French Roast Chicken And Mediterranean Vegetables In Wine Recipes

FRENCH ROAST CHICKEN AND MEDITERRANEAN VEGETABLES IN WINE

Steps:

• Make a batch of French Roast Vegetables with Hot Balsamic & Olive Oil Dressing, (Recipe #195130) up beforehand - OR use your own roasted vegetable or Ratatouille recipe if you wish!
• Preheat oven to 180C or 360°F.
• Grease a sturdy roasing tin or tray with a little of the olive oil.
• Brush the rest of the olive oil over the chicken or chicken breasts/pieces & season liberally with salt & freshly ground black pepper.
• Place the fresh thyme or rosemary over the top of the chicken and roast in the oven for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, dependant on the size of your chicken and/or chicken pieces. Remove from the oven and drain any excess fat away.
• Add the roasted vegetables & wine to the chicken, gently mix through or scatter around the sides of the whole chicken and turn up the oven to 220C or 450°F.
• Put the chicken and vegetables back into the oven to roast for a further 15 to 25 minutes; the chicken should be just falling off the bone, golden brown and crispy and the vegetables should be heated through & charred slightly!
• Serve with jacket potatoes or peppered potato wedges, Recipe #193370.
• N.B.
• I have cooked the vegetables alongside the chicken before, but I find that it takes up too much of the chicken fat & juices - great if you are wanting to cook a Chicken & Vegetable casserole, but in this dish I wanted the flavours to be independant of each other!

FRENCH ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425.
• Sprinkle the inside of the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt, and then smear in 1 tablespoon of the butter.
• Truss and dry the chicken, and rub the skin with the other half of the butter.
• Baste: Melt butter in a small saucepan with cooking oil.
• Leave on stovetop with a basting brush for later use.
• Back to the chicken: Place the chicken, breast side up, in a shallow small roasting pan.
• Scatter the veggies around it, and set it on the rack in the preheated oven.
• Allow the chicken to brown slightly for 15 minutes, turning on the left side after 5 minutes, then onto the right side for the last 5 minutes.
• Baste with butter quickly after each turn so that the oven does not lose a lot of heat.
• Reduce heat to 350.
• Leave chicken on its side, baste every 8 to 10 minutes, using the butter in the bottom of the roasting pan once you have used up all of the baste in your bowl.
• Watch and adjust oven heat so that the chicken is noisy, but fat is not burning.
• Halfway through estimated roasting time (which is 70-80 minutes; so after about 35 minutes), salt the chicken and turn it onto its other side.
• Continue to baste regularly.
• 15 minutes before end of estimated roasting time, salt again and flip chicken breast side up.
• Continue to baste regularly.
• Chicken will be done when drumstick moves easily in socket and juices run a clear yellow.
• Let sit on a platter 5 to 10 minutes before carving.
• Remove all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the roasting pan.
• Stir in shallot or onion and cook slowly for 1 minute.
• Add stock and boil rapidly over high heat, scraping up bits that are stuck in the pan witha wooden spoon.
• reduce to about 1/2 cup.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Off heat just before serving, swirl in the last 1 to 2 tablespoons butter by bits until it is absorbed.
• Pour a spoon of the sauce onto the chicken, then pour the rest into a gravy boat and serve with the chicken.

MEDITERRANEAN CHICKEN WITH ROASTED VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200C/ Gas 6/fan oven 180C. Spread the potatoes, courgette, onion, pepper and tomatoes in a shallow roasting tin and scatter over the olives. Season with salt and coarsely ground black pepper.
• Slash the flesh of each chicken breast 3-4 times using a sharp knife, then lay the chicken on top of the vegetables.
• Mix the olive oil and pesto together until well blended and spoon evenly over the chicken. Cover the tin with foil and cook for 30 minutes.
• Remove the foil from the tin. Return to the oven and cook for a further 10 minutes until the vegetables are juicy and look tempting to eat and the chicken is cooked through (the juices should run clear when pierced with a skewer).

ROASTED MEDITERRANEAN CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
• Place potatoes into a microwave-safe bowl, and cook in microwave oven on High setting for 2 minutes; turn potatoes over (watch for steam) and cook 2 more minutes on High. Set potatoes aside.
• Mix together the Alfredo sauce, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, black pepper, and garlic in a bowl. Place the chicken pieces into the prepared baking dish, and generously brush chicken with about 1 cup of the mixture. Arrange the potatoes, tomatoes, and garlic cloves around the chicken. Brush the vegetables with the remaining sauce mixture. Sprinkle the chicken and vegetables with rosemary and olives.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the chicken should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).