Perfection: It’s in the method
ROASTED chicken. Chef Thomas Keller waxed poetic about it on a recent episode of “Charlie Rose.” It has “reference points,” he noted. A big browned bird signals the arrival of the holidays, or a relaxed supper after a lazy Sunday. A whole roasted chicken, crisp-skinned and juicy and aromatic, resonates with deliciousness.
But even when deconstructed to its humble parts, they too can hit all the same notes. Achieve them with a pan or in the oven, with a few easy techniques -- the right ones for the right cut.
Chicken breasts are succulent and tender when pounded thin and quickly sauteed until golden brown, then finished in a rustic Basque-style sauce. Braised thighs are first sauteed, then simmered in chicken broth, sherry vinegar and lemon juice, embellished with shallots and punchy capers. Meaty roasted legs with the thighs attached have rich, flavorful, crisp skin; serve them with fast-fried thin slices of artichokes and lemon.
The chicken breast’s reputation precedes it; it’s at once adored by the health-conscious and derided by dark-meat loyalists. It’s routinely mishandled and overcooked, but it can also be tender, and redolent with warm chicken flavor.
The challenge of the breast is that it’s large and uneven, fat on one end and narrowly pointed on the other. The trick is to even it out -- pound it into an elegant paillard. It’s a dish you’ll want to cook over and over again, an easy recipe for your chicken-three-times-a-week repertoire.
Give them a three-minute pan fry until they’re nearly done, and then in the same pan make a quick Basque-style sauce -- tomatoes and olives and herbs, slightly smoky pancetta . . . it’s all fantastic with the perfectly cooked chicken breasts that are so tender the meat is almost silky.
The sauce is made with sauteed pancetta, shallots and garlic; with a splash of a crisp-dry wine such as Pinot Grigio and a little chicken broth, reduced until it’s almost velvety. Add tomatoes (good-quality canned San Marzano until tomato season starts), nicoise olives, thyme and Espelette pepper. Then the breasts finish cooking in the sweet-salty sauce.
And chicken legs -- there’s something about chicken legs with the thighs attached that makes such a great display on the plate. They’re quickly seared (in olive oil and butter with a little garlic) before roasting so that they get an extra-crisp golden-brown skin.
Chicken legs, fattier and thus moister, lend themselves to longer periods of cooking. The juices and browned bits in the pan make a nicely rich sauce with chicken broth, white wine and butter. Deep-fried slices of baby artichokes and Meyer lemons serve as garnish. They puff up with a tempura-like crust made with heavy whipping cream and flour.
There are thighs, and then there are thighs. Chicken thighs braised in chicken broth, sherry vinegar and lemon juice are so tender the meat practically falls off the bone. Because the thighs are skinless, brown them well first to deepen their flavor.
They’re served with pan-roasted springtime new potatoes with creamy interiors, perfect for sopping up a little sauce with those salt-packed capers. The braised meat is intensely flavorful, the brightness of the vinegar and lemon juice a nice contrast to the mild sweetness of the chicken. A reference point to remember.
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Denise Martin is a freelance writer. Donna Deane is The Times’ test kitchen director.
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Roast chicken with fried artichokes and lemons
Total time: 1 hour
Servings: 4
Note: From test kitchen director Donna Deane
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons butter, plus 1 teaspoon cold butter cut into small pieces, divided
2 cloves garlic, mashed or pressed through a garlic press
4 chicken legs with thighs attached (about 12 ounces each)
Salt
3 Meyer lemons, divided
8 baby artichokes
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons white wine
Chervil leaves for garnish
1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Place 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter with the garlic in a small saucepan. Heat over low heat until the butter is melted. Cook for about a minute more until the garlic is fragrant, then remove from the heat.
2. Wash the chicken under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Brush the chicken with the garlic mixture. Season each chicken leg with one-fourth teaspoon salt and allow to stand at room temperature while you prepare the lemons and artichokes for frying.
3. Fill a large bowl with cold water and halve one of the lemons, squeezing the juice from one half into the water. Trim the artichokes down to the hearts: Using a sharp knife, cut away the tough outer leaves until you see only light green at the base. Cut away about the top half-inch of the artichoke tip. Trim the end of the stem, then peel the stem and base of the artichoke; there should be no dark green tough spots left, only pale green and ivory. Place the peeled artichokes into the bowl of lemon water.
4. When all of the artichokes are trimmed, slice them lengthwise no thicker than one-fourth inch, using a mandoline or by hand with a sharp knife. As you slice them, return them to the bowl of lemon water.
5. Using a mandoline or a sharp knife, slice two of the lemons crosswise into slices no thicker than one-fourth of an inch. Set aside.
6. Drain the artichokes well and pat them dry. Place the cream and flour into separate medium bowls and one by one dip the artichoke and lemon slices into the cream. Let any excess cream drain off, then dip the slices into the flour to coat, shaking off any excess flour. Set them on a wire rack until you are ready to fry them.
