Hi, everyone!
So, we processed some chickens on our farm recently and I kept some from market for our family. As always, we used whatever we already had on the farm. Anything else was purchased from local markets.
The first step many people skip is the brining. We always brine the chickens we sell at market. The chicken is juicier and tastes amazing. When we keep some for the house I actually request mine not to be brined because I like to use different brines for different recipes. Brining on top of an already brined bird isn’t going to hurt it. We just have the option of just pulling what we want from the rest of the processing.
The brine I like to use for this chicken is simple. I mix enough water to cover two inches above the bird with 1/2 cup of salt and garlic powder in a large pot. I cover the pot and put it in the fridge the night before cooking (I did add more water in my above photograph).
The next day, when I’m ready to start cooking I preheat the oven to 425F. I put the chicken in my deep casserole/roasting stoneware. I cut a lemon in half and prick it and add it to the chicken’s cavity. I also add 8 garlic cloves (some always fall out).
Next, I mix homemade butter we purchase locally from another farm (raw Jersey cow milk with a small amount of raw, local honey) with salt and pepper to taste, 1/2 teaspoon of paprika, and 1 tablespoon of garlic powder.
Then I slather the chicken with this butter. After slathering, I add 2 cups of chicken broth to the dish and put in the oven covered for 45 minutes.
While the chicken is roasting, I harvest fresh cuban oregano and tarragon. I harvest a good handful of the oregano and about ten tarragon leaves. I chop the fresh herbs.
The next ingredient is a bit trickier to obtain. I use two cups of cream. I’ll be honest. I didn’t have two cups this time around. I had about a cup. I made it work because I didn’t want to go to the store. See the picture of the mason jar above? The cream has separated from the raw goat milk. I just scoop this off a few jars and I have cream for the meal.
I mix the cream with the herbs, five quartered red potatoes, and 1/2 cup of sherry.
When the 45 minutes are up, I remove the chicken from the oven and add the potatoes and cream mixture. I then roast for another 45 minutes uncovered.
This is the result. This chicken was almost 5 pounds. No matter what, check the temperature of your chicken. You want it to be 165F.
What are some of your favorite chicken recipes?
Ingredients
- 1 chicken
- 1 lemon
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup salt
- 1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- butter
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- oregano
- tarragon
- 8 cloves of garlic
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 5 red potatoes, quartered
- 1/2 cup sherry
Instructions
- Brine the night before (1/2 cup salt and garlic powder).
- When ready to cook, preheat oven to 425F.
- Add the chicken to a baking dish. Cut the lemon in half and prick it. Put the lemon and garlic cloves in the cavity.
- Mix butter, salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder. Cover the chicken in buttered mixture.
- Pour chicken broth in dish with chicken.
- Roast covered for 45 minutes.
- Chop fresh oregano and tarragon to add to cream, sherry, and potatoes.
- When 45 minutes are up, take chicken out and add potato and cream mixture to the dish.
- Roast for an additional 45 minutes uncovered.
- Monitor chicken temperature. Must read 165F for safe consumption.
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