Roasted Chicken Breasts With Orange Cardamom And Turmeric Recipes

I AIN'T CHICKEN CHICKEN: CRISPY ROASTED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH ORANGE AND CARDAMOM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Using 2 sheet trays, line 1 with a cooling rack and the other lined with parchment. In a large bowl, toss the potatoes with a little olive oil, thyme leaves and salt and pepper, to taste. Put the potatoes on the sheet tray lined with the parchment.
• In a small bowl, combine the butter, ground cardamom, orange zest, ginger, salt and pepper, to taste. Stir together with a spoon until well mixed.
• Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Poke a small opening in the clear membrane between the skin and the flesh of the chicken breast. Glide your index finger through the opening, loosening the skin from the flesh, without removing it completely. You're creating a big pocket in which the butter will sit! Repeat with the other chicken breasts.
• Put a spoonful of the butter mixture through the opening you made in the skin of the chicken breast. Once it's in there, smooth out the butter by gliding your finger over the skin, until it's evenly distributed. Repeat with the other breasts. Arrange the chicken breasts on the sheet tray lined with the cooling rack. Wash your hands thoroughly.
• If you wish, drizzle the skin with a little oil, for extra crispy skin. Season with salt, to taste. Put the potatoes and the chicken into the oven, and roast, turning the pans once halfway through the cooking time and stirring the potatoes, about 30 minutes. Relax, sip a glass of wine, and bask in the crackling sounds of butter and comforting smell of the roasted chicken!
• Chicken is ready when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast, but not touching the bone, registers about 160 degrees F. Remove the pans from the oven and tent with foil. Allow them to rest about 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken and potatoes to a serving platter and serve.

ROSEMARY-ORANGE ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl, combine butter, minced rosemary, orange zest and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. With fingers, carefully loosen skin from the chicken; rub butter mixture under the skin. Brush chicken with orange juice. Sprinkle salt and remaining pepper over chicken and inside cavity., Place one onion and half of the apple inside the cavity. Tuck wings under chicken; tie drumsticks together. Place breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Arrange carrot, celery, thyme, parsley, bay leaves, rosemary sprig and remaining onion and apple around chicken. Pour wine into pan., Roast 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours or until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reads 170°-175°, basting occasionally with drippings. Cover loosely with foil if chicken browns too quickly. Cover and let stand 15 minutes before carving., For gravy, pour drippings and loosened browned bits into a measuring cup. Skim fat. Add enough broth to the drippings to measure 1 cup. In a small saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add broth mixture and nutmeg if desired. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with chicken.

ORANGE HERB ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Pour the chicken broth into a small roasting pan, and set aside.
• Loosen the skin from the breasts and thighs of the chicken. Stuff the butter pieces evenly underneath the skin of the chicken, and place into the roasting pan. Squeeze the orange halves over the chicken, and stuff the orange halves into the chicken cavity. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper to taste, then rub in the minced garlic. Drizzle the melted butter all over the chicken, then lay the herb sprigs onto the breast and around the legs.
• Cover the dish with aluminum foil, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Uncover and baste the chicken with the pan juices. Continue cooking until the chicken is no longer pink, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), 1 to 2 hours. Baste the chicken every 10 to 15 minutes after you uncover it. Once cooked, allow the chicken to rest out of the oven for 10 minutes before slicing.

ORANGE-CARDAMOM ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the butter, cardamom, orange zest, ginger, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; set aside.
• Butterfly the chicken: Place on a cutting board, breast-side down with the neck toward you. Using a pair of sharp kitchen shears (and your biceps), cut through the bones on either side of the backbone; the spine should come away in a narrow strip, which you can discard or save for stock. Flip the bird over, breasts facing up and closest to you. Using the heel of your palm and your body weight, push down on the breastbone; you should hear it crack. The chicken should lie flat now. Rotate the drumsticks toward the center line of the body so she looks a little knock-kneed. There you go. You just butterflied a chicken!
• Slide your fingers between the flesh and the skin over the breasts, thighs and drumsticks. Use a teaspoon to deposit a little of the flavored butter into each pocket and smooth it out over each part of the chicken, making sure the butter is evenly spread, then pat the skin dry.
• Toss the potato slices with the sunflower oil, season with salt and pepper and let them sit in a bowl at room temperature alongside the chicken for 30 minutes. Give your oven a quick wipe down before preheating it to 500 degrees F. (The high temps will cause any leftover drips to smoke you out of your kitchen! If your oven still smokes, then turn it down to 450 degrees F after the first 10 minutes.)
• Drain off the water that's been drawn from the potatoes and pour the potatoes into an even layer in a large cast-iron skillet. Place the chicken on top of the potatoes and tuck the wings under her shoulders. Pop the whole kit 'n' kaboodle into the oven. Cook for 20 minutes. Rotate the skillet and cook for 20 more minutes, until the skin is crispy, the juices run clear and the thickest part of the breast registers 160 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.
• Remove the chicken from the oven and set aside to rest for 10 minutes on a cutting board, loosely tented with foil. Using a fish spatula or slotted spoon, gently turn the potatoes. If you'd like them crispier, pop them under your broiler for 3 to 5 minutes. Scoop out the potatoes onto a platter, leaving behind the pan grease. Cut the chicken into pieces, place them on top of the potatoes and serve with boldness and courage!
• Find more recipes from Aarti in her cookbook, Aarti Paarti ($28, Grand Central Publishing).