Simple Roast Chicken With Greens And Bonus Stock Recipes

SIMPLE ROAST CHICKEN WITH GREENS (AND BONUS STOCK)

Steps:

• Season your chicken all over (including the cavity) with about 2 teaspoons kosher salt and a lot of black pepper. If you like, add the grated garlic clove or two, some lemon zest, some spices like cumin or garam masala, or chopped thyme or rosemary.
• If time permits, let the chicken rest uncovered in the fridge for a few hours to dry out the skin. Stuff the woody herbs, if using, in the cavity either before or after resting.
• When ready to roast, heat the oven to 425 degrees, and, at the same time, heat a skillet on your stovetop for a few minutes. Coat the pan with a little oil or butter, and add the bird so it's lying on its back. Let it cook for about 5 minutes, then move it to the oven.
• Roast the bird until it's burnished all over and the wing tips - if your chicken still has them attached - are a little singed, about 45 minutes for a small bird, and up to 75 minutes for a larger bird. The juices should run clear if you prick the thigh with a fork. (An instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh should read 165 degrees.) Move the bird to a cutting board and let it rest for 10 minutes.
• Return the same pan to the stove and set it over medium heat until the drippings sizzle. Add the leeks and garlic and sauté until tender and golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the kale and a splash of water and cook until the leaves are very tender and the water evaporates. If the kale is still tough and the pan is dry, add another splash of water. Season with salt and serve with the chicken. Pick any remaining meat off the carcass and save it for another meal.
• Make the optional stock: Put the chicken bones in a medium pot. Add a teaspoon of salt and whatever aromatics you have around: an onion or other alliums, leftover leek tops, a carrot, a bay leaf, herbs or herb stems, peppercorns, a celery stalk or the tops.
• Cover with cold water and let it all simmer for 2 or 3 hours. Or use an electric pressure cooker and let it cook at high pressure for 1 hour, or a slow cooker for 3 to 6 hours. Strain it after it cools, if you like. Stock will keep in the freezer for up to 6 months.

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.

MY FAVORITE SIMPLE ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450°F. Rinse the chicken, then dry it very well with paper towels, inside and out. The less it steams, the drier the heat, the better.
• Salt and pepper the cavity, then truss the bird. Trussing is not difficult, and if you roast chicken often, it's a good technique to feel comfortable with. When you truss a bird, the wings and legs stay close to the body; the ends of the drumsticks cover the top of the breast and keep it from drying out. Trussing helps the chicken to cook evenly, and it also makes for a more beautiful roasted bird.
• Now, salt the chicken-I like to rain the salt over the bird so that it has a nice uniform coating that will result in a crisp, salty, flavorful skin (about 1 tablespoon). When it's cooked, you should still be able to make out the salt baked onto the crisp skin. Season to taste with pepper.
• Place the chicken in a sauté pan or roasting pan and, when the oven is up to temperature, put the chicken in the oven. I leave it alone-I don't baste it, I don't add butter; you can if you wish, but I feel this creates steam, which I don't want. Roast it until it's done, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove it from the oven and add the thyme, if using, to the pan. Baste the chicken with the juices and thyme and let it rest for 15 minutes on a cutting board.
• Remove the twine. Separate the middle wing joint and eat that immediately. Remove the legs and thighs. I like to take off the backbone and eat one of the oysters, the two succulent morsels of meat embedded here, and give the other to the person I'm cooking with. But I take the chicken butt for myself. I could never understand why my brothers always fought over that triangular tip-until one day I got the crispy, juicy fat myself. These are the cook's rewards. Cut the breast down the middle and serve it on the bone, with one wing joint still attached to each. The preparation is not meant to be superelegant. Slather the meat with fresh butter. Serve with mustard on the side and, if you wish, a simple green salad. You'll start using a knife and fork, but finish with your fingers, because it's so good.

ROASTED CHICKEN STOCK

Steps:

• To make this stock in an Instant Pot: Add the chicken carcass to a 3- or 6-quart Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker. Chop the onion into eighths, and slice the garlic head in half crosswise to expose the cloves; dump the alliums into the pot over the chicken. Crush the bay leaves and add, along with the salt, black peppercorns, and turmeric. Add enough cold water to reach the max line in the 3-quart or to cover the bones in the 6-quart (5 to 6 cups). Gently stir and cover with the lid. Pressure-cook on high for 1 hour and let the pressure release naturally.
• To make this stock on the stove: Follow Step 1, but place all of the ingredients, including the water, into a large heavy-bottomed pot, such as a Dutch oven or stock pot, and gently stir. Bring to a boil over high heat, then immediately reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cover and cook until the stock is deeply golden, the chicken bones are falling apart at the joints when you try to pick them up and the vegetables have turned to mush, about 3 hours.
• Strain the contents of the pot through a colander set over a large bowl; press the bones to get out all of the liquid. Taste for seasoning, adjusting with salt as desired. Ladle the stock into large mugs for sipping, or use as an ingredient in your cooking. Alternatively, you can let the strained stock cool slightly before transferring into quart containers and storing in the refrigerator.
• This chicken stock will keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months. Heat individual portions in coffee mugs to drink in the morning for breakfast, or use as a base for soups, stews and porridges throughout the week.

HERBED ROAST CHICKEN FOR CROCK POT (WITH BONUS STOCK)

Steps:

• Cut up the onion, celery and carrots and put them in the bottom of your crock pot. You are not going to eat these with the chicken, they stay there for making stock. Limp veggies are OK for this part. Putting them in the bottom of the crock pot keeps the chicken elevated out of the juice and lets the bird roast instead of stew.
• Combine the garlic cloves, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Add about 1/2 tsp of the fresh thyme leaves or all of the dried thyme. I combine in a small food processor, but you can do this by hand.
• Remove all the stuff they pack on the inside of your chicken and place them (neck and innards, NOT the plastic bag) in the crock pot with the veggies. You aren't eating innards, but they DO make the stock taste richer. Remove as much of the excess chicken fat as is practical.
• Take the garlic paste and spread it under the skin of the chicken. Try not to poke holes in the skin. Make sure you flavor the breasts and thighs. Now stuff the orange or lemon slices and fresh thyme (if using) under the skin as well. If you have extra, place it in the middle of the bird.
• Roast in your crock pot for 3 to 4 hours on hi.
• Remove chicken and enjoy for dinner. Add 2 cups of water to your crock pot and turn it to LO.
• I remove the thighs, legs and wings to a platter for serving. I put the breasts into a ziptop bag for use in another meal unless we're serving company.
• After removing as much of the chicken meat as you care to, return the bones to the crock pot. It helps if you separate the bones or mush them to make it lie flatter. Add enough water to come 1/2 way up the bones. Turn your crock pot on LO for 8 to 12 hours.
• Strain the liquid from the crock pot and refrigerate. Dump the solids into the trash. After the stock has cooled, remove the hard fat from the top and discard. Freeze the stock or use it within a few days.