Roast Chicken For Two Balthazar Recipes

BEST OF BOTH WORLDS ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Remove giblet packet from cavity of chicken and pat bird thoroughly dry with paper towels. Place 1 tablespoon butter into chicken cavity, sprinkle salt and black pepper into cavity, and stuff cavity with onion, celery, and lemon pieces. Loosen skin over breast and thigh of chicken with your fingers and insert garlic slices under the skin. Place the chicken breast side up on a rack set into a roasting pan.
• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat; add dried parsley and Italian seasoning. Pour half the butter-herb mixture over the chicken and rub the seasoned butter onto all parts of chicken. Reserve remaining butter mixture.
• Roast chicken in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, then remove and turn chicken so breast side is down. Pour remaining half of seasoned butter over the chicken, brushing it over all parts of the bird. Return to oven and roast an additional 10 minutes.
• Reduce oven heat to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Roast chicken until skin is crisp and brown and the juices run clear, 1 hour and 20 more minutes. An instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh, not touching bone, should read 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). Let chicken rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes before serving.

DOUBLE ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Arrange about half of each of the vegetables in a 12-by-18-inch roasting pan. Place chickens over vegetables in pan; sprinkle cavities with salt and pepper. Fill each cavity with onion, lemon, and thyme. Tie legs together with kitchen twine. Arrange remaining vegetables around chickens.
• Spread butter over chickens; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until the skin is deep golden and crisp and the juices run clear when the skin is pierced, tossing the vegetables occasionally as they cook, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the breast should read 180 degrees. Remove from oven, and serve.

ROAST CHICKEN FOR TWO (BALTHAZAR)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• In a small bowl, combine half the rosemary, thyme and parsley with the softened butter, using a fork to blend. Season with salt and pepper.
• Gently loosen the skin from the breast meat. Slide in a small dab of the herb butter. Massage the skin a little to work the butter around. Next do the same thing to the skin on the back. Season the cavity with salt, pepper and stuff in the leftover chopped herbs and the garlic. Smear the skin with any remaining herb butter and season with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with a small piece of butcher's twine and fold the wings under.
• Over a high flame, heat the olive oil in a heavy, oven-proof saute pan or roasting pan until it smokes. Place the bird on its side, searing the leg and breast. Leave it untouched in the pan for about 4 minutes unbtil the skin has turned golden brown. The cookbook used the word "burnished" which I sort of love. Using a pair of tongs, turn to brown the other breast, and then the top and bottom of the bird, being carefull not to pierce the skin with said tongs.
• At this point add the vegetables and toss to coat in the olive oil and rendered chicken fat. Add the chicken stock and place the pan in the oven. Roast the chicken for about 40 minutes (for 5 pound birds, I roasted them for 1 hour). If the chicken starts to get too dark, cover with a loose foil tent. To test for doneness, pierce the joint where the leg connects to the body - the juices should run clear (the internal temperature should be 155 degrees F).
• Remove the chicken and vegetables from the roasting pan and cover with foil. Place the pan on the stove over a high heat. If it seems to oily, remove some of the fat with a spoon. Add the wine and deglaze the pan to make the pan sauce. Continue to cook the sauce until it's reduced by half and thickened. You probably won't need to add any flour or anything, although I did add about a teaspoon of butter right at the end.

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.

ROASTED CHICKENS TWO WAYS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Season roasters with salt and pepper inside the chicken's cavity and on their skin. Place on a baking sheet lined with foil. Create a divider between the 2 chickens with a thick piece of aluminum foil. Rub 1 of the chickens all over with the five-spice powder and stuff with 3 garlic cloves and 2 orange quarters. Squeeze the other 2 orange quarters over the chicken and place 1 underneath a leg and 1 underneath a wing.
• Stuff the other chicken with sage leaves, the remaining 3 garlic cloves, and 2 lemon quarters. Squeeze the other 2 lemon quarters over the chicken and place 1 underneath a leg and 1 underneath a wing.
• Roast for 1 1/2 hours until skin is crispy and juices run clear and drumsticks pull away from the chicken easily. Let rest for at least 10 minutes before carving.

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.

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.

MARCELLA HAZAN'S ROAST CHICKEN WITH LEMONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Wash the chicken thoroughly in cold water, both inside and out. Remove all the bits of fat hanging loose. Let the bird sit for about 10 minutes on a slightly tilted plate to let all the water drain out of it. Pat it thoroughly dry all over with cloth or paper towels.
• Sprinkle a generous amount of salt and black pepper on the chicken, rubbing it with your fingers over all its body and into its cavity.
• Wash the lemons in cold water and dry them with a towel. Soften each lemon by placing it on a counter and rolling it back and forth as you put firm downward pressure on it with the palm of your hand. Puncture the lemons in at least 20 places each, using a sturdy round toothpick, a trussing needle, a sharp-pointed fork, or similar implement.
• Place both lemons in the bird's cavity. Close up the opening with toothpicks or with trussing needle and string. Close it well, but don't make an absolutely airtight job of it because the chicken may burst. Run kitchen string from one leg to the other, tying it at both knuckle ends. Leave the legs in their natural position without pulling them tight. If the skin is unbroken, the chicken will puff up as it cooks, and the string serves only to keep the thighs from spreading apart and splitting the skin.
• Put the chicken into a roasting pan, breast facing down. Do not add cooking fat of any kind. This bird is self-basting, so you need not fear it will stick to the pan. Place it in the upper third of the preheated oven. After 30 minutes, turn the chicken over to have the breast face up. When turning it, try not to puncture the skin. If kept intact, the chicken will swell like a balloon, which makes for an arresting presentation at the table later. Do not worry too much about it, however, because even if it fails to swell, the flavor will not be affected.
• Cook for another 30 to 35 minutes, then turn the oven thermostat up to 400 degrees, and cook for an additional 20 minutes. Calculate between 20 and 25 minutes total cooking time for each pound. There is no need to turn the chicken again.
• Whether your bird has puffed up or not, bring it to the table whole and leave the lemons inside until it is carved and opened. The juices that run out are perfectly delicious. Be sure to spoon them over the chicken slices. The lemons will have shriveled up, but they still contain some juice; do not squeeze them, they may squirt.

EASY BAKED CHICKEN AND POTATO DINNER FOR TWO

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F. Spray baking dish, 13x9x2 inches, with cooking spray.
• Brush chicken with 1 tablespoon of the mustard, then coat with Bisquick mix. Place 1 chicken breast half in each corner of pan. Place potatoes, bell pepper and onion in center of pan; brush vegetables with remaining mustard. Spray chicken and vegetables with cooking spray; sprinkle evenly with cheese and paprika.
• Bake 35 to 40 minutes, stirring vegetables after 20 minutes, until potatoes are tender and juice of chicken is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut.