Note to Yankee Candle: your housewarming candle collection would be greatly enhanced by a Perfect Roast Chicken aroma. This new candle could be used by homeowners desperate to sell their homes. Trust me when I say it's better than the smell of cookies baking. When DSO came home from work, the smell was so enticing he was ready to have dinner at 3:30 PM!
I've roasted many chickens over the years and up until this point my favorite has been the one based on the dish served in Boston's Hammersley's Bistro (click here). As delicious as that preparation is, the Barefoot Contessa's recipe is everything she promises and more. One would guess that my Italian ancestry might mean that fennel is a staple of The Food of Love kitchen. That has not been the case, though I love the flavor anise imparts. However, I can tell you that it will soon become a regular on the veggie rotation; it was that good.
The recipe for this quintessential chicken is available on the Food TV website (click here). I usually read the comments to see what others think of the dish and what caught my eye immediately was the suggestion to roast the chicken in a Dutch oven. Since I love my Le Creuset monster Dutch oven, that's just what I did.
Perdue roasters had been on sale, so I bought an 8 pound chicken. Needless to say, there was plenty of leftover chicken. Stay tuned for chicken marsala crepes which I'll post toward week's end.
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TASTE NOTES:
Where to begin? The onions break down and sweeten the carrots and anise even more. The lemon, garlic, and thyme in the cavity of the chicken truly does flavor every bit of the meat with punches of flavor. The breast meat was moist--no gravy is needed for this chicken. The skin (yes, I sneaked a bite) is better than any potato chip. Anyone who can read and tell time can make this chicken. If you've never tried Ina's version of a Sunday classic, this is the perfect weather for it.
Sounds like this is Ina's secret for keeping Jeffrey around all those years - LOL! You definitely sold me on this recipe and I totally agree with you on a Roasted Chicken fragrance. It would be a big hit.
ReplyDeleteYour chicken is a beautiful color.
Can't wait to see the chicken marsala crepes.
I think anything Ina makes is terrific! That skin looks so beautiful1
ReplyDeleteI'm loving how moist and tasty that chicken looks. I'll have to ask for a dutch oven for Christmas....
ReplyDeleteI've roasted chickens many ways in the past but I've never done it Ina's way. Her reputation and your recommendation make this a "must-try" dish. Using a Dutch oven is a great idea.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness - a roasted chicken candle. I'd be all over that!! I love roast chicken and this recipe sounds perfect!
ReplyDeleteYour roast chicken looks so moist, Arlene!
ReplyDeleteI wanted to buy one of those big Le Creuset Dutch ovens but my husband balked at the price...now I'll have to show him what he is missing as the result. :)
I want that candle. And I want the roast. I shall definitely try Ina's way - she never fails. And roasting it in a Dutch Oven is perfect - keeps all those flavors in.
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