Rosemary Lemon Chicken

admin — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 02:38:32 +0000

Rosemary Lemon Chicken is my husband’s favorite dish. He would argue with that statement, but I know it is true, because it is what he asks me to make it more than any other recipe. In fact, he would like me to bake a chicken at least once a week and sometimes, I do.

There are so many good reasons to do so …. delicious, tender chicken the first night, chicken sandwiches the next day, chicken enchiladas for dinner the next night, and chicken soup or chicken stock, for a savory and complete end to the bird.

Homemade oven-roasted chicken will always beat the store-bought Costco or Safeway version in tenderness and taste. In addition, you know there will be no MSG or other preservatives and chemicals. I make sure to use only organic – free range chickens whenever possible. It costs a little more, but definitely worth it.

Oven-roasted chicken is a very easy dish to make, as well. In fact, once you put it in the oven, set the timer and pretty much forget about it.

Rosemary Lemon Chicken
1 Small Young Frying Chicken (approx. 5 lbs)
2 Lemons
1 Medium Yellow Onion
3 large Sprigs Rosemary, leaves removed and finely chopped
2 TBS Butter
1 Large Head Garlic
Salt
Pepper
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Remove all giblets and anything else from the inside of the chicken. Rinse with water. Place on baking sheet. Pat dry. Liberally salt and pepper outside of bird, including the inside of the cavity. Lift up skin on breast from near the cavity, separating skin from the muscle and making two small pockets. Add a pinch or two of salt and pepper in this area too.

Roughly chop onion into large chunks. Cut Garlic head in half horizontally, leaving skin on. Chop one lemon into large chunks. Squeeze lemon juice from the lemon over the bird. Stuff lemon peels/pulp chunks, with onions and bottom half of head of garlic (skin still on), into the bird.

Take second lemon and cut in half between ends with stems. Zest 1/2 of the lemon. Slice the other half into attractive slices, about 1/4 inch thick. Set aside. Take top half of garlic head and peel the cloves. Run through a garlic press and mix with lemon zest. Remove leaves from the rosemary stem. Finely chop about half of the rosemary and mix with the lemon zest/garlic and 2 TBS butter.

Rub lemon zest/rosemary/garlic/butter mixture inside breast pockets and on top and sides of chicken. Toss remaining rosemary leaves on top and around chicken. Some people dress the bird by tying the legs together with kitchen string and tucking the wings under. I never do and the chicken turns out fine. But I will leave that up to you.

Place stuffed bird, breast side up, in medium-sized cast iron dutch oven, with lid off. Garnish top with reserved lemon slices. Pour in 1 box of chicken stock. Place pot in preheated oven. Immediately reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Set timer for 1 hour, 45 minutes and bake. Remove chicken from pan and let rest on a serving platter for 15 minutes and serve. Any remaining juices may be strained and used to make a light sauce, by reducing with 1/2 cup of white wine.
Enjoy!

Herbed Garlic-Horseradish Crusted Prime Rib

admin — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 07:06:16 +0000

This year we spent Christmas on Oahu. Just had a small gathering with a few of our friends and neighbors. We missed our extended family, but it was still one of the best Christmas seasons ever. People in Hawaii are suprisingly festive, despite a lack of cold weather, and there are many events for the entire month. Most, if not all, of the holiday traditions on the mainland are followed here in Hawaii. Especially when it comes to food.

Nothing says Christmas Dinner more, to me, than Prime Rib. I have nothing against turkey or ham, but these are my favorites only for Thanksgiving. Something a little more special is perfect for Christmas. Delicious, savory, satisfying … just as good for left overs. Prime Rib on Christmas has become a tradition in our home and one well worth continuing. When you taste this recipe, I think you will agree!

Christmas Dinner – Island Style!!

Herbed Garlic-Horseradish Crusted Prime Rib

1 – 5 lb boneless standing rib roast (cooking instructions are the same for a bone-in roast)
6 Medium Bunches of Fresh Herbs: rosemary, thyme, sage, tarragon
2 TBSP Chopped Rosemary
2 heads Baked Garlic
Sea Salt
Pepper
1 4 oz Jar prepared Horseradish
1 Stick Butter
2 Boxes Beef Broth

Make Crust for Meat:
Cut top 1/2 inch off of two garlic heads, drizzle with olive oil and then bake 2 heads Garlic at 350 degrees for about 40-45 minutes, until soft. Can be done in advance. Let cool. Squeeze the insides of each clove of baked garlic into food processor bowl. You should have around 30-40 cloves of garlic. Cream garlic together with prepared horseradish and 2 TBSP fresh chopped rosemary.

Sear Meat:
Before cooking, pat roast completely dry. This well help the meat sear. Liberally salt and pepper all sides of the roast. Heat 2 tbs olive oil on med-high heat in heavy stainless steel or cast iron skillet. Place roast in heavy pan and sear each side (all sides) for about minutes each, until browned. Remove meat. Deglaze pan with 1/2 cup red wine. Remove liquid and bits and reserve for later.

Roast Meat:
Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Get out large roaster pan with rack. Spread garlic-horseradish mixture thickly on all sides of the seared meat with a spatula. Press and spread three bunches of herbs into bottom crust of roast. Lay roast on roasting rack. Press remaining three bunches of herbs into top and sides of roast. Place several pats of butter on top of herbs on roast. Pour in 1 box of beef stock and the reserved liquid from deglazing. This can all be done in advance, if desired, and the meat refrigerated overnight, but you MUST let roast come to room temperature prior to cooking (this may take up to 2 hours).

Make sure roast is at room temperature. Place roast in the oven. After 15 minutes, turn heat down to 325 degrees. Continue to cook. Cooking time will depend on exact weight of roast and doneness desired. You will need a meat thermometer to test. I recommend checking the internal temperature after 1 hour, no matter the size of the roast, just to check progress. Also, every 1/2 hour, check beef broth at bottom of pan to ensure that it has not dried up or burned. Continue to add more broth or water, if necessary, so that you have about an inch of liquid at all times.

When the roast reaches the desired doneness (temperature), remove from the oven. After you take the meat out, cover loosely with foil and let rest for 25-30 minutes, during which the meat will continue to cook a bit more.

For Rare meat, the thermometer should read 120-125 degrees, when inserted into the center at the thickest part of the roast, not touching any bone or fat. Medium-rare is 130-135 degrees. Medium, 140-145 degrees. Medium-Well, 150-155 degrees, Well-done, 160 degrees or more.

As an example, a 5 pound roast will take about 1 hr to 1 1/4 hrs total in the oven for Rare. A 10 pound roast will take about 2 to 2 1/4 hrs for Rare. Cooking times may vary greatly, so please use a thermometer. You do not want to ruin this gorgeous and expensive cut of meat.

Making the Jus:
Remove all the pan drippings from the roasting pan, combine with any juices which have settled from the resting roast. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, slightly thickening the liquid. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with and drizzle over meat.

The Weekend Gourmet » garlic

Rosemary Lemon Chicken

Herbed Garlic-Horseradish Crusted Prime Rib