Roast Chicken Quebecois Recipes

RICHARD OLNEY'S ZUCCHINI-AND-HERB STUFFED ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Step 1 Toss together zucchini and 2 teaspoons salt in a colander set over a large bowl. Let stand until liquid is released, about 20 minutes. Transfer zucchini to a clean kitchen towel. Squeeze as much liquid from zucchini as possible.
• Step 2 While zucchini stands, pat chicken dry. Place chicken, breast side down, on a cutting board. Using poultry shears, cut along both sides of backbone, remove and discard backbone.
• Step 3 Turn chicken breast side up. Place a heavy skillet on chicken breast, and press firmly against breastbone until it cracks and breast meat is an even 1-inch thickness. Transfer chicken to a wire rack in a large baking pan. Cut off wing tips at second joint and discard wing tips.
• Step 4 Using your fingertips, gently loosen and lift skin from flesh of breasts, thighs, and drumsticks, being careful not to tear or detach skin. Set spatchcocked and prepped chicken aside.
• Step 5 Preheat oven to 425°F. Stir together ricotta, breadcrumbs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, softened butter, marjoram, egg yolk, drained zucchini, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper until combined. Stuff zucchini mixture under skin of chicken breast, thighs, and drumsticks
• Step 6 Mold and evenly distribute stuffing, shaping and patting skin on outside of chicken.
• Step 7 Stir together herbes de Provence, remaining 2 teaspoons salt, and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper in a small bowl. Drizzle oil over chicken, and sprinkle with herb mixture.
• Step 8 Bake chicken in preheated oven until skin is lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Bake, basting after 30 minutes, until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion of thigh registers 155°F, about 50 minutes.
• Step 9 Remove chicken from oven, and let rest until thermometer registers 165°F, about 20 more minutes. Carve chicken into 8 pieces and serve.
• Step 10 If you're serving it with this menu of asparagus and fingerling potatoes like I did, one chicken will feed 4 to 6. Double the recipe to feed a crowd.

ROAST CHICKEN QUEBECOIS

Steps:

• Thi is easily doubled or tripled, if you have enough roasting rack space.
• Rinse, then dry chicken with paper towels. Salt the cavity with 1 tsp salt, and put a cut-up lemon, some garlic cloves, and the fresh rosemary inside the cavity.
• Butter the (whole, dry) outside of the chicken with soft butter.
• Then flour the whole thing.
• Put it on a rack, and roast it in a 400 degree oven until juices run clear. (I do this with 2 fryers at a time, and roast them for about an hour.).
• Remove from oven, let sit 10 minutes uncovered (you want that crisp skin to stay crisp). Discard the flavoring ingredients from the cavity.
• Meanwhile, de-grease the roasting pan leaving about 3 tablespoons of fat, add 1/2 cup of white wine and 1/2 cup water to the crusty fond at the bottom of the roasting pan, and boil over high heat, scraping to incorporate the fond. Reduce the juices by about half, put the juices into a serving bowl.
• Carve the chicken at table to show off the beautiful, crisp skin, which everyone will want to taste. Pass the reduced juices for a natural, flavorful and elegantly simple sauce.