You know how it’s usually the simplest things that give you the most pleasure?
Find yourself a free-range organic chicken, give it a little water bath, do a dance with it for 5 seconds, laugh about how funny “naked” chickens are, cover it with salt (I’m serious, COVER, like, it should look like it just snowed salt on your chicken) give it a little bit of pepper, and throw it (gently) into the oven for an hour. A little thyme in the juices after it’s out, a bit of butter on the breast, and dipped in dijon mustard, and…well…the result is glorious. The salt helps remove all the moisture from the oven, which makes for a delicious crispy skin which no one I’ve ever fed this chicken to has ever been able to resist. An easy (and cheap!) dinner for 4 (or in our house, two very hungry adults), and pairs well with just about any green vegetable (I like sautéed green beans with sliced garlic).
Once you’ve finished devouring the chicken (try the oysters on the middle back, that’s my favorite part!), put the carcass into your crockpot, cover with water, throw in some garlic, onions, parsley, celery (and celery leaves), a splash of vinegar, and a couple bay leaves, set to low and cook for 24-48 hours. The longer you cook, the better quality the broth. Check out some good tips by Nourished Kitchen about bone broth here. After a couple days your broth should be a little like gelatin if it cools to room temperature, and that’s when you know you’ve done it right. Lots of good nutrients and worth keeping around for either daily consumption (ideal world, if you don’t use it for sauces or gravy already), or approaching colds or other ailments (bone broth is particularly effective for constipation or other digestive problems related to the gut).
CRISP ROASTED CHICKEN
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 whole ~3lb chicken (I buy Bornholmers Høn from Irma)
- salt, pepper, dried thyme
- kitchen twine
- grassfed organic butter
- dijon mustard
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 225C (450F).
Rinse and pat dry both the inside and outside of the chicken. Place in an 8×11 baking dish. Liberally pour salt into the cavity of the chicken, and then secure legs with kitchen twine. Liberally salt the rest of the chicken. The idea is to give the chicken a nice white hue from all the salt. Season with freshly ground pepper. Cook in the oven for 1 hour.
After an hour, remove the chicken and dump about a tablespoon of dried thyme into the drippings of the chicken at the bottom of the baking dish. Using a large spoon, mix up the drippings and thyme, and baste the chicken with the thyme drippings until all areas of the skin are remoistened.
Carve chicken and serve with butter (if desired) on the meat and dip in dijon mustard.
Serves 4
Vegetarian Rehab 