Best Roast Chicken For Two Balthazar Recipes

ROAST CHICKEN FOR TWO (BALTHAZAR)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• In a small bowl, combine half the rosemary, thyme and parsley with the softened butter, using a fork to blend. Season with salt and pepper.
• Gently loosen the skin from the breast meat. Slide in a small dab of the herb butter. Massage the skin a little to work the butter around. Next do the same thing to the skin on the back. Season the cavity with salt, pepper and stuff in the leftover chopped herbs and the garlic. Smear the skin with any remaining herb butter and season with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with a small piece of butcher's twine and fold the wings under.
• Over a high flame, heat the olive oil in a heavy, oven-proof saute pan or roasting pan until it smokes. Place the bird on its side, searing the leg and breast. Leave it untouched in the pan for about 4 minutes unbtil the skin has turned golden brown. The cookbook used the word "burnished" which I sort of love. Using a pair of tongs, turn to brown the other breast, and then the top and bottom of the bird, being carefull not to pierce the skin with said tongs.
• At this point add the vegetables and toss to coat in the olive oil and rendered chicken fat. Add the chicken stock and place the pan in the oven. Roast the chicken for about 40 minutes (for 5 pound birds, I roasted them for 1 hour). If the chicken starts to get too dark, cover with a loose foil tent. To test for doneness, pierce the joint where the leg connects to the body - the juices should run clear (the internal temperature should be 155 degrees F).
• Remove the chicken and vegetables from the roasting pan and cover with foil. Place the pan on the stove over a high heat. If it seems to oily, remove some of the fat with a spoon. Add the wine and deglaze the pan to make the pan sauce. Continue to cook the sauce until it's reduced by half and thickened. You probably won't need to add any flour or anything, although I did add about a teaspoon of butter right at the end.

ROAST CHICKEN TIMES TWO

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Pat the chickens dry with paper towels. Season the cavities with salt and pepper. In a large bowl combine the onion, lemon, garlic, 1 bunch thyme, bay leaves, and 3 tablespoons olive oil; season it with salt and pepper and mix it well. Stuff each bird with half the mixture. Using 2 (3-foot) pieces of kitchen twine, tie up each chicken: Tuck the wing tips between the wings and the body. Put the mid point of the twine under the chicken, bring the ends up and around the wings, and pull them tight against the body. Bring the ends of the twine up underneath the legs, wrap the string around them, pull the legs together, and tie them tightly. Place the chickens breast side up in a roasting pan, drizzle over some olive oil, and season them with salt and pepper. Toss the mushrooms around the chicken, scatter over the remaining thyme, drizzle over some more olive oil and season everything with salt and pepper. Roast the chickens for 1 to 1 1/2 hours; baste them with the pan juices every 20 minutes. The chicken is done when a thermometer reads 165 degrees F when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh (the legs should wiggle easily in their sockets.) Remove the chickens from the pan, cover them with foil, and let them stand for 10 minutes to rest. Serve 1 chicken with the roasted mushrooms and pan juices. Refrigerate the other chicken for another meal.