Sunday chicken and a citrus jus

So you want to make a really nice, simple roast chicken dinner for Sunday, but with a little twist...I say...make one chicken two ways, but....

FIRST

THE JUS

So simple but so often neglected!!!

Before we can braise the chicken legs, we need a nice liquid to braise them in and serve them bathing in!!!

We must hearken back to the previous blog session and now use our scrap pieces of chicken( the back, wings, etc...not the fat), along with the following...

PREP

Scrap bits from one chicken, cut up in large chunks

1 onion, medium dice ( reserve 1/4 for later)

1 carrot, medium dice (reserve 1/4 for later)

1 celery rib, medium dice ( reserve tops for later)

1 piece of citrus sliced thinly ( reserve 1/4 for later)

1 T tomato paste

1 t dried whole spices, you choose your mix...fennel, peppercorns, cumin, etc...

2-3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 inch chunk ginger, sliced ( reserve 1/2 for later)

1 cup leftover wine or vegetable stock

water

WHAT TO DO

1. In a heavy bottom pan, add a splash of oil and then sear your scraps of chicken over high heat.
2. When nicely browned, add the celery, carrot, onion, ginger and garlic and continue cooking over high heat to brown( not burn) your veggies.
3. After 3-5 minutes, add your tomato paste and cook a further 2 minutes.
4. Add the wine to the pan, and using a wooden spatula, scrap up all the lovely brown bits in the pan.
5. Add cold water to just about cover the chicken, then add your spices and bring to a simmer.
6. Let simmer for one hour, skimming any foam or fat that appears on the top.
7. Strain the solids away so you are left with a beautiful chicken stock that we will now cook our chicken legs in and in so doing produce a lovely Sunday jus.

So the easiest way to do this is to make the chicken stock the day before or the morning before you want to make your chicken. And then you will be an hour away from heaven...and what is heaven...

Ah the legs, I must truly admit it, i am as they say, a leg man...i mean when the choice is between a succulent piece of braised chicken leg that is fork tender, rich and juicy and a big ole breast, I gotta speak the truth...I don't care that it has a little more fat, 'dem legs have got mo' flava, and that is why I am braising in tomorrows blog...to pull out more flavour that will taste amazing on its own, but even more so the legs will be a compliment to the roasted breasts of the chicken...so have it your way...both ways, leg and breast, roast and braised...check it out tomorrow...

MORE DISHES TO WASH

OKAY I know...some of us have issues with simply roasting a whole chicken...for this i have a simpler recipe that goes a little something like this...

1. Buy the chicken whole and turn your oven on to 375 F or 190 C.
2. Wash the Chicken inside and out, pat it dry, and season with salt and pepper.
3. Cut up an onion, carrot, celery rib, couple two three cloves garlic, citrus or apple and put 2/3 on a baking dish or any oven ready pan. Place the other 1/3 s of veggies/fruit inside the chicken and place the chicken on top of the veggies.
4. Drizzle a lil olive oil on top, some of your own special spices, and stuff a little bit of fresh or dried herbs inside.
5. Pour a cup of leftover wine or beer in bottom of pan and toss the whole thing in the oven.
6. Roast till internal temperature of bird ( fleshy bit) is 185 F (85 C) or juices run clear.
7. Let rest, covered with a bit of aluminum foil for 10 minutes and then cut up.

Of course there are a myriad of ways to make a roast chicken more complex and difficult, and you can take your chances on cooking temperatures, etc...but nothing is simpler and tastier than a roast chicken... served up with the pan juices and some locally sourced roast root veg and a peppery green salad...so if you never have, try this, even just once and then move on to the recipe at the top and that follows soon in the next blog entry.