Roast Chicken With Crisp Toasts And Ricotta Recipes

ROAST CHICKEN WITH CRISP TOASTS AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Season chicken inside and out with kosher salt and chill, uncovered, 12-24 hours.
• Let chicken stand at room temperature 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450°.
• Pulse sage and sea salt in a food processor until finely ground. Add pine nuts and pulse until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a medium bowl and mix in ricotta, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Stuff chicken with ricotta mixture, then tie legs together with kitchen twine.
• Place chicken in a large ovenproof skillet or Dutch oven and rub all over with oil. Roast, basting every 10 minutes after the first 30 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh registers 165°, 45-55 minutes. Brush butter over chicken and roast 5 minutes longer. Let rest 5 minutes.
• Arrange bread slices in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet or a cutting board with a well. Place chicken on top of bread and pour pan drippings over (reserve skillet). Tent chicken with foil and let rest 15-25 minutes, allowing bread to soak up juices.
• Heat reserved skillet over medium heat, then add wine, scraping up browned bits from bottom of skillet. Bring wine to a boil, reduce heat, and whisk in cream, broth, and butter until incorporated. Simmer, whisking often, until sauce coats the back of a spoon, 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in 1 tablespoons lemon juice, and season sauce with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, heat a medium cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Transfer soaked bread to pan and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Set toasts aside.
• Toss greens, 1 tablespoons oil, and remaining 1 tablespoons lemon juice in a medium bowl; season with salt and pepper.
• Remove twine from chicken. Spoon stuffing onto reserved toasts and arrange on a platter. Cut chicken into quarters and place on top of bread. Pour sauce around; drizzle chicken with more oil and serve with greens.

ROASTED CHICKEN, ZUCCHINI, AND RICOTTA SANDWICHES ON FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Mix zucchini and salt in medium bowl. Transfer to colander; set over bowl. Let stand 15 minutes to drain liquid from zucchini. Rinse and drain zucchini. Squeeze zucchini to remove liquid.
• Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini and sauté 2 minutes. Cool slightly. Add ricotta, Parmesan and lemon peel to zucchini. Stir to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover; chill.)
• Preheat broiler. Arrange focaccia pieces cut side up on baking sheet. Broil focaccia just until lightly toasted. Spread ricotta mixture generously over 8 focaccia pieces. Broil until ricotta mixture is heated through and beginning to brown in spots, about 4 minutes.
• Top 4 focaccia pieces with tomato slices, then with chicken slices, dividing equally. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with remaining 4 focaccia pieces, ricotta-mixture side down. Cut sandwiches diagonally in half and serve.

GRILLED ROAST CHICKEN WITH SPINACH-RICOTTA CROSTINI

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, chile powder and lemon zest. Rub the chicken inside and out with salt mixture. Place chicken on a rack set over a baking pan to catch any drips, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Heat a gas grill, or light a charcoal grill for indirect heat (meaning pile the coals on one side of the gill, leaving the other side empty).
• Place a cast-iron skillet on the grate directly over the coals. Cover the grill, and let the pan heat up for 10 minutes.
• Remove chicken from the refrigerator. Use a sharp knife to cut the skin connecting the legs to the rest of the body. Use your hands to splay the thighs open until you feel the joint pop.
• Rub chicken with oil and place it breast side down in the hot skillet. Cover grill and cook 5 to 7 minutes, until the breast is seared and golden and easily releases from the pan.
• Using tongs and a spatula for balance, carefully flip chicken and cover the grill again. Continue cooking until the underside of the chicken is starting to brown, 10 to 20 minutes. Make sure the skin doesn't get too dark; it will continue to brown even as it cooks over indirect heat. You're looking for a medium golden color here, a shade or two lighter than what you ultimately want it to look like.
• Move the skillet over to the unlit side of the charcoal grill, or turn off the burners on your gas grill that are underneath the pan. Cover grill and continue to cook until the bird is cooked through, 10 to 25 minutes longer. An instant-read thermometer should register 155 degrees in the breast. You'll need to keep your eye on the grill heat as you cook. If you've got a thermometer on your grill cover, you're looking for it to be at about 450 degrees. If it falls below 400 degrees or seems as if it's not hot enough (i.e., your chicken is cooking too slowly), add more coals or turn up your burners. Use your intuition here.
• Transfer chicken from the skillet to a cutting board, and tent with foil to rest.
• Throw garlic, anchovies (if desired) and red pepper flakes into the skillet and cook, uncovered, until the garlic starts to sizzle and turn golden, about 20 seconds. Toss in spinach and dill and cook, stirring with your tongs, until just wilted, 2 minutes longer. If the spinach isn't wilting quickly, push the pan back over the flame to direct heat. Season with salt.
• Place bread slices on grill and cook until lightly charred, about 1 minute per side.
• To serve, drizzle toasts with oil and slather with ricotta. Top with spinach mix and a little lemon juice. Serve alongside sliced chicken.

