From the blog For Love of the Table
1 head garlic
1 c. packed basil leaves (about 1 ounce), washed and dried
3 T. olive oil, divided
1 3- to 3 ½-lb. Chicken, cut into quarters (2 leg-thigh joints plus 2 bone-in breasts with wing attached)
Salt & Pepper
Prepare the chicken for roasting the day before you plan to roast it.
Cut 1/4-inch off of the top of the head of garlic to expose the cloves. Place the garlic in the center of a square of aluminum foil; drizzle the cut surface with olive oil (about a teaspoon) and season with salt & pepper. Drizzle a little water around the garlic (a tablespoon or so). Then, wrap the foil up and around the garlic and twist the edges together to seal (it will look like a Hershey’s Kiss). Place in a 350° oven and roast until soft—about 45 minutes to an hour. When cool enough to handle, squeeze the garlic out of its papery skins and mash to a purée.
Place the basil leaves in the food processor and pulse until finely chopped (or chop finely by hand). Add the garlic and 2 T. of olive oil and process until well-combined. Season with 1/2 t. kosher salt. It will taste very salty—this is as it should be.
Rinse the chicken and pat it dry with paper towels. Cut away any excess fat. Gently slide your index finger under the skin of each breast and leg-thigh joint to loosen (but not detach) the skin and form a pocket between the skin & the flesh. Spread the garlic basil mixture under the skin, coating as much of the meat as possible. Season the chicken all over with kosher salt (for 3 lbs. of chicken you will need about 1 1/2 t., for 3 1/2 lbs. of chicken you will need about 2 t.). Season all over with freshly cracked pepper. Tuck the wing tips back on the breast quarters. Cover loosely and refrigerate overnight.
About an hour before you are ready to roast the chicken, pull it out of the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450°. Rub the chicken all over with a tablespoon of olive oil and place the chicken in a shallow baking dish (Pyrex, stoneware, and enameled cast iron are all good choices). Choose a pan that will just hold the chicken—a 13- by 9-inch is about perfect.
Place the pan in the center of the oven and listen and watch for it to start sizzling and browning within 15 to 20 minutes. If it doesn’t, raise the temperature in 25° increments until it does. The skin should blister, but if the chicken begins to char, or the fat is smoking, reduce the temperature in 25° increments until the fat stops smoking. Continue to roast until the breast quarters register 155° and the thigh meat registers 165° to 170° on an instant thermometer. Begin checking the doneness of the parts after about 30 to 40 minutes. Remove individual pieces to a plate when they are done. All of the parts will probably be done at the same time, but if you do have to remove some before all are done, add a splash of water to the pan when you do so that the caramelized juices on the bottom of the pan don't char and burn while the remaining parts finish cooking. When the chicken is done, let it sit until cool enough to handle. (If you like, deglaze the roasting pan with some water and reserve these drippings for another use.)
Cut the chicken into serving portions: Cut the leg-thigh quarters at the joint to yield 2 legs and 2 thighs. Cut the wings away from the breasts. The breast meat may be left on the bone if you like—cut the breasts in half cross-wise to yield 4 breast pieces. Or, pull the breast meat off of the bone in one piece and slice across the grain. Serve hot, cold or room temperature.
(Recipe adapted from Cooking with the Seasons by Monique Jamet Hooker)
Notes & Ideas:
To make a delicious sauce to serve with the cold or room temperature chicken, make a double quantity of the roasted garlic-basil purée. Remove half of the purée (1 recipe) before adding the salt and add this unsalted portion to 1 to 2 cups of mayonnaise (or, to taste). Salt as necessary. Add lemon juice if necessary. You may use your favorite commercial mayonnaise, or make your own using the recipe below.
Use this chicken as part of another preparation—pasta salad, grain or bean salad, chicken salad, etc. Simply remove the skin (leaving as much of the basil purée with the meat as possible) and discard. Shred or dice the meat.
The breast meat is particularly nice on a sandwich. Slice thinly and add lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise (the basil-garlic mayo above would be excellent).
The recipe may be prepared with all white meat or all dark meat. Just purchase 3 to 3 1/2 lbs. of your favorite part.
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk (best quality organic and local)
1/2 t. kosher salt
1 T. lemon juice, plus more to taste
1 T. Dijon Mustard
1 1/2 c. vegetable oil or 3/4 cup vegetable oil combined with 3/4 c. olive oil
Place egg, yolk, salt, lemon juice & mustard in the bowl of the food processor and process until smooth. Add the oil in a slow stream through the feed tube. A thick emulsion will form. Taste and adjust the lemon and salt. If the mayonnaise is too thick, let it out with a few tablespoons of warm water. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
My New Favorite Chicken Salad
3/4 lb. diced Basil & Garlic Roast Chicken (skin and bones removed before weighing)—to make 2 1/2 cups diced chicken
1/3 to 1/2 c. walnuts, toasted and coarsely broken
2 scallions or spring onions (white and some of the green), trimmed and finely minced (if the onion seems particularly hot, rinse the white portion under cold running water and drain well before using)
3/4 c. peas, blanched, rinsed under cold running water and spread on kitchen towels to dry (optional)
1/2 to 2/3 c. mayonnaise flavored with basil-garlic purée
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Lemon juice and Dijon mustard, to taste (may or may not be necessary, depending on the mayonnaise used)
Place all the ingredients in a bowl and fold together.
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