In 1993, I was working as a journalist at KQED, the birthplace of many of my favorite old cooking shows. At the time Jacques Pepin and the late Julia Child were recording their “Cooking at Home” series, and walking by the television studios to my office I was tempted daily by the enticing aromas of the delicacies they prepared that we were never allowed to eat. Happily, I had the pleasure of dining with them both and we discussed the simple chicken. I’ve adapted my technique from their friendly, but different, approaches and I love what Julia has to say about chicken in the accompanying cookbook, which I refer to often.
“I don’t care what it says about itself, I want a chicken with great flavor and fresh texture and I will go to great pains to find that chicken. Furthermore, I am ready to pay for it.”
Ingredients
- 1 (4-pound) local chicken
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened salt and pepper
- 1 lemon, halved
- 6 garlic gloves, unpeeled
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional)
- 1 head butter lettuce juice of ½ lemon
- 2 tablespoons chicken fat
- 2 roasted garlic gloves, peeled and chopped
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon tarragon salt and pepper
- 2 thick slices sourdough or other crusty bread
- olive oil
Preparation
For the chicken:
Preheat oven to 425°. Lightly oil bottom of shallow roasting pan.
Wash the chicken and, when thoroughly dry, rub it all over with butter. Season outside and cavity of chicken with salt and pepper. Stuff cavity with both lemon halves and garlic gloves. Truss legs with kitchen twine and place chicken in pan.
Place in preheated oven and roast on 425° for 45 minutes, basting once or twice with pan juices. Chicken is done when a meat thermometer inserted into the thick part of the thigh reads 160°.
Remove chicken from pan and tent with foil to keep warm. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the chicken fat/juices for salad dressing. Deglaze the pan with ½ cup water, heating and scraping all the brown bits of flavor from the bottom. Add juice from 1 of the lemon halves to the pan. If desired, thicken by making a mixture of ¼ cup of the juices and 1 tablespoon cornstarch, then whisking this in as the juices simmer. Remove sauce from pan and keep warm.
For the salad:
Wash lettuce and spin dry. Make dressing by blending lemon juice, chicken fat, garlic, olive oil and tarragon with a whisk or small blender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
To make croutons, brush both sides of the bread with olive oil. Cut in cubes and sauté in a small pan over medium heat for 3 minutes, turning bread cubes halfway through until lightly toasted. Season with salt and pepper.
To serve, toss lettuce with dressing and croutons. Slice the chicken and serve on a bed of salad, drizzled with the pan sauces.
