COOK’S NOTE: You probably will have to use two frying pans to prepare this dish because you won’t be able to put all 6 pieces of chicken at once into one pan. It’s important not to crowd the chicken while you sauté because the chicken will steam and become gummy. If you don’t have two frying pans, make the chicken in batches. When you finish the first batch, cover it lightly with aluminum foil and wipe out the bottom of the pan with a paper towel before you go on to the second.
CHICKEN IN A WOK
4 TO 6 SERVINGS
This chicken is particularly moist, fall-off-the-bone tender, and outstandingly flavorful. The recipe is easy to prepare because you just throw everything into one pan (a wok, in this case) with no fuss.
The first time I served this to my family (I try all my recipes on them first because they are so brutally honest), they simply loved it.
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
Kosher salt
Cracked pepper
1 (5- to 6-pound) organic whole chicken, gizzards and neck removed, rinsed and patted dry
4 tablespoons peanut oil (if you have nut allergies, canola oil is fine)
4 cloves garlic, smashed
½ cup dry sherry
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 quart chicken stock (Roasted Chicken Stock), homemade, or store-bought organic chicken broth
1 stalk lemongrass, hard core removed and sliced down the middle
7 scallions, 4 whole with 2 inches of the green cut off the top, the remaining 3 chopped small
1 tablespoon arrowroot
2 tablespoons cold water
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
Zest from 1 lemon
Prepare all of the ingredients first, and have them ready to go.
Toast the sesame seeds over medium heat in a small dry frying pan. Shake the pan back and forth until the sesame seeds start to release their oils and turn nutty brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside.
Sprinkle kosher salt and black pepper to taste over the whole chicken. Place a wok large enough to hold the whole chicken over high heat, and heat until very hot. Add the oil and swirl it around the wok. Add the garlic and sauté until brown; then remove and set aside.
Turn the heat to medium-high. Add the whole chicken, breast side down, cover, and sauté to brown the skin for 8 to 10 minutes. Using tongs, gently turn the chicken over and sauté the back side until brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the sherry, and cook for 1 minute. Add the lemon juice, ginger, soy sauce, chicken broth, lemongrass, and the 4 whole scallions. Cover the wok and lower the heat to a slow simmer. Simmer for 90 minutes.
Remove the lid and turn the heat to high. Cook down the stock by half. Using a baster, baste the chicken during this process every 10 minutes. When the stock is reduced, gently remove the chicken and place on a platter. Discard the scallions and the lemongrass.
Dissolve the arrowroot in the cold water, and pour it into the wok. Stir until the sauce has thickened. Place the chicken back in the wok and ladle the sauce over the top. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the wok and place it on a cutting board.
Slice the chicken into pieces, dividing the legs and thighs and slicing the breasts. Place all the pieces on a serving platter, and pour the remaining sauce all over the top. Add the chopped scallions, cilantro, lemon zest, and toasted sesame seeds.
Serve with jasmine rice.
CHICKEN MARSALA
WITH ANGEL HAIR PASTA
8 TO 10 SERVINGS
This is one of my favorites of the dishes my grandmother use to make when we had company, which seemed like all the time! The only thing I’ve changed is that I serve it with angel hair instead of linguine because the angel hair is much lighter. The sauce is thick, with a touch of sweetness from the marsala, so the angel hair is a perfect complement.
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 (4- to 5-ounce) whole organic chicken breasts, boned and pounded into ¼-inch thickness (ask your butcher to do this for you)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Cracked pepper
7 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, sliced thin
2 whole red peppers, seeded and sliced thin
½ ounce whole mushrooms; I prefer cremini—they look like small button mushrooms but they are deep brown
4 whole garlic cloves, smashed cup marsala wine
Juice from 2 fresh lemons
1 cup Roasted Chicken Stock, homemade (Roasted Chicken Stock), or storebought organic chicken broth
8 ounces angel hair pasta
¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 scallions, chopped
Reduced Balsamic Syrup (Reduced Balsamic Syrup)
Have all of your ingredients ready to go.
Place the flour in a shallow dish, and set aside.
Sprinkle both sides of the chicken breasts with kosher salt and pepper. Set aside.
Heat a heavy skillet until hot. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and swirl it around the pan. Add the onions and peppers and sauté until the onions are translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté the vegetables until they have started to caramelize, about 6 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle on ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, and mix well. Pour the vegetables into a bowl, and set aside.
Clean the frying pan; you’re going to use it again. Dredge the chicken in flour and set aside. Place the pan back on the stove over medium-high heat. Add 3 tablespoons of oil, and swirl it around the pan. Add the garlic, and sauté until golden. Remove the garlic from the skillet and discard. Add the floured chicken breasts, and sauté until a golden crust forms on the bottom of the chicken (about 3 minutes). Turn the chicken and sauté the other side for 3 minutes. Add the marsala, and cook until the wine is almost gone. Add 3 tablespoons lemon juice, sautéed vegetables, and chicken stock. Cover, lower heat, and simmer for 30 minutes.
