I believe it was Wednesday when I remembered I’d picked up a little package of duck proscuitto from fatted calf last Saturday. I wanted to move fast and since it was during the week it had to be an easy meal that wasn’t too involved AND the little chilrens would eat. So a badass juicy pasta dish was out of the question, along with most other things with ingredients and flavors.
We hadn’t had a roast chicken in over a week, it was time.
If you’ve been around the Henge awhile, you know I’m a huge fan of putting strips of bacon over the breast and under the skin. Actually, I’m kinda fanatic about it. Why? Not only do you get bacon with your chicken, but the gravy this roasted bird produces is beyond compare. Oh yes, gravy this time for sure.
In my little mind though, I wasn’t seeing how to get the fresh herbs & proscuitto nicely distributed under the skin without slicing. I didn’t want to slice the skin because I figured the high heat of the oven would make the skin shrink a bit and pull back. If the skin pulled back, it would expose the goodies and white meat, not good.
I originally had planned on using fresh sage leaves, this would have been a bit easier. But I wound up with these spiffy oregano leaves, neat eh? What I came up with was to make a proscuitto and oregano sammich! Drizzle with extra virgin and let sit a few minutes while I got the bird washed and more than thoroughly dried.
Kosher salt the inside and put in a quartered fresh lemon. Peel back the skin over the breast and slide yer proscuitto and herb sammich right in by wrapping an end over the tip of your index finger and use like a needle to feed it in and into place.
Neatly massage and get the skin back and looking pretty, nice chicky. Tie up the legs, don’t want chickie running away, do we? Kosher salt the exterior of the bird and place in a roasting dealie. I use a cast iron fry pan with a trivet for the bird to rest on. It doesn’t matter what you use to roast the bird in, you could even use a dutch oven. But you do need to use a trivet to get the bird OUT of the sizzling fat. This allows the dark meat to get some of that heat that it needs to completely cook. Plus it makes the skin for the thigh portions CRISPY.
Put this in to a 450 degree oven for 1 hour exactly. Pull, let rest, carve up.
note: The taller the sides of your roaster, the less likely you are to receive crispy skin on the lower portions of the bird.
Whaddya think? Look okay to you? I’d say that’s perfectly roasted chicky.
The gravy was simple. Hot fat (4 TBS), minced shallot until translucent. Enough flour to make a wet paste. Get that nice and toasty, add meat broff. Simmer to cook flour, so it doesn’t taste pasty and strain through sieve. Or not, it’s up to you. At this point I melted a small pat of butter in the gravy along with a squeeze from half a lemon.
And here you have a simple, yet quite easy but tasty Thursday evening meal that everyone will enjoy. What did I serve with it? Who cares.
Biggles
Mmmmm…. Okay, chicken for dinner it is.
Looks good, I’ve got a pack of the duck prosciutto waiting for me tomorrow – I may have to give this a try next week.
Hey Rory,
OH YES. I didn’t mention it, but there was quite a bit of the stuff left over after stuffing the chicken. I ate it. And you know what? I’d do it again.
Biggles
You are the Winter Olympics, ” Bacon and Chicken Triple Sow Cow and Double Lux” of the cooking arena. Red Buttons gave you a plug. I think he said “Pigs on Ice”‘ with the Meathenge double Tonya Harding
Thank you thank you thank you Dr. Biggles! Your post on my website was the best advice I received! From your pictures (which I also agree deserve an Olympic gold medal), I see that you have perfected the art of stuffing herbs (and meat) under the skin. I am learning from you next time!
Biggles – I thought you might be the best person to try out this recipe for Tasso: http://www.gumbopages.com/food/tasso.html
Pesto Infused Roast Chicken and Red Potatoes
Curse you, Biggles!! I just about had to go change my shirt when Dr. Biggles emailed with a cool gadget I’m going to post later this week, and to taunt me about a chicken dish he had just written…
Hey Passionate,
Glad to be of service! Now get out there and make us proud.
Biggles
Hey Nick,
Ha! You’re right. Love Chuck’s recipes. My sister turned me on to him years ago. She used to hang out with him on occasion and drink vast quantities back in NOLA. I’ve done a couple of his here on HM a while back.
Biggles
Looks good. best Proscutto is in nYC.
Man, just found your site about two weeks ago and love it. Can’t wait for the weather up here in Minnesota to thaw out a bit and I can get back to some grillin’. Meantime, I was planning on roasting a chickie this weekend; I shall try your recipe.
Hey Lewis,
Our weather was warming up nicely until a storm hit and it’s SOGGY again. GRRRR, and I have 2 Crepinettes in the fridge that are just screaming ot be grilled.
Biggles
Damn you, Biggles.
I’m sitting here on Ash Wednesday trying not to think about meat. Oh well, my fault for being so stupid as to wander to Meathenge. I guess I’m a glutton for punishment.
I wonder what’s going on at Veggie Venture…
Hey Skinny C,
Yeah, that’s what you get. Maybe I should post Fat Tuesday’s meal? Andouille, pig foot & leftover fried pork chop soup?
Biggles
Oh yes, I’m in love with that chicken! That is beautiful!
Melissa