7. Heat a large heavy skillet with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat until hot. Add the chicken pieces in batches and cook until browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Adjust the heat as necessary. Put the browned chicken in a large shallow baking pan. Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel and set aside for the pan sauce.
8. Roast the chicken until tender and a thermometer inserted into the meatiest part of the thigh (not touching the bone) reaches 165 to 170 degrees, about 30 to 35 minutes.
9. While the chicken is roasting, fill a large, heavy stock pot with enough oil for deep-frying (the oil should come about 3 inches up the sides of the pan). Heat the oil until a thermometer inserted reads 350 degrees. Add the lemon slices in batches to the deep fryer and cook until the slices are golden brown and puffed on both sides, about 1 1/2 minutes total. Fry the artichokes until lightly browned on both sides, about 1 minute total. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle lightly with salt. Set aside in a warm place until ready to serve.
10. Remove the cooked chicken from the oven and drizzle the pieces with the juice from the remaining half of the lemon. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside in a warm place. Pour the chicken broth over the baking pan to loosen the juices and browned bits. Stir in the wine, then pour all of the liquid back into the saute pan. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, until slightly reduced. Swirl the remaining teaspoon of butter into the sauce, bit by bit, to thicken. Remove from the heat and strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer. Set aside in a warm place.
11. To serve, place one chicken leg on each of four plates and spoon some sauce over it. Divide the lemons and artichokes evenly among the servings. Sprinkle each chicken piece with a few chervil leaves and serve immediately.
Each serving: 720 calories; 52 grams protein; 30 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams fiber; 43 grams fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 200 mg. cholesterol; 893 mg. sodium.
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Basque-style chicken
Total time: 35 minutes
Servings: 2
Note: From test kitchen director Donna Deane. Espelette pepper is available at specialty food stores. You can substitute canned San Marzano tomatoes for fresh tomatoes.
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 7 ounces each
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/4 -inch pieces
2 tablespoons minced shallot
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 cup dry white wine such as Pinot Grigio
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/8 teaspoon Espelette pepper
3 sprigs thyme
1/2 cup diced tomato, cut into 3/4 -inch dice
1/4 cup nicoise olives
1. Place each chicken breast between two large pieces of plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a meat mallet or heavy skillet, pound each breast until it is uniformly about one-fourth-inch thick. Season each piece with one-fourth teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper. Place each breast on top of a large piece of plastic wrap or wax paper.
2. In a large skillet, heat the butter and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the chicken, one piece at a time, and saute until golden-brown, about 2 1/2 minutes on the first side and 30 seconds on the other. Remove the chicken to a plate. Set aside in a warm place.
3. Drain the excess fat from the pan and add the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until browned, about 2 minutes. Add the shallot and saute for 1 minute, until tender, then add the garlic and saute just until aromatic, a few seconds, being careful not to brown. Add the wine, stirring to scrape up the browned bits at the bottom of the pan.
4. Stir in the chicken broth, the Espelette pepper, thyme and tomatoes. Allow the sauce to come to a
simmer and cook for
5 minutes so that the flavors develop. Stir in the olives.
5. Add the chicken back
to the pan, spooning the sauce over it. Cook for 1 minute, then remove
the chicken to a plate. Spoon the sauce evenly over each piece, and serve immediately. Each serving: 515 calories; 45 grams protein; 6 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 30 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 135 mg. cholesterol; 1,144 mg. sodium.
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Braised chicken with capers
Total time: 55 minutes
Servings: 4
Note: From test kitchen director Donna Deane
1 pound new potatoes
8 skinless, bone-in chicken thighs (6 to 7 ounces each)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
1/4 cup salt-packed capers, rinsed and coarsely chopped
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons chives, cut into 1-inch pieces
1. Clean and quarter the potatoes. Place them in a bowl of cold water and set aside.
2. Wash the chicken under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Remove excess fat and season each piece with a pinch each of salt and pepper.
3. Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Quickly sear the chicken thighs until browned on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side; taking care as the chicken will splatter and adjusting the heat as necessary. Remove the browned chicken to a plate.
4. Drain the potatoes and pat dry with paper towels. Add them to the hot skillet, cut side down, and cook until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove them to a plate and cover to keep warm.
5. Add the shallot and capers to the skillet and quickly saute, about 1 minute. Stir in the chicken broth, vinegar and lemon juice, scraping up any browned bits in the bottom of the pan.
6. Add the chicken back to the pan, and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover with a tight-fitting lid. Cook the chicken until tender and a thermometer inserted into the meat reads 165 degrees, about 25 to 30 minutes. Add the browned potatoes to the pan during the last 15 minutes of cooking.
7. Arrange the chicken and potatoes on a platter. Taste the sauce to check the seasoning, then bring to a simmer and cook for an additional minute. Spoon the sauce over the chicken, and sprinkle with the chives. Serve immediately.
Each serving: 387 calories; 28 grams protein; 21 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fiber; 21 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 93 mg. cholesterol; 860 mg. sodium.