André Soltners Roast Chicken Recipes

ANDRé SOLTNER'S ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the thyme, 2 of the tarragon sprigs, the parsley sprigs and onions in the cavity of the chicken; season inside and out with the salt and pepper.
• On the stove, heat a roasting pan over high heat. Add the peanut oil and the chicken and brown on all sides, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove from the heat and place in the oven. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, basting frequently, or until a meat thermometer reaches between 158 and 160 degrees when inserted in the thigh.
• Immediately drop 1 teaspoon of water in the roasting pan, close the oven door and turn off the heat. After 3 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and place the bird on a platter. Carefully drain the fat from the pan and place on top of the stove over medium heat. Add the wine and, using a wooden spoon, scrape the pan well. Add the chicken broth, the reserved tarragon leaves and the parsley. Simmer for 2 minutes and then remove from heat. Whisk in the butter and serve immediately over the chicken.

THE BEST ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Mix butter, garlic, thyme, rosemary, lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together in a bowl.
• Loosen skin on chicken breast; rub butter mixture between skin and breast meat. Press on the skin to distribute evenly. Rub oil, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper all over; place lemon halves inside cavity. Set in a baking pan.
• Roast in the preheated oven, basting after 30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink, about 1 hour. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone, should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Let rest before carving, about 15 minutes.

PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the onions, carrots, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.
• Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.

ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking tray with foil.
• Place the softened butter in a bowl with the lemon zest. Strip the leaves from 1 sprig of rosemary, finely chop and add along with some salt and pepper. Mix everything together.
• Lay the chicken on the foil-lined baking tray, breast-side up. Use your fingers to smear the butter mixture all over the chicken, under the skin and inside the cavity.
• Squeeze the juice of 1 of the lemons over the chicken, and then place the 4 lemon halves (if they fit!) inside the cavity of the chicken along with the 3 whole remaining sprigs of rosemary.
• Put the chicken in the oven and roast it until done, about 1 hour 15 minutes. The skin should be deep golden brown and the juices should be sizzling.

PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Let chicken and 1 tablespoon butter stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove and discard the plastic pop-up timer from chicken if there is one. Remove the giblets and excess fat from the chicken cavity. Rinse chicken inside and out under cold running water. Dry chicken thoroughly with paper towels. Tuck the wing tips under the body. Sprinkle the cavity of the chicken liberally with salt and pepper, and set aside.
• In the center of a heavy-duty roasting pan, place onion slices in two rows, touching. Place the palm of your hand on top of lemon and, pressing down, roll lemon back and forth several times. This softens the lemon and allows the juice to flow more freely. Pierce entire surface of lemon with a fork. Using the side of a large knife, gently press on garlic cloves to open slightly. Insert garlic cloves, thyme sprigs, and lemon into cavity. Place chicken in pan, on onion slices. Cut about 18 inches of kitchen twine, bring chicken legs forward, cross them, and tie together.
• Spread the softened butter over entire surface of chicken, and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Place in the oven, and roast until skin is deep golden brown and crisp and the juices run clear when pierced, about 1 1/2 hours. When chicken seems done, insert an instant-read thermometer into the breast, then the thigh. The breast temperature should read 180 degrees and the thigh 190 degrees.
• Remove chicken from oven, and transfer to a cutting board with a well. Let chicken stand 10 to 15 minutes so the juices settle. Meanwhile, pour the pan drippings into a shallow bowl or fat separator, and leave onions in the pan. Leave any brown baked-on bits in the bottom of the roasting pan, and remove and discard any blackened bits. Using a large spoon or fat separator, skim off and discard as much fat as possible. Pour the remaining drippings and the juices that have collected under the resting chicken back into the roasting pan. Place on the stove over medium-high heat to cook, about 1 minute. Add chicken stock, raise heat to high, and, using a wooden spoon, stir up and combine the brown bits with the stock until the liquid is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Strain the gravy into a small bowl, pressing on onions to extract any liquid. Discard onions, and stir in the remaining tablespoon of cold butter until melted and incorporated. Untie the legs, and remove and discard garlic, thyme, and lemon. Carve, and serve gravy on the side.

ANDRE SOLTNER'S TREFLAI (POTATO PIE)

Steps:

• Line the bottom of a nine-inch pie pan with a little more than half of the pastry and chill. Reserve and chill the remaining pastry.
• Cut the bacon strips crosswise into pieces a quarter-inch wide. Sautee the bacon until just beginning to brown around the edges. Drain on absorbent paper.
• Wash the potato slices in cold water to remove excess starch. Drain and dry them. Toss with parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper. Make a layer of overlapping slices of potato in the pastry shell, using half the potatoes. Cover with the pieces of bacon, then arrange the egg slices over the bacon and top with the rest of the potato. Spread with the creme fraiche. Refrigerate.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Roll out the remaining dough into a circle to fit the top of the pie. Beat the remaining egg yolk with a teaspoon of cold water, brush the edges of the pastry, cover the pie and crimp and seal the edges. Brush the top with egg wash and cut several decorative slits in it.
• Bake for 20 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake 50 minutes longer, then lower the heat to 300 degrees and bake another 10 minutes. Allow the pie to rest 10 minutes before cutting and serving.