GINGER, LIME, CILANTRO, AND FENNEL INFUSED ROASTED CHICKEN WITH MANGO COULIS

GINGER, LIME, CILANTRO, AND FENNEL INFUSED ROASTED CHICKEN WITH MANGO COULIS image

Yield 5 People

Number Of Ingredients 16

Ingredients

1 Whole, free-range Chicken
1 Bunch of fresh Cilantro
3 Limes (for juice, zest, and stuffing)
1 Ginger root
1 Fennel bulb
5 cloves of Garlic (minced)
1 sprig of rosemary (chopped)
1 spring of thyme (chopped)
3 cups of riesling
3 cups of water
1 jar of Trader Joe's mango quarters (Or any natural/organic brand you trust and know is of excellent quality and flavor).
Extra-virgin Olive Oil
Irish Butter
Kosher Salt
Freshly ground pepper (combine allspice and black and red peppercorns in your pepper-grinder for an incredible extra flavor)
THE DAY BEFORE--Marinade and stuff your bird: Take your roasting pan with a V-rack and have it ready to place your chicken on it. Cut your limes in halves. Cut the ginger root into chunks. Cut your fennel bulb into small chunks. Set the chunks and the halves aside. Thoroughly wash and clean your bird. Get rid of the giblets. Stuff the cavity of the bird with the bunch of cilantro, 5 lime halves, the ginger chunks, and the fennel chunks. If you want, you can tie your bird with string to make sure the cavity is closed. This won't allow the steams inside the cavity to escape. Instead, they will infuse the chicken. If you don't know how to tie a bird for roasting, make a ball of foil and use it as a "lid" to cover the cavity. Set the bird on the V-rack on the roasting pan. Prepare the marinade--In a small bowl, combine 1/2 a cup of extra-virgin olive oil, 3 garlic cloves (minced), a teaspoon of lime zest, some lime juice, the chopped herbs, salt and pepper. Whisk all the ingredients toget

Steps:

Roast your chicken-- Preheat the oven to 450F degrees. Melt enough butter to baste the entire bird. The butter will aid in obtaining the so desired golden-skin and crispness. Baste the entire bird with the melted butter. Since the bird is cold, the melted butter will solidify again as it comes in contact with the chicken. This is okay. Once you have basted the bird with the butter, place it in the oven for about 20-30 minutes. This is full blasting the chicken with heat to crisp and golden the skin. Once the skin has turned golden, take your chicken out of the oven. Turn the heat down to 300F. Add the wine and the water to the pan. Just add enough to cover the bottom and form a pool. Since the chicken is on the rack, the liquids should not touch it. Add less water, if necessary, to avoid touching the bird. Cover the chicken with foil to create a "steam room". Place it in the oven and let it roast at 300F for 1.5 hours. Meanwhile, prepare the mango sauce (recipe above). After 1.5 hours, check your chicken. Remove the foil and check the temperature for doneness. If done, turn the heat back up to 450F and roast for another 5 minutes. BE SURE TO CHECK THE CHICKEN AT THIS POINT TO AVOID OVER-ROASTING IT OR BURNING IT! When finished, take the chicken out of the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving.