Zen Chicken - or - Pepin / Mad Max Revisited...

SeeRockCity

Not that I could improve on Mad Max’s chicken, but … this turned out pretty good [p]I was fascinated by Mad Max's Pepin chicken post. So simple yet the reviews were overwhelmingly positive so I was dying to try it. At the same time, I've been working my way through the Culinary Institute of America's textbook, The Professional Chef (which, by the way is excellent for those who are interested in understanding the nuances of cooking – I need all the help I can get!) which also had a tutorial on roasting a chicken that was as basic as you can get.[p]The common denominator in both of these recipes was that technique was more important than the ingredients used which was so eloquently put by Pepin in the book excerpt that Mad Max shared with us. This was a revelation to me as I usually judge a recipe by the sheer number of exotic ingredients that it contains. [p]I decided to combine these two recipes since they shared this common theme and come up with a dead simple chicken that focused on technique and used a few, high quality, everyday, market fresh ingredients see what happened.[p]I also thought it would be interesting to go into some detail for the benefit of anyone who may (like me) be curious about the minutia, so bear with me if you already know most of this [p]First, a warning; this recipe is as delicate as they come, you can easily overpower the balance by adding something that imparts a strong flavor. There is no garlic or smoke chips/chunks used in the making of the chicken... This recipe uses a few basic ingredients:[p]
2 Free-Range Chickens
1/2 stick or so melted butter
Chicken stock - Low sodium - its important
non-iodized sea salt
Fresh ground pepper[p]4 carrots peeled and chopped
4 Celery Ribs halved lengthwise and chopped
1/2 large onion
5-7 Leaves fresh basil (or another fresh herb of your choice)
1 green pear, cored and chopped (skin on)[p]First, a note about roasters...[p]From experience, I've found is that the pan you use will make or break this (and any other short hot cooks) dish. I made the Pepin chicken using an aluminum roaster the first time and ended up throwing away the pan because all the pan drippings burned, the roaster turned black and there was no way I was going to get it clean. I also used some pecan chunks the first time around and ended up with a skunky chicken. All in all, I wouldn't call it a success.
Learning from these mistakes, I bit the bullet and ordered a Calphalon tri-foil oval roaster which I'd wanted to do for some time for other cooking projects. I'm not a big fan of Calphalon, but this pan is great:[p]http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=520&f=10156[p]First, for a professional quality roaster, it's inexpensive (~$100), second, because it has an oval shape It fits nicely in the LBGE once you bend the handles up a bit; Two chickens with room to spare![p]It is a layered pan, Copper on the bottom, aluminum in the middle (both excellent heat conductors), and stainless steel for the cooking surface. The stainless steel part is critical due to the fact that, because stainless steel is not a great heat conductor, it spreads heat evenly and saves your delicate pan drippings from scorching. [p]FYI, after cooking this chicken for 1 1/2 hours over 450-500 degree fire this pan cleaned up like new with a few light passes with a cloth scrubbing pad. I found this to be amazing when I look back at the aluminum roaster's condition after the same treatment. [p]Okay, enough ranting about the equipment, now the cooking part...[p]Take a half stick of butter and melt it in a saucepan. You'll use the butter for a few steps, just leave it hanging around. You'll also want a quart of chicken stock lying around. You should use low sodium chicken broth; this is important because you'll want to use a very generous portion of salt on the chicken skin to help draw the water out and aid in the crisping process while the chicken cooks.[p]Okay, so now you have a stainless steel shallow roaster (sides are 4" high or so). Take a couple of free range chickens, wash them and then cut the wing flats off the wing drums and set them aside. I used poultry shears for this which worked great. When your done, you'll have the stubby chicken wing drums sticking out of the breasts. Now, using a pastry brush, brush the chickens generously with some of the melted butter, make sure there's two or three tablespoons left in the pan for later. Now coat the chicken with a very generous dose of non-iodized sea salt and fresh ground pepper.[p]Stick the chickens on vertical roasters and place them in the pan. Now take the chicken wing flats and lay them around the roaster bottom, this will help with pan drippings and stick the whole thing in the Egg at 450-500 (no smoking chips or chunks!). You want to make sure you have achieved a clean burn before putting the chicken in, any charcoal smell you have will stick to the chicken and spoil the flavor.[p]You'll want to keep an eye on the pan bottom from time to time to make sure that the pan drippings aren't burning, if you used a quality stainless steel roaster, this shouldn't be a problem, but if it is, add some chicken stock now and then. Once your pan juices start flowing, you'll want to start basting your chicken every 20 minutes or so. The more you baste, the crispier the chicken skin but the tradeoff is that your chicken will take longer to cook because you're opening the oven and letting the heat out. I like basting a lot, for me, the crispy skin is well worth the extra time.[p]If it weren't for the next little bit, this would just be a plagiarism of Mad Max's chicken.[p]While your chicken is cooking, its time to make a gravy base…[p]I used:[p]4 carrots peeled and chopped
1/2 large onion chopped
2 stalks celery, halved lengthwise then chopped[p]Then I thought it would be interesting to add:[p]5-7 Fresh basil leaves minced
1 Green Pear cored and chopped (but not peeled).[p]The pear gives the gravy a very nice sweetness which works really well with the salt. The basil adds some depth and rounds off the flavor.[p]You could substitute the basil for a sprig of fresh rosemary, or sage or whatever you like, but I would stick to a small amount of a single herb just as an accent. I think the primary flavors of this dish are butter, salt and pepper.[p]About 45 minute to an hour before you think the chicken will be done spread the vegetable mixture around the bottom of the roaster and continue roasting (and basting) at 450-500 degrees until the chicken thighs reach 170 deg and the juices run clear.[p]Remove the roaster from the egg and take the chickens, (vertical stands and all) and stick them aside. I usually wait for the chicken to rest before I take the vertical stands out so that the chickens set a bit and don’t fall apart when you pull the stands.[p]Heat the Roaster over two burners over medium high heat (don't remove any of the vegetables or the chicken wing flats), once the pan juices start simmering, deglaze the pan with some dry white wine, about a cup or so, stirring vigorously to break up the chicken wings and vegetables. Once the alcohol has burned off (about 3 minutes) sift about 1-2 tablespoons of white flour into the mixture (yes over the vegetables and everything) to make a roux. Stir vigorously until the roux deepens in color (3-4 minutes) and the grease separates from the vegetables. Pour off the grease by tilting the roaster and pushing the roux up into the top of the pan letting the grease collect on the bottom, then pour out the grease. [p]Pour the remaining chicken stock in the roux and stir vigorously while boiling until desired thickness (add more flour or stock). Salt and pepper to taste, then using a wire strainer, strain the gravy into a gravy boat, making sure to pulverize the vegetables and chicken drums into the mesh to release as much juice as possible.[p]Discard the solids.[p]Okay, now remove the stands from the chicken and cut in half so you end up with four half chickens. Heat up the remaining butter and stir continuously over medium heat until the butter turns a nice hazel color and smells nutty, stir in one or two pinches of salt and some fresh ground pepper, then pour over the chicken. [p]Serve the chicken with wild rice covered with the gravy....[p]Enjoy.

