Lemon and Garlic Roast Chicken and Asparagus

*Post by Angela.

 In my kitchen, there are a few individuals I consider royalty - Giada De Laurentiis, Tyler Florence,  Ree Drummond (the Pioneer Woman), my favorite ginger, Mario Batali, Deb from Smitten Kitchen, Jaden  Hair...But reigning over all of them?  The Barefoot Contessa herself, Ina Garten.  I've never made a recipe of hers that I didn't love, and watching her cook and cavort with her fabulous friends soothes my soul.  One recipe of hers that  I had yet to tackle was her roast chicken, but after seeing it pop up on all of my favorite blogs,  I had to see what all the fuss was about (with my own modifications, of course).  I paired it with a simple recipe for parboiled asparagus from - where else -  Simply Recipes for some color.  And neither the Contessa nor the Simply Recipes lady disappointed - the result was incredibly flavorful, juicy chicken and tender-crisp, zesty asparagus.  A perfect Sunday night feast to end the weekend. 

 

 

List of ingredients for the chicken:

• 1 roasting chicken (mine was about 6 1/2 lbs)
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large bunch fresh thyme
• 4 lemons
• 3 heads garlic, cut in 1/2 crosswise
• 3 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 lb bacon
• 1 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• Handful of corn starch

First, I preheated the oven to 425 degrees.  I removed the giblets from the chicken,  rinsed it, and patted it dry.  I seasoned the cavity of the chicken heavily with salt and pepper, then stuffed it with the thyme, one lemon, halved, and 2 halves of garlic heads. 

 

I rubbed the melted butter all over the outside of the chicken and seasoned with salt and pepper.  Then I tied up the legs with kitchen string (or in this case, some random black cord I had lying around).  I quarted the remaining lemon and tossed it in the roasting pan with the rest of the garlic. 

I also layered the bacon over the top of the chicken, like a nice cozy, porky blanket.  Have you ever seen anything so beautiful in your entire life?  I didn't think so.

 

I put the pan in the oven for about an hour, then removed the bacon (saving it for later).  I left the chicken in the oven for another 45 minutes.  When the juices from the chicken ran clear (after piercing between the leg and thigh), I took it out of the oven and out of the pan, and tented it with foil.

 

I skimmed the fat out of the pan, leaving about 2 tbsp, placed it on the stove top, then added the wine and chicken stock and brought it to a boil.  I then lowered the heat to a simmer, and let the liquid reduce down by half, whisking occasionally and scraping all the yummy flavorful bits off the bottom of the pan.  I also threw in a handful of cornstarch (maybe 1 1/2 tbsp) to thicken up the gravy.

 

While the chicken was in the oven, I started in on the asparagus.

List of ingredients for the asparagus:

• 2 lbs asparagus
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 4 tbsp Parmigiano Reggiano
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

First, I cut the white bottoms off the asparagus, and sliced the rest of it on a diagonal into 1 1/2 inch pieces.

I brought a pot of water to a boil, added the asparagus, reduced the heat slighty and cooked for exactly 2 minutes.  I don't know why, but the Simply Recipes lady was VERY clear about that. 

I drained the asparagus and tossed it into a bowl with the oil, cheese, and lemon zest, then seasoned with salt and pepper.

These were both really simple and straightforward recipes, but the result was pretty great - a meal you can serve to friends and family at a dinner party, or just a nice way for you to end the weekend and start your week (with lots of delicious leftovers in the fridge for lunch)!

Comments

[Evan]

yum. i love making chicken this way, though I haven't done it recently. Never tried the bacon approach though. I'll have to do this once the calendar hits June

[Angela]

Evan-
Ha! I told you I'd be making EXTRA meaty meals at home in order to balance out your meatless May. This was really good, although the bacon itself turned out a little overcooked (we ate it anyway).

[Evan]

haha, well im glad someone is keeping the world in perfect meat to vegetables balance. Thankfully one of my three exceptions is this Thursday. I'm craving a nice steak.

[Trina]

Looks fabulous! I've prepared chicken much like this but used not only lemon but also oranges. Mmmm!

"I don't know why, but the Simply Recipes lady was VERY clear about that." Haha! Too cute!

Happy eating A & M! :)

[Angela]

Trina-
Oh, oranges? Mark LOVES orange-flavored poultry! And then do you get an orange flavored gravy? Wanna point me in the direction of a good recipe? Yum.