CRISPY ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• In a spice grinder or mortar, combine kosher salt, caraway seeds, sage, fennel, coriander, and rosemary. Grind to a coarse powder. Transfer spice mixture to a bowl and stir in paprika, garlic powder, flour, and onion powder; mix in vegetable oil to make a smooth paste.
• Pat chicken halves dry with paper towels and tuck wing tips up behind the back. Brush spice paste onto chicken halves, coating both sides, taking care to season under wings and legs. Place chicken halves in baking dish or roasting pan with skin sides up, leaving space around chicken so halves aren't touching.
• Roast in preheated oven until a thermometer inserted in a thigh reads 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), about 1 hour. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

ROASTED CHICKEN WITH RISOTTO AND CARAMELIZED ONIONS

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onions and saute for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the onions are a dark golden brown. Remove from heat, stir in the balsamic vinegar and set aside.
• Heat the remaining oil in a separate large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the rice and mix well. Let heat for about 2 minutes, then pour in the wine. Reduce heat to medium low and start pouring in the broth about 1 cup at a time. Add more broth as each cup is absorbed. Continue in this manner until all the broth is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 20 minutes.
• Stir in the reserved onion mixture and allow to heat through. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and chicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and garnish each serving with fresh thyme.

RICOTTA-AND-HERB-STUFFED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Make filling:
• Preheat oven to 400°F with racks in middle and lower third.
• Cook garlic in oil in a small heavy skillet over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until pale golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and stir in ricotta, eggs, parmesan, herbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
• Stuff and roast chickens:
• Cut out backbones from chickens with kitchen shears (freeze bones for making stock if desired). Pat chickens dry, then spread flat, skin sides up, on a cutting board. Cut a 1/2-inch slit on each side of chicken in center of triangle of skin between thigh and breast (near drumstick), then tuck knob of each drumstick thourough slit.
• Sprinkle each chicken with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and spread chickens flat, skin sides up, in an oiled large (17- by 12-inch) shallow baking pan. Gently slide your finger between skin and flesh of breast and legs of 1 chicken to loosen skin (be careful not to tear skin). Using a small spoon, slide 2/3 cup ricotta mixture under skin, using a finger on outside of skin to spread filling over meat of breast, thighs, and drumsticks. Tuck wing tips under. Stuff second chicken in same manner. Brush skin of chickens all over with oil (2 tablespoons) and sprinkle each with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
• Spoon remaining filling into an oiled 1-quart shallow baking dish (10 by 7 inches).
• Bake chickens in middle of oven 30 minutes, then put dish of stuffing in oven on lower rack. Continue baking until chicken is just cooked thourough and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of a thigh (through stuffing; do not touch bone) registers 170°F and until gratin is puffed and golden, about 30 minutes more. Let chickens stand 10 minutes, then cut each into quarters. Serve with gratin.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH PANCETTA & RICOTTA STUFFING BALLS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Season the chicken inside and out, then place in a large roasting dish. Rub all over with the oil. Place in oven, then cook for 1 hr 30 mins, spooning oil and juices over the bird a few times during cooking.
• Meanwhile, make the stuffing. Whizz the bread and parsley in a food processor or grate the bread on the biggest holes of a grater. Mix with the rest of the stuffing ingredients, apart from the pancetta or bacon, in a large bowl. Use your hands to shape into 12 balls, then wrap a slice of pancetta or bacon around each.
• Test if the chicken is done by inserting a skewer into the thigh meat; when the juices run clear, remove from the roasting dish. Place on a serving plate and loosely cover with foil. While the chicken is resting, pour away any excess fat from the dish and tip in the stuffing balls. Cook for 20 mins until crisp and golden. Serve alongside the chicken.

ROAST CHICKEN RISOTTO WITH CHICKEN CRACKLING

Steps:

• Strip all the meat from the chicken carcass, shredding it into bite-sized pieces. Transfer to a plate along with any skin you can salvage and any jellied juices and fat, then chill until needed. Put the carcass in a large saucepan with the carrot, halved onion and bay leaves. Cover with cold water, then bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for at least 30 mins and up to 2 hrs until you have about 1 litre of stock. Strain through a sieve into a large jug or pan. Discard the bones, bay and veg. If you end up with more than 1 litre of stock, continue to cook over a high heat to reduce. Whisk in the stock cubes until dissolved, then keep the pan warm over a low heat while you make the risotto.
• Heat a large casserole or high- sided frying pan over a low heat. Melt the butter, add the oil and fry the chopped onion for 10 mins until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and stir for 1 min more, then add the rice. Cook, continuing to stir for a few minutes until the rice has absorbed some of the butter and is shiny. Pour in the wine and stir until the liquid has bubbled away.
• Add the lemon zest and thyme, then a generous ladleful of the warm stock. Continue to cook the risotto over a low-medium heat for 20 mins, stirring often, adding the stock a ladleful at a time and allowing it to be absorbed before the next addition. Add the reserved chicken and any jellied juices and fat towards the end of the cooking time to warm through. The risotto should be loose and soupy, and the rice grains very nearly cooked, but still retaining a little bite. Stir in some more stock to loosen if needed (or kettle-hot water if you've run out), then a large knob of butter and the parmesan. Season well and cover. Leave for a few minutes for the butter and cheese to be absorbed while you make the crackling.
• Tear or chop the chicken skin into small pieces, then put in a cold, dry frying pan. If the skin is quite lean (with no fatty patches) add a drizzle of oil; otherwise, the fat should render from the skin and start to sizzle. Fry for a few minutes until the skin is crisp, then transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper.
• Check the consistency of the risotto again - the rice will absorb more stock as it rests, so you may need to add more. Spoon into bowls, drizzle with truffle or olive oil, and top with some shaved parmesan and the chicken crackling.