When ready to serve, cook the angel hair according to package directions. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of pasta water. Pour the pasta into a serving bowl add the remainder of the olive oil (2 tablespoons), 1 cup of pasta water, the remaining lemon juice, and parsley, and mix. Serve the chicken marsala either over the angel hair or on the side. Garnish with parsley and the scallions. Drizzle on balsamic syrup.
CHICKEN BREASTS
FRIED GOLDEN, JUICY,
AND CRUNCHY!
6 SERVINGS
Who doesn’t like fried chicken? This recipe makes crunchy, moist, and light fried chicken.
3 organic chicken breasts
5 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons Tabasco
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cups panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)
1 ½ teaspoons garlic salt
1 ½ teaspoons onion salt
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 ½ cups rice flour
2 eggs, beaten
3 cups canola or vegetable oil
Lemon slices, for garnish
Slice the chicken breasts in half, cut off the tenderloins from the back of the breasts, and place the breasts, including the tenderloins, in a bowl.
To make the marinade, combine the buttermilk, Tabasco, and cayenne pepper. Mix well, then pour over the chicken to coat. Pour the chicken and marinade into a large plastic bag and seal. (I use two plastic bags in case of leaks.) Lie the bag flat in the refrigerator for 24 hours (no longer than two days). Make sure to turn it at least once to redistribute the buttermilk. The buttermilk breaks down the protein in the chicken, rendering it tender and moist.
Prepare the panko bread crumb mixture. In a large plastic bag, combine the panko, garlic salt, onion salt, kosher salt, and pepper. Close the bag and shake well.
Remove chicken from marinade and let the excess marinade drip off, then place chicken in a bowl. Discard marinade.
Coat the chicken in the rice flour, dip it
in the beaten eggs, and coat it with the panko mixture. Place on a cooling rack and let air dry for about 30 minutes. (You can fry immediately if you wish, but letting the chicken air dry helps with the crunchiness—your call.)
When ready to fry, heat the canola oil in a cast-iron or heavy skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. To test to see if the oil is ready, take a pinch of coating off the chicken and drop it in the oil. If it starts to bubble briskly, it’s ready for the chicken. Carefully place the chicken in the hot oil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and fry for 2 to 3 minutes per side, up to 8 minutes, or until the panko coating has turned a beautiful golden color. If the panko starts to brown too fast, reduce the heat to low.
Drain on a paper towel. Place the chicken on a rack and let sit for 5 minutes before serving, so it will retain its juices. Garnish with a few slices of lemon, and enjoy!
I accidently let the chicken marinate for two days, and I thought I would have to toss it, but the buttermilk acted as a tenderizer. I fried up a batch, and I have never, ever had fried chicken so tender and moist. If you don’t want to wait two days, try to marinate at least overnight!
CHICKEN ROASTED
TO PERFECTION
6 TO 8 SERVINGS
I serve this chicken often, and it always gets major compliments.
While the chicken is roasting, it sends a mouthwatering aroma through the entire house. When it comes out of the oven, it’s golden and crispy on the outside, moist and tender on the inside.
The secret is the marinade, which turns into a superdelicious pan sauce you can pour all over the chicken—and over the mashed potatoes, if you are serving them.
The other secret is to baste often. I know the cooking time may seem long, and it is—3 hours for a 6-pound chicken—but if you baste it as often as I suggest, every half hour or so, you will have a tender, fall-off-the-bone, mouthwatering chicken!
I like to marinate the chicken in a large ziplock bag overnight in the refrigerator, but if you don’t have time to do that, you can pour the marinade over the chicken and bake right away.
3 cups chicken stock, homemade (Roasted Chicken Stock), or store-bought organic chicken broth
6-pound whole organic chicken, rinsed and dried
¾ cup Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons olive oil
Juice from 1 fresh lemon; keep lemon rind for stuffing
cup light soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Several sprigs fresh parsley, or 1 tablespoon dry parsley
Several sprigs fresh rosemary, or 1 tablespoon dry rosemary
Several sprigs fresh thyme, or 1 tablespoon dry thyme
¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
Make the chicken stock first.
Remove, gizzards, heart, neck, and liver from the cavity of the chicken. Rinse the chicken well inside and out. Pat dry and place in a large ziplock bag.
To make the marinade, whisk together Dijon mustard, olive oil, lemon juice, and soy sauce. Add the garlic and mix well.
Stuff the lemon rind into the chicken cavity along with half of the fresh parsley, rosemary, and thyme, if using. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Place the chicken in a heavy roasting pan. Wrap the tips of the drumsticks and the wings in small pieces of foil to protect them from burning while roasting. Pour the marinade over the bird and top with the remaining fresh herbs, if using, or sprinkle the dry herbs on the chicken. Cover (you can use heavy-duty aluminum foil if you don’t have a lid for the roasting pan). Seal tightly. Try to make sure the aluminum foil is not resting on top of the skin, or it will stick and come off when you remove the foil; leave an air pocket. Roast for 90 minutes with the foil on. Then remove the foil and continue to roast for an additional 30 minutes.
You can usually buy fresh herbs already bundled as poultry seasoning. If they’re not available, dry herbs are fine.
