Roast Chicken
When it comes to Roast Chicken, we love Jacque Pepin’s super simple roast chicken recipe. You can place a half an onion inside the cavity, perhaps a whole lemon cut in half, maybe some garlic cloves, sprinkle the outside with some herbs (thyme is nice), and a light coating of olive oil or butter on the breasts and the legs – or do none of that and still prepare a terrific roast chicken dinner.
Ingredients
3 1/2- 4 1/2 pound chicken
Salt and ground pepper to taste
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Sprinkle the chicken inside and out with the salt and pepper and fold the wings akimbo to position them closer to the body. Place the chicken on its side in an oven-safe skillet, preferably cast-iron.
Place the chicken in the skillet in the oven and cook for 20 minutes, then turn the chicken over and cook another 20 minutes. (By cooking the chicken on its sides, the juices stay in the breast and, since only the back is exposed, the chicken does not need constant basting.) Finally, turn the chicken onto its back, baste it with the cooking juices and continue to cook 10 minutes. It should be golden in color.
When the chicken is cooked, cut it into pieces and serve, with the drippings on the side.
Don’t throw the carcass away. This is how you get a second, healthy delicious meal from the bones. Making this soup may sound complicated but this stock, then soup bubbles away while you do other things. Your house will smell so good with the aroma of deliciousness for hours.
Nutritious, Delicious Chicken Soup
Ingredients for the Stock:
1 roasted chicken carcass, meat removed and reserved for the soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 quarts (12 cups) water
1 medium carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 medium celery stalk, coarsely chopped
1/2 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped
2 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
Preparation
Using a cleaver or kitchen scissors, break up the carcass into several smaller pieces so that they will fit in an even layer in the bottom of a large pot or Dutch oven; set aside.
Heat the oil in the pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the carcass pieces and cook, turning occasionally, until lightly browned all over, about 8 minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Bring to a simmer (do not let the stock come to a boil).
Reduce the heat to low and continue to simmer, occasionally skimming any scum off the surface of the stock using a large spoon. Cook, adjusting the heat as necessary to keep the stock at a simmer, until the flavors have developed, about 1 1/2 hours.
Remove and discard any large pieces of carcass. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a 2-quart saucepan and pour the stock through the strainer (you should have about 6 cups). Discard the contents of the strainer. (At this point, the stock can be cooled to room temperature and refrigerated in a container with a tightfitting lid for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month.)
Ingredients for the soup:
2 medium carrots, peeled and medium dice
2 medium celery stalks, medium dice
1/2 medium yellow onion, medium dice
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
Freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
Bring the stock to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, celery, onion, measured salt, and thyme, season with pepper, and stir to combine. Return to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
While the vegetables cook, shred the reserved chicken meat from the carcass into bite-size pieces. Reserve 1 1/2 cups for the soup; save the rest for another use.
When the vegetables are tender, add the shredded chicken, stir to combine, and return the soup to a simmer. Cook until the flavors meld, about 5 minutes more. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
