Weekly Recipe: Rosemary Roast Chicken with Chicken au jus

(Serves 2)

Ian and I have been going back and forth this week trying to think up things that are actually easy for everyone to prepare, which is a tough line to draw when you’re both chefs. This is one of the first dishes you learn in culinary school and is simplicity personified; consequently it’s also one of the easiest dishes to turn into an absolute train wreck. It’s also a great dish to learn if you’re looking to impress any potential love interests in your life (GUYS TAKE NOTE: Valentines Day is just a month away). 

1 chicken – between 3 to 4lb- free range and/or organic is preferred
3 stalks of fresh rosemary – rosemary leaves removed and chopped
3 tablespoons of coarse sea salt
3 tablespoons of freshly ground black pepper

Au jus:
4 cups of chicken stock
1/2 onion, chopped
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 small carrot, chopped
1 leek (white part only), chopped
1 clove of garlic
1 glass of dry white wine
3 springs of parsley
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs of thyme
5 black peppercorns
1 tablespoon of butter (optional)

Preheat oven to 450F 

If your feeling particularly industrious I’d suggest trussing up the birds first, but it’s not super important so if you don’t, don’t worry. Season the chicken with the salt, pepper, and rosemary (don’t forget to season INSIDE the cavity). Put a small, heavy sauté pan (cast iron is awesome here) in the oven to preheat. Give the pan at least 10 minutes, take the pan out of the oven, and put the chicken in it, breast side up. Put this straight back in the oven, and shut the door. I don’t add any fat or liquid to the chicken at all – this will generate steam, which in turn will stop the skin going really crispy. Once it is in the oven, just leave it alone for 30 minutes, do not open it for anything less the flames shooting around the door of the oven.  After 30 minutes take a look at it, if the breast is looking really brown, then cover just the breast area with some aluminum foil, and put it back in the oven. If the whole thing is looking brown, cover it all in foil, and put it back in.  

Good work.  Now, whilst the chicken is roasting, lets make the au jus. This is really just a reduced and fortified chicken stock that uses some vegetables, wine, and pan juices to add extra flavor.  In a large saucepan heat 1 tablespoon of oil. When hot, add the chopped onion, celery, carrot and leek. Stir this until soft – about 8 minutes. Add in the chopped garlic, and cook for another minute. Crank up the heat and add the wine. Let this bubble and reduce by about half. Pour in the chicken stock. Add the parsley, thyme, bay and peppercorns. Gently stir. Let this bubble away, with a lid slightly on for 40 minutes. Remove the lid, and cook for another 10 minutes. Strain the resulting liquid through a fine mesh sieve a few times to get rid of all solids. After 45 minutes, take the bird out, and check to see if it is done.   When the chicken is done, take it out of the pan and place it on a cutting board. Cover the whole chicken with foil. Let it rest for at least 10 minutes. This will let the juices settle throughout the chicken, and result in a more flavorful, more tender bird.

Pour any juices from the chicken pan into a glass or clear plastic measuring cup and let it set until it has settled into two layers, the top layer is fat, the bottom layer is some great chicken juice.   The best way to separate the two is to either put the whole lot in the fridge and let the fat solidify OR suck up the chicken juice from bottom layer using a baster.  Put the sauté pan that you cooked the chicken in over a high heat.  Adding a little of the stock, scrape the bottom of the pan the lift up any stuck bits of chicken. Add in a few ladles more of the chicken stock, stir and let this reduce by at least half, until thicker. Strain through a sieve again to remove any more solids that have come up from the pan. Put this juice into a clean small saucepan, and keep warm over a very low heat.  My favorite accompaniment to this is some roasted new potatoes, root vegetables (parsnips, carrots), and some slices onions and fennel.  These can be roasted altogether with a drizzle of olive oil and some salt and pepper. However, you will need to be put your potatoes and veg into the oven at least 45 minutes BEFORE the chickens go in.

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