In the 17th century, the king of France, Henri IV reputedly wished that each of his peasants would enjoy"a chicken in his pot every Sunday."   To this day, I remember this quote from my French history classes.  I laughed so hard at the thought of it!

 

This intro brings me to the July Challenge and the recipe for our perfected crispy oven chicken.

 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F

 

Here are the ingredients:

We usually buy a 4lb organic chicken...

Good quality salt & Pepper.

 

A big bunch of herbs (we have thyme and marjoram that we combine.)

1 large lemon cut in half

1 orange cut in half.  I used a blood orange as they are in season.

10 garlic cloves cut in half (no need to peel them)

Melted butter about 1/4 to 1/2 stick.

Vegetables to taste, we use tiny organic different color potatoes.  We add a couple red peppers cut up in large pieces, and we mandolin a couple of onions.  We pour 1/2 cup of white wine (good enough to drink), and 1/2 cup of chicken broth. This adds moisture to the oven.

 

This layer of vegetables cooks under the rack on which the chicken rests. (pictured above).

 

Season the chicken with salt and pepper inside and out.  Then stuff the chicken with all the ingredients,and tie the legs, be sure to tuck the wings under the body.

Using a brush, spread the melted butter on both sides of the bird.  We start the cooking by cooking the bird breast side down.  When it is sufficiently browned (a half hour or so), we turn it over.  The whole process takes about an hour and a half.

 

When it is ready, you can check by inserting a knife between the leg and thigh. If the juices run clear, it is ready.  We place it on a cutting board, top it with foil and let it rest for 15-to 20minutes.

 

We cobbled this recipe together from many sources, like Patricia Wells, Ina Garten,  Martha Stewart, Staub, the French dutch oven makers,  Emeril Legasse...but we never figured how to get it crispy all over without the mess of a rotisserie.

 

We make this recipe every other week.  It yields great leftovers for lunch and dinner.  As a matter of fact, we had a chicken salad with apples and almonds that Ron made for lunch yesterday.  

 

Bon Appetit!

 

This is an entry in the July Challenge, hosted by Rocky Dickerson and Debe Maxwell.

 

 

 

 

 

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

 

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