only 4 minutes.) Turn and cook for 3 minutes on the other side. Season with salt and pepper if desired.
• Place chicken in oven. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes or untl just about done (juices run clear and there will be the barest trace of pink near bone). Transfer chicken to an ovenproof platter. Place in oven. Turn off oven and leave door slightly ajar.
• Pour off most of the cooking juices from skillet. Place over med-high heat. Add scallions. Cook, stirring, until tender about 2 minutes. Add vinegar. Raise heat to high. Cook for 1 or 2 minutes until the powerful smell has subsided somewhat. Add 1/2 cup water. Cook another 2 minutes, stirring until it's slightly reduced and somewhat thickened.
• Return chicken and any accumulated juices to skillet. Turn chicken in sauce. Serve immediately.
• Paul Bocuse Poulet au Vinaigre: In step 1, brown chicken in 1 stick butter. In step 3 add 3 T. butter to reduced vinegar sauce, stirring until it thickens.

MARK BITTMAN'S BASIC ROAST CHICKEN PARTS WITH VARIATIONS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 450°F Put the oil or butter in a roasting pan and put it in the oven for a couple of minutes, until the oil is hot or the butter melts. Add the chicken and turn it a couple of times in the fat, leaving it skin side up. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and return the pan to the oven.
• After the chicken has cooked for 15 minutes, toss about one-quarter of the herb, if you're using any, over it and turn the pieces. Sprinkle on another quarter of the herb and roast for another 10 minutes.
• Turn the chicken over (now skin side up again), add another quarter of the herb, and cook until the chicken is done (you'll see clear juices if you make a small cut in the meat near the bone), a total of 30 to 40 minutes at most. Garnish with the remaining herb and skim excess fat from the pan juices if necessary; serve, with some of the juices spooned over it.
• ROAST CHICKEN PARTS WITH BLACK BEANS VARIATION: First, soak 2 tablespoons fermented black beans in water, sherry, or wine to cover. In place of the butter or olive oil, use peanut oil or a neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn. Mix together 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 2 minced scallions, 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon sugar or honey. Drain the black beans and add them to this mixture; thin it to a paste, if necessary, with a little more soy sauce. In Step 1, spread a little of this mixture all over the raw chicken and put the chicken in the roasting pan; return the pan to the oven. Proceed with Steps 2 and 3, using the soy-based mixture for basting in place of the herb mixture.
• MORE VARIATIONS: You can combine these ideas at will; it's hard to go wrong here. Add with the chicken at the beginning of cooking unless otherwise specified. (1) Add a few sprigs of a stronger herb like thyme, sage, oregano, or rosemary. (2) Add several (or many!) cloves of garlic. (3) Add a cup or so of chopped onion, shallot, or leek. (4) Add a cup or so of sliced fresh mushrooms, after the first 15 minutes of roasting. (5) Add a lot of hot dried chiles, a couple of roasted, soaked, and chopped milder chiles, or both. (6) Add 2 or 3 lemons (oranges and limes are good too), cut in half; when the chicken is done, squeeze the hot lemon juice over it. (7) Use peanut oil instead of olive oil and add several slices of ginger and garlic after turning the chicken skin side up again. When chicken is done, drizzle with soy sauce and dark sesame oil, then garnish with scallions and/or cilantro. (8) Use Compound Butter, Flavored Oil, or Vinaigrette from the beginning of the cooking or as a basting sauce during cooking. (9) Rub the chicken with 1/2 cup or so of Pesto or any other herb paste from the beginning of the cooking. (10) Stir in a dollop of grainy French-style mustard when the chicken is done. (11) Add a couple handfuls of cherry tomatoes and some black olives after turning the chicken skin side up again. (12) Stir in a cup of any salsa in the last 10 minutes of cooking or spoon on top of the cooked chicken before serving. (13) Stir a couple tablespoons of any curry powder into a cup of yogurt or coconut milk and spoon or brush it on as a basting sauce during cooking.

ROAST CHICKEN AND VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a bowl, mix olive oil or butter, herbs, salt and pepper. Put chicken breast side up in a roasting pan. Toss half the herb-oil mixture with potatoes, scatter them in pan around chicken and put pan in oven. Roast about 20 minutes, and spoon some more herb-oil mixture over chicken and potatoes. Shake pan so potatoes turn and cook evenly.
• After 10 minutes shake pan, and baste again; breast should be starting to brown. Reduce heat to 325, baste again and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh reads 155 degrees or more. Total roasting time will be 50 to 70 minutes.
• Remove chicken from pan, and taste a potato; if not quite done, raise heat to 425 degrees, and roast (or broil) while letting chicken rest and carving it. Serve, garnished with parsley, with potatoes scattered around it.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH CUMIN, HONEY & ORANGE (MARK BITTMAN)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Use a nonstick roasting pan, or line a roasting pan with a double layer of aluminum foil. Combine orange juice, honey, cumin, salt and pepper in bowl, and whisk until smooth. Place chicken in pan, and spoon all but 1/4 cup of liquid over all of it.
• Place chicken in oven, legs first, and roast for 10 minutes. Spoon accumulated juices back over chicken, reverse pan back to front, and return to oven. Repeat four times, basting every 10 minutes and switching pan position each time. If chicken browns too quickly, lower heat a bit. If juices dry up, use reserved liquid and 1 or 2 tablespoons of water or orange juice.
• After 50 minutes of roasting, insert an instant-read thermometer into a thigh; when it reads 155 to 165 degrees, remove chicken from oven, and baste one final time. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.