JACKSON, Wyo.—The chicken. A protein staple around the world so revered for its generally low price point, ease of rearing, low fat content, and versatility in cooking. Essentially, it is a blank canvas for flavor and goodness.
Like any food, chicken should be given the proper treatment to allow its qualities to sing proud. We all have our favorite ways to prepare the meat, but I’ve put together a few of my top ways to take advantage of a full hen.
Deboned Spatchcock Chicken
This is a great way to simultaneously achieve the best charred, roasted chicken ever while utilizing as much of your chicken as possible. When you remove the ribcage of the bird, you are left with the best bits exposed (think breast and inner-thighs), while keeping all of that delicious skin and fat for crisping. The meat will cook twice as quickly and will hold much more flavor and juice. To debone your chicken, follow this Anthony Bourdain “No Reservations” tutorial. Save the carcass for chicken broth.
Spatchcock or “Butterflied” Roast Chicken:
Photo: Bryce Carroll
1 whole chicken, deboned or “butterflied”
2 tbsp harissa paste or spice
1 tbsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp ground cumin
3 tbsp honey
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
Marinate your deboned chicken in your favorite roasting spices (I like this harissa, cumin, turmeric, honey, and garlic blend). Set your oven to 425°. Line an iron skillet with one lemon thinly sliced, onion and four potatoes thinly sliced (optional). Sprinkle with oil salt and pepper. Place the chicken, skin side up, into the pan and roast for 45 minutes or until the meat is fully cooked (you can check this with a meat thermometer or by pulling on one of the legs, if it pulls easily from the breast it is finished. Serve out of the pan with all of the juicy accompaniments from the bottom of the pan.
Chicken Stock
Simply put, home-made chicken stock is hard to beat. Yes, you can buy the canned or cubed stuff from the store, but you just won’t achieve the same depth of flavor or satisfaction in knowing that the stock you use for your soups, stews and sauces has been made in your own kitchen.
Photo: Buckrail// Helen Goelet
For a simple stock:
1 whole raw chicken (or the bones of a de-boned chicken)
2 yellow onions, halved skin on
1 head garlic, halved lengthwise skin on
6 medium carrots, roughly chopped
6 stalks celery, roughly chopped
2 tbsp whole black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 bunch chicken herbs (thyme, rosemary and sage) tied together with butcher’s twine
Assemble all ingredients into a stock pot and cover with water. Make sure the water comes up 3-4 in. over the chicken carcass. Season well with salt according to your preference (I like mine to be quite salty so I season with a few large pinches, but you can adjust this as the stock reduces). Bring water to a very slight simmer until the chicken is cooked through (roughly 45 minutes). Pull the chicken out, cool and pick clean of meat. Replace the bones into the stock and continue to reduce slowly until the stock reaches your optimal flavor. Strain and cool. To store, I like to fill gallon bags ¾ of the way full, let out as much air as possible, and freeze for ease of access. Stock can also be stored in freezer-safe Tupperware. Use the shredded chicken in tacos, in soup, in a chicken salad, or to throw into salads throughout the week.
Chicken stock is great to use while poaching chicken breast, in a chicken and wild rice soup, or, my personal favorite, for a quick ramen style broth. Simply bring 2 cups of stock to a simmer with 1 in’ chopped raw ginger, 1 tsp soy sauce and a splash of fish sauce. As the stock simmers, approximately seven minutes, finely slice 1 mushroom, 2 green onions, and pick a handful of fresh cilantro. When the broth has reached the optimal flavor, turn off the heat, stir the broth into a whirlpool and crack an egg into it. Allow the egg to poach for 4 minutes and then pour it into a bowl with the rest of the ingredients. For a dash of heat, sprinkle togarashi (Japanese chili spice) or your favorite spice. For a more substantial meal you can always add cooked ramen, rice noodles or some shredded chicken to the broth.
I truly believe it’s a misconceived notion to not order chicken when you go out to dinner. There are plenty of interesting and delicious variations in town, (outside of countless excellent wing options) including Trio’s wood-fired half chicken, Orsetto’s classic chicken parmesan, and Gather’s fried chicken with sweet pepper chicken jus.
