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Roasted chicken is one of those dished that transcends the human taste buds, regardless of where it can be found on the menu in this global culinary world. This dish takes it’s inspiration from a classical French technique of natural basting of a chicken or any other fowl for that matter, by rubbing butter under the bird’s skin. Serve with wild rice and a green vegetable of the season and I promise you that this is one dish that your will never get tired of.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Four Rock Cornish Hens
4 ounces unsalted butter, softened
1/2 ounce black truffle oil
Salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste
1 lemon, sliced into four quarters
8 fresh thyme sprigs
2 cloves garlic, halved
Directions:
Combine butter and truffle oil in a small bowl, Sprinkle in salt and pepper to taste.
Using a pastry bag or a plastic bag with a corner snipped off, pipe the truffle butter mixture under the skin of the hens breast and legs. Place fingers under the skin and rub around each individual bird.
Using twine, tie the legs of each bird together. Tuck wings under breast and place the hens uncovered in a glass baking dish and place in the refrigerator allowing the birds to air dry for 24 hours.
Remove the hens from the refrigerator. Insert the lemon, thyme sprigs and garlic into each bird’s cavity. Allow the hens to sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
Heat the oven to 400° F and add about 1/2 cup of water to the baking dish. Depending on your oven, bake the hens for 45 to 60 minutes or until the hens reach an internal temperature of 165° F.
Remove from the oven and place on a large serving platter. Garnish the hens with fresh herbs and serve with your choice of side dishes.
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Recipe Adapted from Claire Saffitz Bon Appetite Magazine November 2017
What happens when you cook with a lot of oil? Pure Magic, especially for Hanukkah. Why? Because oil conducts heat much more efficiently than air, foods that are confited in it, like these chicken thighs, come out incredibly moist and infused with the oil’s flavor. And the extra bonus, the oil used to cook the chicken can be used for other dishes!
Directions: Toss chicken thighs, lemon slices, fennel seeds, 4 rosemary sprigs, and 2½ tsp. salt in a large bowl to combine, then season generously with pepper. Cover and chill at least 12 hours and up to 1 day.
Let chicken come to room temperature, 20–25 minutes.
Place racks in top and middle of oven; preheat to 275°. Arrange potatoes and onions in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot and season with salt. Transfer chicken mixture to pot, scraping in any stray fennel seeds, and arrange chicken thighs, skin side up, over potatoes and onions in a single layer (it will be a tight squeeze). Pour in 4 cups oil. It should come to just over the top of the chicken; if the pieces aren’t quite submerged, add the additional ½ cup oil. Cover pot and place on middle rack in oven. Bake chicken, adding remaining rosemary sprigs after 1 hour, until meat is very tender but not quite falling off the bone, 2–2½ hours. Let sit until pot is cool enough to handle, 25–30 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat broiler. Use tongs to carefully remove chicken from pot and place, skin side up, on a rimmed baking sheet. Transfer potatoes to baking sheet, arranging around chicken. Broil until chicken skin and potatoes are browned and crisp, about 5 minutes. Let rest 5–10 minutes on baking sheet.
While chicken and potatoes are under the broiler, transfer onions, lemon slices, and rosemary to a platter. Strain oil through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring glass.
Use a fork to lightly smash potatoes, revealing some of their creamy interior. Season with more salt. Transfer chicken and potatoes to platter with reserved onions, lemon slices, and rosemary sprigs. Drizzle with some of the strained oil (save the rest for another use).
Cook’s Notes: Chicken can be baked (but not broiled) 2 days ahead. Let cool in oil, then chill.
All photographs and content, excepted where noted, are copyright protected. Please do not use these photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this photograph and all other contents, then we kindly ask that you link back to this site. We are eternally grateful and we appreciate your support of this blog.
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