Feta Brined Roast Chicken Recipes

FETA ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Crumble feta cheese into a bowl. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, black pepper, lemon zest, oregano, and 3 tablespoons olive oil. Mix and smear into a smooth paste with the back of a spoon. Reserve lemon juice for the sauce.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Season chicken cavity with salt and stuff rosemary and oregano inside. Tie legs together with string, season surface with salt, and tuck wingtips under. Place chicken in a roasting pan.
• Tuck fingers under the skin where the breast starts and lift it away from the flesh. Push a small rubber spatula between the skin and flesh and continue loosening the skin all the way down towards the wing. Repeat on the other side. Push a spoonful of the feta filling under the skin. Smooth over the surface of the skin to distribute filling evenly underneath. Repeat until filling is used up.
• Rub 2 teaspoons olive oil onto the chicken, smoothing over the skin. Dust the top with cayenne and season with kosher salt.
• Roast in the preheated oven until juices run clear and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 155 to 160 degrees F (68 to 71 degrees C), about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Let rest for 15 minutes.
• While the chicken is resting, pour off all, some, or none of the fat from the pan, and add lemon juice. Set over medium heat, and use the juice to deglaze the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add a splash of broth and adjust seasonings. Slice chicken and spoon sauce on top.

FETA-BRINED CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Pound chicken to an even 1-inch thickness and place in a gallon-sized resealable bag.
• Lightly crush oregano and rosemary sprigs using the back of a knife or a meat mallet so they are lightly bruised but still whole. Place on top of chicken.
• Combine feta cheese, reserved brine, water, and garlic in a blender and process until smooth. Pour brine mixture over chicken, seal the bag, and refrigerate for 8 hours to overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Remove chicken from brine and pat dry. Brush with olive oil place in a large baking dish. Season with black pepper and place a lemon slice on each breast.
• Bake in the preheated oven until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, 22 to 25 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

FETA-BRINED ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• The day before serving, combine 2 ounces feta, 2 teaspoons salt and 4 cups water in a blender and blend until smooth. Put chicken in an extra-large resealable plastic bag or a container large enough to submerge chicken, and cover with the feta brine. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.
• Before cooking, remove chicken from brine and transfer to a towel-lined tray. (Discard brine.) Pat chicken dry with paper towels and allow to come to room temperature for 1 hour.
• In a small mixing bowl, combine remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, the pepper, the oregano and the zest of the lemons (about 1 tablespoon). Liberally cover chicken in herb mix and gently massage entire bird. Halve lemons and place 3 halves in cavity (save remaining half for serving). Using kitchen twine, tie legs together.
• Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place a large ovenproof skillet over high heat. Add oil and heat until it just smokes. Place chicken, breast-side up, in pan. Transfer entire pan to oven. Cook, basting once or twice, until juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a knife, 50 to 60 minutes.
• Remove pan from oven, then stir remaining crumbled feta into juices in pan and stir well. Let chicken rest for 10 minutes in the pan before slicing and serving on a bed of greens, with feta-laced pan juices on top, drizzled with a little lemon juice from the reserved lemon half.

FETA-BRINED ROAST CHICKEN RECIPE

Steps:

• The day before serving, combine 2 ounces feta, 2 teaspoons salt and 4 cups water in a blender and blend until smooth. Put chicken in an extra-large resealable plastic bag or a container large enough to submerge chicken, and cover with the feta brine. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight. Before cooking, remove chicken from brine and transfer to a towel-lined tray. (Discard brine.) Pat chicken dry with paper towels and allow to come to room temperature for 1 hour. In a small mixing bowl, combine remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, the pepper, the oregano and the zest of the lemons (about 1 tablespoon). Liberally cover chicken in herb mix and gently massage entire bird. Halve lemons and place 3 halves in cavity (save remaining half for serving). Using kitchen twine, tie legs together. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place a large ovenproof skillet over high heat. Add oil and heat until it just smokes. Place chicken, breast-side up, in pan. Transfer entire pan to oven. Cook, basting once or twice, until juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a knife, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove pan from oven, then stir remaining crumbled feta into juices in pan and stir well. Let chicken rest for 10 minutes in the pan before slicing and serving on a bed of greens, with feta-laced pan juices on top, drizzled with a little lemon juice from the reserved lemon half.