Ruth Reichls Roast Chicken With Potatoes Onions Recipes

ROAST CHICKEN WITH POTATOES AND ONIONS

Steps:

• Wash chickens; pat dry. Starting at neck end, slide fingers under breast skin. Slide 2 rosemary sprigs and several garlic slices onto each breast half. Rub outside of each chicken with 1 teaspoon sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Fold wing tips under; tie legs together. Wrap in plastic; chill 4 hours.
• Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 375°F. Spread 1 tablespoon butter all over each chicken. Place chickens, breast side down, on rack set on large rimmed baking sheet. Pour wine and water onto baking sheet.
• Coat another large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Toss potatoes, onions, chopped rosemary, unpeeled garlic cloves, and olive oil in large bowl; spread vegetables on prepared sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place chickens on top rack of oven and vegetables on bottom rack. Roast 30 minutes. Turn chickens over; stir vegetables. Roast chickens until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 160°F, about 45 minutes longer. Let chickens rest 15 minutes. Continue roasting vegetables until brown and tender, about 30 minutes longer.
• Transfer 1 chicken to cutting board; reserve second for soup (recipe follows). Remove rack from baking sheet; scrape pan juices into small bowl. Spoon off fat. Carve chicken on cutting board; reserve carcass for soup. Arrange chicken and vegetables on platter. Serve with pan juices.

QUICK ROASTED CHICKEN WITH POTATOES, ONIONS, AND WATERCRESS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees, with rack in upper third. Place chicken, breast side down, on a work surface. Starting at thigh end, with kitchen shears, cut along one side of backbone, then the other side. (Discard backbone or freeze it for stock.) Open chicken like a book and flip it over. Press firmly on breastbone (as shown) to flatten. Rub chicken all over with 2 teaspoons oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Line bottom of a broiler pan with foil. Drizzle foil with 2 teaspoons oil and arrange potatoes in a single layer, turning to coat. Top with onions and season with salt and pepper. Cover vegetables with slotted top of broiler pan and place chicken, breast side up, on top. Roast until chicken is cooked through (a thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh, avoiding bone, should read 165 degrees), 35 minutes. Let chicken rest 5 minutes before serving.
• Toss watercress with 2 teaspoons oil and orange juice and season with salt and pepper. Divide potatoes and onions among 4 plates, top with watercress, and serve alongside chicken.

RUTH REICHL'S CHICKEN DIAVOLO

Steps:

• Make the chile oil: Chop jalapeño and serrano chiles and put them in a small saucepan with 3/4 cup olive oil. Add hot paprika and grind in a fair amount of black pepper. Steep over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Let sit overnight, or all day.
• Strain chile oil into a large bowl. Slice 2 lemons and add them to the bowl. Season with salt. Coat chicken with the oil, put in a zip-top bag and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or up to a day.
• Heat oven to 500. Heat a cast-iron skillet until it's quite hot (about 5 minutes). Meanwhile, remove the chicken from the chile oil and pat it dry. Sprinkle it with salt and shower it with pepper; you need a lot. Slick the bottom of the pan with olive oil and put the chicken, skin-side down, in the hot skillet. Cook until the skin is crisp and golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Turn the chicken skin-side up.
• Put the skillet in the oven and roast about 20 minutes, or until a thermometer registers 170 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh. Sprinkle with juice from half a lemon, shower with more pepper and allow to rest 10 minutes before serving.