Million Dollar Chicken Recipe 395

MILLION DOLLAR CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Season inside of chicken cavity and the back generously with salt and black pepper. Squeeze lemon halves into cavity and drop squeezed peels inside. Stuff cavity with garlic cloves and fresh thyme; add a bay leaf to cavity.
• Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil into a heavy roasting pan. Place sourdough slices into pan and press slices lightly into olive oil to help coat bottom of bread. Drizzle 1 more tablespoon olive oil on top of bread slices. Place chicken on top of bread slices and tie legs together with kitchen twine. Brush outside of chicken with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season entire outside with salt.
• Bake chicken in the preheated oven for 1 hour.
• Mix creme fraiche, grated shallot, and Aleppo pepper together in a small bowl. Stir 2 tablespoons lemon juice and lemon zest into sauce. Refrigerate until needed.
• Lift chicken off bread slices using a tongs and flip the bread slices over (they will be very brown). Place chicken back onto the bread slices. Generously brush the outside of the chicken with creme fraiche sauce, putting enough on to drip down onto bread slices.
• Return chicken to oven and bake for 10 more minutes to brown the glaze. Repeat, brushing more creme fraiche sauce generously onto the chicken. More is more. Bake 10 more minutes. Remove chicken from oven and let stand for 10 minutes. An instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh, not touching bone, should read 165 degrees F (75 degrees C).
• Pour remaining creme fraiche glaze into a small skillet, place over medium heat, and bring to a boil. Stir constantly, cooking until the shallot is cooked and sauce reduces slightly, 1 or 2 minutes. Turn off heat.
• Transfer chicken to a cutting board and cut bread pieces in half crosswise. Cut chicken up into 8 serving pieces (drumsticks, thighs, wings, and breasts) and serve with pieces of drippings-soaked toasted bread. Drizzle thickened creme fraiche sauce over chicken and garnish with chopped chive blossoms.

THE STANDARD GRILL MILLION DOLLAR CHICKEN

Steps:

• The day before you plan to cook the chicken, season it well inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the garlic, 1 of the lemons, the bay leaf and thyme. Refrigerate.
• (The bird can be trussed with butcher twine if you are so inclined, but it is not necessary.)
• On the day/night you plan to cook the bird, take the chicken out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before you plan to roast it. Preheat the oven to 425 to 450 degrees.
• In a pan large enough to accommodate the chicken, oil the pan lightly with olive oil, place the piece of sourdough in the center of the pan and then put the chicken on top of the bread.
• Drizzle the bird with olive oil or brush with butter (we use olive oil at the Grill).
• Place the pan in the oven and roast for 40 to 50 minutes, basting it every 12 to 15 minutes with the fat and drippings that render from the bird.
• White the chicken roasts, assemble the glaze by combining all of the ingredients and whisking them together.
• When the chicken is almost done (the juices are running pink and/or the legs are beginning to wiggle a bit when you give them a shake), take a pastry brush and slather on a bit of the creme fraiche glaze. The glaze will begin to caramelize. Brush on another layer and let this last glazing caramelize.
• At this point the chicken should be cooked through and nicely golden brown. The sourdough underneath the chicken will be nicely browned and crisped on the side in contact with the pan, and moist and juicy on the side in contact with the chicken. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before cutting it into serving pieces. Cut the sourdough into 2 to 4 pieces and serve with the chicken.
• Garnish with lemon wedges and sprinkle it with Maldon salt.
• (Alternatively, you can roast the chicken almost entirely through. Let it rest, split it in half and then glaze it with the creme fraiche under the broiler, brushing with the creme fraiche until you achieve golden brown, crackling skin.

MILLION DOLLAR CHICKEN CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Stir together cream of chicken soup, cottage cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, Creole seasoning, onion powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of the garlic powder in a medium bowl until well blended and smooth. Fold in chicken, chopped onion, and parsley until evenly coated.
• Stir together crackers, melted butter, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder in a medium bowl.
• Spoon chicken mixture evenly into an 11x7-inch or 9-inch square baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with mozzarella then cracker mixture.
• Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven until crackers are golden brown and edges are bubbly, about 40 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before serving; garnish with scallions if desired.