QBabe

SeeRockCity,[p]That sounds fantastic![p]Tonia
:~)

Celtic Wolf

SeeRockCity,[p] Congrats grasshopper, You have learned that the spices are there to enhance the flavor of the meat and not hide the meat.[p] Now try your recipe with Shallots and see how the flavor changes. Substitute the 1/2 large onion with three finely chopped Shallots. You will find that the heart of the Celery imparts a more delicate celery flavor then the outer stalks. No need to split the hearts. Just chop them up. Use the leaves of the hearts in your gravy stock.[p] You might try your recipe with Granny Smith apples too.

SeeRockCity

Celtic Wolf,[p]Yes, I do love shallots but I was trying to stick as closely to the classic French Mirepoix as possible just for a baseline reference. I was worried the shallots would be a little to far to the garlic side but you're probably right, might add some real depth. I was also contemplating Cioppini onions which would essentially disinigrae if you boiled them first which always makes for good sauce.[p]The Granny smith apples sound good too, never thought of that but pear is what I had lying around. I used some pears to poach salmon the other day with Tarragon and Rosemary with great results... [p]An yes, I agree, the leaves are the best part of the celery stalk![p]Great Ideas![p]-r

mad max beyond eggdome

SeeRockCity,
what a fabulous description!!! thx.. ...you need to start taking pictures as well ...[p]but most of all, i agree with you, sometimes simple is best. . .when you get a chance, you need to read pepin's book as well, i'm sure you'll enjoy it. ...[p]thanks again for that great description/technique....[p]max

SeeRockCity

mad max beyond eggdome,[p]Wasn't trying to plagiarize, hope you didn't take it that way, just infusing some things from the Culinary Inst of Amer that I've been reading.[p]At Microsoft they would say I had practiced the art of [p]"Embrace and Extend" [p]-r

mad max beyond eggdome

SeeRockCity,
hey, no problem at all. . .plagerize is what i do best. .. almost everything i've ever done started with something someone else did first. . .not that i'm trying to make it better, if i make a change, its simply cause of what i have in my pantry, or time constraints, or how can i do something easier and still get great results. ...[p]believe me, i APPRECIATE what you did. .. .[p]thanks[p]max

Celtic Wolf

SeeRockCity,[p] The thing about shallots is that they give both a mild garlic and mild onion flavor to anything you cook. The best of both worlds.[p] Granny Smiths always go good with Chicken.. For that matter most apples go good with Chicken