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You wouldn’t think a roast chicken recipe could surprise you, but this one will. The texture of the frisée against the chicken, both with generous quantities of juices poured over, makes it irresistible both to look at and to eat. Wedges of roasted sweet potato make the perfect accompaniment. Simply peel and cut 2 large sweet potatoes, spread the wedges on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, dot with butter, and season with salt and pepper. Put them in the oven on a rack beneath the chicken 20 minutes before it’s done. Then, once the bird is out and resting, raise the potato wedges up to the top shelf and continue roasting until tender and crispening at the edges, about 15 minutes longer. This recipe is also excellent with guinea hen, but be mindful that the cooking time for the birds will be shorter. – Kitchen Bliss by Laura Calder, Simon & Schuster
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Lemon Roast Chicken with Jus, Frisée, and Dill
Ingredients
- 1 small chicken about 3 pounds/1.4 kg
- Salt and pepper
- A few sprigs of thyme
- ½ lemon quartered
- 4 tablespoons butter 2 softened, 2 cold and cut into pieces
- 1/3 cup (75 ml) white wine
- ½ cup (125 ml) chicken stock
- 4 generous handfuls of frisée about 1 medium head, trimmed
- A handful of chopped fresh dill
- Olive oil
Instructions
- If you can leave the chicken unwrapped in the refrigerator overnight, do so to dry out the skin. Otherwise, pat it dry, and season inside and out with salt and pepper. Poke the thyme and lemon into the cavity, then truss the bird, and rub it all over with the soft butter. Set in a baking pan.
- Heat the oven to 400°F/200°C.
- Roast the chicken, basting occasionally, until the leg juices run clear, about an hour and 10 minutes total. (Alternatively, a meat thermometer inserted in the leg should read about 165°F/74°C when it’s ready.) If the bird is not fully cooked (and if it’s bigger, it won’t be), continue roasting until done, between 5 and 15 minutes more, depending on size. Check for doneness, then remove the bird from the oven and transfer to a cutting board to rest for a good 15 minutes.
- While the bird rests, prepare the jus. If there is excess fat in the pan, pour some off. If it’s just a bit, then leave it. Deglaze the pan with the wine, then pour into a saucepan. Bring to a boil and add the stock, then continue boiling to reduce by half, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cold butter a piece at a time. Taste, and season with salt and pepper as needed.
- Carve the bird, in the classic manner, into 8 pieces. Arrange the frisée on a serving platter, scatter with dill, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Arrange the chicken pieces on top, pour the pan juices over, and serve with the roasted wedges of sweet potato on the side.
Notes
Simon & Schuster, 2023
