It’s been a while so I’ll start by saying “Hi!”. I think the combination of stressful household projects, watching my cookbook shelf dwindle, and, if I’m honest, the waning engagement on my blog posts brought some blogging ennui. I’m back though people - so watch out!
What better way to greet y’all than with a healthy dose of Naked Chef-ing from my sexy friend, Jamie Oliver? I’m going back to a recipe I made in 2008 (based on the cookbook rating in the margin - not my impeccable memory), but scaling it down to use chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken. I still wanted to use the word “spatchcocked” though so deal with it.
Ingredients:
Marinade:
A small bunch of fresh marjoram or oregano, leaves picked, or 1 TB dried oregano
Juice of 1 lemon
Olive Oil
Chicken:
1 small (~3.5lb) spatchcocked chicken, preferably organic [or, sub in bone-in chicken breasts]
Salt and pepper
2 lemons
1 ¾ lbs new potatoes
A knob of butter [WTF does this mean??]
2 handfuls of asparagus, trimmed [Again, WTF…whose hands are we using? My toddler’s or my husband’s]
1 ½ c. plain or Greek yogurt
A handful of fragrant, soft herbs (parsley, mint, chervil, or tarragon - or a mix), leaves picked
[If you are using a full chicken] Slash the chicken legs about ½ inch deep in a few places - this will help the marinade get into the meat, and the thighs will cook the same time as the breast.
Mix together the marjoram or oregano, the juice from one of the lemons, and a glug of olive oil [I am interpreting this as 2-3 TB]. Rub this all over the chicken. Leave to marinade for 30 minutes outside the refrigerator or a couple of hours in the fridge, if you have the time. Don’t leave it overnight - the lemon juice will “cook” the meat.
Preheat the oven to 400F. Heat a griddle pan [Again, no idea why you'd use a griddle here, so I’m using a cast iron skillet], season the chicken generously with salt and pepper, and place skin down on the pan. Once it’s golden brown and starts to crisp (~4 minutes), turn the chicken over, add a whole lemon to the pan and then put the pan in your preheated oven.
While the chicken is cooking, scrub the potatoes and put them in cold salted water, then bring to the boil and simmer until nicely cooked. Drain in a colander and put them back in the pan with the knob of butter [I did 2 TB...], a squeeze of lemon juice, and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Pop the lid on to keep them warm.
After 45-55 minutes, your chicken should be golden and the meat tender and cooked. You can test it to see by pinching the leg meat away from the bone - if it comes away easily, you’re in business, if not, pop back in the oven for another 10 minutes. [You can also use a thermometer and make sure that the breast is 165F]. When all is good, set the whole roasted lemon aside, put the chicken on a platter, and allow to rest for 5 minutes in a warm place.
Pour any excess fat out of the pan and put your asparagus into it in a single layer. Griddle for 3-4 minutes until tender [I threw it back in the oven for 8-10 min]. When they are cooked, toss in a little olive oil, salt and pepper, and a squeeze of lemon. Pile it on a platter with the potatoes and chicken.
Finally, cut the roasted lemon in half, squeeze the juice into the yogurt, season with salt and pepper. Jamie scatters the herbs over the chicken. I chopped up the herbs and added to the yogurt.
This was a delicious, fresh meal. The chicken was herby and crispy, although perhaps a tiny bit overcooked. The potatoes in the lemon butter were a sleeper hit. The asparagus was my least favorite part, but my husband, who doesn't normally like it, ate all of his. Next time, I'd punch up the lemon a bit in the yogurt with some zest and more salt/pepper and cook the asparagus separately so it wasn't a rush at the end. One breast would have been enough for the two of us, I'd scale back when (not if) I make this again.
Rating: Excellent
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