Roast Chicken & Veg ala Kimberly Belle

Tonight I made a recipe for Roast Chicken & Veg that I've been wanting to try for a long time. This recipe is from Kimberly Belle's blog, and is the first recipe of hers that I've tried. I followed the recipe pretty closely, although I only put sweet potatoes and onions under the chicken (she used brussel sprouts, carrots, shallot, and crab apples as well) and did not use the sage leaves or rosemary. I used paprika, thyme and kosher salt for the salt rub. I used chardonnay for the white wine as she did. The only thing I will change for next time is that towards the end of roasting time I will loosely cover the chicken will foil as the skin got a little too crispy for me in a few places, and my chicken took approx 2 hours to be fully cooked.

But WOW, just WOW. This is the most incredible chicken I've ever had. It is so far beyond Giada's Garlic & Citrus Chicken I can't even describe. This was completely and utterly amazing! I think it is probably the best recipe I have tried in about 5 years!!!! I can't say enough about it.

Roast Chicken with Fruit & Veg

• 6 medium sweet potatoes
• 6 crab apples
• 1 package carrots
• 1 Vidalia onion
• 1 shallot
• Several handfuls of Brussels sprouts
• Brown sugar (anywhere between ½ cup to a whole cup depending on your sweet tooth)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 glass of white wine (I used a French Chardonnay)
• Two 4-6 lb. roasting chickens
• 2 bundles of sage leaves
• 4 lemons (sliced into rounds)
• Dried spices (I used a pinch of paprika, a dash of rosemary, and bit of thyme)
• Salt & pepper

 

Peel, core and chop the potatoes, apples, carrots and onion into large chunks. Dice the shallot. In the bottom of your roasting pan, toss all fruit & veg with the Brussels sprouts and mix in just enough olive oil to moisten the lot. Throw in brown sugar, salt and pepper according to taste and toss again.

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Wash and dry your chickens. Separate the skin from the meat by sticking your hands up into the breasts, thighs and legs, gently detaching the skin from the muscle as deep into the bird as your fingers can reach. Though not for the squeamish, this is the trick to tenderizing and seasoning your meat, and frankly, it’s my favorite part. It feels honest.

Massage the chickens both under and over the skin with a generous amount of olive oil. These birds are slippery when wet so be careful. Slide the sage leaves and half the lemons between the skin and the meat. Season the cavity of the chickens well with salt and pepper and stuff the sage stems and remaining lemons into the cavity. If you’ve got it, tie the birds with butcher’s twine (Sara definitely did not have butcher’s twine so I just skipped this step and no one was the wiser).

Make your own salt rub by combining a few tablespoons of good kosher or sea salt with the dried spices of your choosing…use more salt than you think you should, you’ll thank me later, and if not, you can always push aside the skin (though it is of course the best part!). Rub your spice mixture all over the birds and place them directly atop or in a v-rack above the fruit & veg. Oven-sear the chickens in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Then turn the oven down to 400 degrees and add one glass of wine (you could substitute juice, water, or stock here…but why would you?). This liquid will mix with the caramelized juices of the chicken and vegetables and produce a wonderful pan sauce. Every time you have a free moment (maybe every 20 minutes or so) spoon this sauce over your chickens to baste…this is key! Roast for 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours; add more wine if the pan juices become dry. The chickens are done when a thermometer reads 180 degrees when inserted into the thigh or when the juices run clear from the thigh when pierced. Remove the chickens and allow to rest for 15 minutes under aluminum foil.

Carve and serve the birds with a side of fruit & veg and the degreased pan juices drizzled over the entire plate. Be sure to dig around for those caramelized lemons from under the skin—definitely not throw-away food!