June 12, 2006

Roast Chicken - 3 ways

Here Lyn, this is for you.... as promised :)
I'm not well versed with timing, heat, fancy techniques etc... but I can give you a couple of my favourite marinade combinations which you rub generously over cuts of chicken of your choice. For roasts, I always use chicken marylands, breasts or drumsticks...Its definitely easier than roasting an entire chicken. It helps shorten roasting time, makes it simpler to serve and definitely creates less mess in the kitchen at the end of the night!
Just a couple of pointers.
  • Never pierce the flesh of the chicken too early or too often to check if its done as it releases the juices from the meat and dries the chicken up. Do it only once, when the tops are brown, skin is crisp and you're confident that it has been in the oven long enough to be cooked through. (I still sometimes have problems with this myself; so anyone else who may know more about roasting...please share your wisdom with us).
  • Always marinade the chicken pieces for more than 1-2 hours to allow the meat to absorb the flavour and spices. Massage the chicken every now and then.
  • I usually use the middle rack of my conventional oven on 175-180 degrees for the first 15-20 minutes and switch to the grill on 190 degrees for about 5 minutes to brown the surface and make it crisp. (All in all, I would say about 20-25 minutes for a 500g piece of chicken).
  • Keep basting your chicken pieces every so often with leftover marinade as they cook in the oven. If the tops begin to brown too quickly...just follow your instincts; turn the temperature down a little of bring it down a shelf on the oven rack height.
  • Roasting comes naturally to me I guess...it's difficult to explain how I get it right without having a perfect recipe, might be just the practice....so don't give up too early if it doesn't turn out well.
Your aim should be a chicken that's crispy on the outside but juicy and tender in the middle!
Sweet Honey and Soy
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
2 shallots thinly diced
Lemon, Garlic and Tarragon
2 tsp Minced garlic mixed with 1 tbsp softened butter (insert butter under skin of chicken)
2 tsp olive oil
1 large pinch of sea salt (Maldon)
1 tsp lemon juice
3 tsp dried tarragon leaves
Indian Spices
2 tsp whole cumin seeds
2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp dried coriander leaves
1 tbsp kecap manis
1 tbsp curry powder
chilli flakes (add amount to suit your palate)

2 comments:

Audrey Cooks said...

I find your blog interesting and refreshing. Interested in trying some of your recipes. will let u know the outcome. Thanks for sharing! and keep it up.

Su-Yin -Décorateur said...

Thanks :)