ROAST CHICKEN
Today is Christmas Eve.
We checked the internet for JULIA CHILD's roast chicken recipe.
By the way, just to let you know that, it is the movie Julie & Julia (Child) that inspired me to blog about dinner. :D
Anyway, with the basic instructions in mind, we are going to be adventurous today. We will improvise as we go along. Nothing can go wrong today.
It's Christmas Eve! There's magic in the air. :D
3 Simple Steps :
1. Stuff the Chicken.
2. Season the Chicken.
3. Prepare the Vegetables.
1. Stuff the Chicken.
Clean the chicken. Inside and out.
Rub the body with garlic.
Take a fork and pierce through the body
of the chicken to allow the marinate
to seep through and make it better tasting.
About 50 stabs or thereabouts. Just stab stab stab the chicken all over,
but don't get carried away.
Stuff about 10 cloves of smashed garlic
(with skin) in the chicken.
Stuff apple mint leaves.
Julia Child's recipe says THYME, but we only have APPLE MINT.
We shall stray carefully away. Besides, we think mint would do
a good job in keeping the insides smelling fresh anyway.
Squeeze half a lemon over and after that ...
... stuff it in the chicken.
2. Season the Chicken.
Sprinkle black pepper and
drop a few dollops of creamy butter.
Add organic shoyu.
What would Julia Child say to this? :D
Add organic black sauce.
Sprinkle thyme herbs.
Add a teaspoon of honey.
Sprinkle seasalt.
Rub the seasonings in with your clean hands.
Ah, now for the magic of Christmas...
Let's add some brandy ...
I am seasoning the chicken way before dinner time at noon.
I'm storing it in the fridge, covered with a cling foil,
until about 6 pm to roast.
3. Prepare the Vegetables.
Our daughter Justine shaved about 20
water chestnuts while watching TV.
Prepare a nice bed of onion rings
and carrots on an oven tray.
Roughly arrange cubes of potatoes around the tray.
Place oyster mushrooms in the middle
as a soft cushion for the chicken.
Pile the water chestnuts on.
Place the chicken on the bed.
Pour a large mug of mushroom stock (no MSG) over.
Bird's eye view.
Our family loves potatoes as You can see ...
Decorate with carrots and cherry tomatoes.
IN THE OVEN
Pop the chicken into your pre-heated oven.
Roasting time : About 1 hour 15 minutes.
Temperature : 220 degrees C for 15 minutes.
Turn down to 200 degrees C
and continue roasting for an hour.
Meanwhile, blanch some broccoli and set aside.
Bon Appetite!!!
Turn off the oven heat when the timer rings.
I am leaving the chicken in the oven for
another 20 minutes or so to brown
it a little bit more.
Remove the chicken from the oven
and arrange the broccoli around it.
I forgot to pierce the chicken with a fork
to check whether the juice runs clear.
Thankfully, the chicken turned out perfect.
That's the MAGIC of Christmas! :D
click on the blog link above to view :D