So here’s the deal with chicken: I cook and eat a lot of it—so much so that I’m naturally concerned about the way the chickens are raised and nourished. That’s why I buy only organic cage-free chickens. Yes, they’re more expensive, but I think it’s worth it—for me and my family, and for the chickens.
Add 2 cups chicken stock. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the bottom of the roasting pan to loosen the bits that have collected on the sides and bottom of the pan. Baste the chicken well. Continue roasting uncovered for 60 minutes, basting every 15 minutes. Add chicken stock, if needed, a ladleful at a time to keep the bottom of the pan from burning.
Remove the chicken from the oven. Remove the chicken from the roasting pan and place it on a carving board to rest for 10 minutes before carving. Cover lightly with foil.
Add ½ cup chicken stock to the roasting pan, and stir to release any crusty bits that have collected on the bottom and sides of the pan. Place a strainer over another pot, and pour the juices from the roasting pan through the strainer. Remove the strainer and discard its contents. Skim off any oil that has risen to the top of the pan juices.
Carve the chicken, pour the pan juices over the meat, and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
CORNISH GAME HENS
8 SERVINGS
I love to serve this elegant dish for special occasions; it makes a beautiful, impressive presentation and is so delicious.
I serve sourdough stuffing, Smashed Yukon Gold Potatoes (Smashed Yukon Gold Potatoes), and fresh cranberries with it, but you can also serve it over Creamy Yukon Gold Mash with Scallions (Creamy Yukon Gold Mash with Scallions) with sautéed spinach on the side. A butter leaf salad (Butter Lettuce with Feta, Walnuts, and Olive Oil and Lemon Dressing, Butter Lettuce With Feta, Walnuts, And Olive Oil And Lemon Dressing) is the perfect starter.
4 Cornish game hens
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
½ cup teriyaki sauce
Juice from 2 fresh lemons
2 cloves garlic, smashed
3 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons arrowroot
1 tablespoon dry sherry or white wine
Kosher salt
Cracked pepper
½ cup loosely packed chopped Italian parsley
Zest of 1 lemon
Rinse the hens and pat dry. Using kitchen shears, cut the hens in half up the middle. Place in a glass or ceramic bowl to marinade.
Whisk together in a glass bowl the olive oil, mustard, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, lemon juice, and garlic. Pour the marinade over the hens. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and leave in the refrigerator for at least two hours. (You can even leave them overnight.)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the hens in a roasting pan, cut side down. Pour the marinade on top. Cover tightly with foil, and roast for 45 minutes. Remove foil and baste every fifteen minutes for 1 hour. If you notice that the roasting pan is dry add chicken stock, one ladleful at a time, to make sure there is enough liquid in the bottom of the roasting pan. By the time you remove the hens from the oven, they should have a rich, dark caramel color and the meat should come off the bone easily.
To serve, remove the hens from the oven and place them on a warm platter. Cover with foil to keep warm while you prepare the gravy.
Add 1 tablespoon of the arrowroot to 2 tablespoons cold water, mix, and pour into the roasting pan. Add 2 cups chicken stock and the sherry. Stir, scraping all the bits from the sides of the pan. Strain through a wire mesh strainer, and pour into a saucepan.
Again, mix 1 tablespoon arrowroot with 2 tablespoons cold water. Pour into the saucepan. Bring the gravy to a gentle boil until it starts to thicken slightly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour the gravy over the hens, and garnish with parsley and lemon zest.
FALL-OFF-THE-BONE
ROASTED CHICKEN THIGHS
6 SERVINGS
I’m a dark-meat lover, and I love chicken thighs. These are roasted until the meat falls off the bone.
I usually double this recipe because I like t
o have plenty of leftover thigh meat; it makes great sandwiches, tacos, and taco salads and is delicious shredded in soup.
A vegetable couscous is lovely with this dish.
3 cups chicken stock, homemade (Roasted Chicken Stock), or store-bought organic chicken broth
12 chicken thighs, washed and dried
cup Dijon mustard
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fines herbes
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
Kosher salt
Cracked pepper
Make the chicken stock first.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Place chicken thighs in a baking dish.
Combine Dijon mustard, lemon juice, soy sauce, and olive oil, and pour over the chicken. Turn the thighs to coat evenly.
Sprinkle on the fines herbes and the fennel seeds; then sprinkle on several pinches of kosher salt and plenty of cracked pepper.
Cover with aluminum foil, and roast for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and baste. Add 2 cups of chicken stock and stir to turn up any of the bits that have formed at the bottom of the roasting pan. Baste again with a bulb baster.
Continue to roast for 60 minutes more, basting every 15 minutes to keep the chicken supermoist. The thighs will turn a beautiful caramel color. If you find that the bottom of the roasting pan is dry, add the rest of the chicken stock.
COOK’S NOTE: I always try to use fresh herbs such as oregano, rosemary, thyme, parsley, and sage in all my cooking, but I like using dried fines herbes for this. You can find them in the spice aisle of your market. I like that fact that the herbs are tiny and can be baked right on the skin, giving the chicken and the pan juices a more intense flavor.
Cristina Ferrare's Big Bowl of Love Page 9
