Classic Roast Chicken with Herb Sauce
& A Salad of Bitter Greens
Recipe from Fine Cooking, May 1998 Beth Dooley & Lucia Watson
Makes approx. 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 3 to 5 lb. roasting chicken
- 2 to 3 Tbs. unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 tsp. coarse salt
- 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- Sprigs of fresh herbs (parsley, chervil, tarragon)
For the Salad
- 1 Tbs. minced shallot
- 1 Tbs. white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp. Dijon-style mustard
- 3 Tbs. rendered fat from the roast chicken (warm from pan)
- 2 cups washed and dried mixed greens
For the sauce
- 1/4 cup cognac or brandy
- About 3 1/2 cups (28 oz.) chicken stock (we recommend trying 1.5 oz. of Glace de Poulet Gold reconstituted in 3 1/2 cups of hot water or use 2/3 oz. Fond de Poulet Gold® reconstituted in 3 1/2 cups of hot water.
- 2 heaping Tbs. chopped mixed fresh herbs
- 2 Tbs. heavy cream (optional)
Proceedure:
Heat the oven to 450°. Remove the giblets from the chicken's cavity (save for a stock if you like - but don't include the liver, which would make the stock bitter). Pull any loose fat from around the opening.
Rinse the bird inside and out and pat dry. Rub the chicken all over with the softened butter, gently pursing the butter under the breast skin. Sprinkle the outside and the cavity with the salt and pepper and stuff the herb sprigs inside.
Put the chicken, breast side up, on a V-shaped rack or a
flat rack and set the rack in a roasting pan just larger
than the rack. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, reduce the
heat to 375°, and continue roasting for an additional
45 min. for a total of about 1 hour for a 3 lb. chicken.
For larger birds, add another 10 minutes for each additional pound until the chicken is done. Set the chicken on a warm platter, propping up the hindquarters with an inverted saucer, and tent with foil to keep it warm while you make the sauce. Remove the rack from the pan.
Make the sauce from the pan drippings by tilting the pan and spooning off as much fat as possible. Discard the fat, reserving 3 tablespoons for the salad dressing. Set the pan over high heat to caramelize all the juices, but be careful not to let them burn.
Deglaze the pan with white wine, cognac, or sherry, scrapping up all the drippings. Boil until the liquid is just a syrupy glaze, add about 1 1/2 cups of the chicken stock, and boil it down to a sputtering, bubbling glaze.
Repeat with another 1 1/2 cups of chicken stock, boiling down until it's reduced to about 2/3 cups sauce. Add any herbs or cream, taste, and adjust the seasoning.
To make the salad dressing, whisk together the shallot, vinegar, and mustard in a small bowl. Whisk in 3 tablespoons of the warm chicken fat, and add salt and pepper to taste. Toss with the greens and serve immediately without the carved chicken, drizzled with some sauce.
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