Roasted Chicken on the Grill, and a Farmers' Market Chicken Salad
PHASE ONE: THE ROASTED CHICKENMy esteemed partner has become a master at roasting the whole chickens we get from Triple S Farm on the grill. He basically follows the Barefoot Contessa's roast chicken recipe, which is the best on earth (see the recipe, below). And then he trusses the chicken and puts it on our Weber grill (we're talking charcoal grill here, not gas—not that I'm dissing your gas grill, we just don't have one).
Here is Keith's method: Get a hot fire going, then move the coals away from the center of the "pot" so that they form a ring around the outer edge. Place a foil drip pan in the center where the coals used to be. Replace the grate and set the chicken on the center of it. Put the lid on the grill, and let the chicken roast for 1 1/2 hours (that's for 5-ish pound birdie).
Remove tender, aromatic, juicy, smoky, crispy-skinned chicken from grill. Let rest for 10 minutes, then carve and enjoy.
And here's the Barefoot Contessa's roast-chicken recipe.
Perfect Roast Chicken
Slightly adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten (The B.C. scatters onions around her chicken, which she roasts in the oven, and she makes a scrumptious gravy to go with it.)
1 5- to 6-pound roasting chicken
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large bunch fresh thyme
1 lemon, halved
1 whole head of garlic, cut in half crosswise
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Remove the giblets and things from inside the chicken. Rinse the chicken inside and out and pat dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken, and stuff the cavity with the thyme, lemon, and garlic.
Brush the outside of the chicken with the melted butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Truss the chicken and place it on the prepared grill (or in the oven at 425 °F for the same amount of time).
PHASE TWO: THE CHICKEN SALAD
The night after you've roasted the chicken, slice some of the now-cold meat and arrange it in a visually appealing way (or just throw it on there in a pile, as in my photo) atop fresh mixed baby greens, chopped cucumber, sugar-snap peas, tomatoes, and radishes that you have procured from the Urbana farmers' market! Dress with a light vinaigrette.
Lemony VinaigretteJuice of 1 lemon (about 1/4 cup)
Teaspoon or so Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt, lots of freshly ground pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil—anywhere from 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup, depending on your taste
I have one of those handy 2-cup glass measuring cups that I usually use to make vinaigrette in. Juice the lemon into the container, catching any seeds. Whisk in the Dijon, salt, and pepper. Continue whisking as you slowly pour in your desired amount of oil (I use about one part lemon juice to two parts oil). Whisk briefly until the mixture emulsifies.
Oh, and for extra deliciousness, serve the salad with a chilled rosé and olive-rosemary bread from Mirabelle bakery.
God, it's good to be alive when you're eating like this. A thousand thanks to the farmers who raise the chickens and grow the vegetables and to the bakers who produce the glorious bread. Where would we be without all your devotion, not to mention back-breaking labor? Too awful to contemplate. Happy almost-summer, everyone!
Labels: farmers' market, main dishes, poultry, recipes
posted by Lisa at 11:32 AM
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15 Comments:
Question about the use of the Weber Grill for this recipe. First, I must warn you that I am one of the purists and have an original avocado green enamel Weber, so, what ever that other contraption that you mentioned is non existent in my world view, and frequently am overcome with a desire to shot at gas tanks in the neighboring back yards. My question is: How are the vents positioned while grilling the chicken?
Hey Michael: Thanks for your comment. You really are a Weber grill purist! I would love to see your avocado-green model. Anyway: I should have mentioned about the vents in my post. My paramour informs me that all vents are "wide open" throughout the roasting period: the three underneath and the one on the lid.
Also, he tells me that he doesn't know if it makes a difference, but he heats the grate while the coals are heating up, so he's putting the chicken on the heated grate, not a cold one. Cheers.
Your recipe will come handy soon enough, when I get my first chicken from a local source. My compliments to the master roaster.
ok, you're not going to believe this, but yesterday's lunch included these things I bought at the farmer's market..An organic chicken, fresh salad greens (dandelion too), and a loaf of olive bread.
MMmmmm! that chicken sure looks good, I bet it was nice and juicy too! What a great meal to share with your Hubby! It's so much fun cooking together!
Thanks, Simona. I'm glad you're able to get local chickens; will be interested to see what you do with them...
Maryann: What?! Well—great minds, and all that.
PIC: It was delish. It's good to have a master roaster around the house. ;)
Happy almost summer to you too!
The chicken looks so good.
Have you tried cooking the chicken the same way but with a beer can in it? I know it seems crude, but the flavor and moistness that it gets from having all that beer/seasoning steam inside it is awesome. I do this several times during the summer when I can get chickens from the Country Cottage Farm people at the Farmers' Market. My wife and I practically fight over the thing once it's done.
Your esteemed partner roasts a mean chicken! I'm a big fan of indirect heat on the rare occasions that I grill. And I'm an even bigger fan of charcoal. I mean, that smoky taste is the whole reason for grilling, isn't it?
Thanks, Sue.
Trey: I do know about "beer-can chicken," but I've never actually tried making it myself. I'll have to do that sometime. I thought stuffing the bird with all that garlic, thyme, and the lemon for moisture was the best way on earth, but the beer-can thing may be worth a try. ;)
Terry: Thanks for the comment. You know, that's something I have never understood about gas grills: Unless you put wood chips or something in there (like if you have one of those gas grills that's meant to also be a smoker), how is it different from cooking in the regular oven?? I mean, shhh, but there's no charcoal in there.
A gas grill is different from an oven in that the drippings fall down on to the grate or lava rocks and create smoke. I've been using a gas (natural gas, hooked up to the house supply) grill for 25 years as a charcoal grill on a deck is not a good idea.
I also have a charcoal/wood smoker in the back yard.
If you don't already, freeze the carcass and when you have a couple (with necks, wing tips and the like) put in a stock pot, cover in water and gently simmer for several hours. Don't boil and don't add onions, carots and celery until an hour before you are done. You now have chicken stock.
And then there is your friend Amy who buys a rotisseri chicken at the local market and pulls it off the bone. :) I have always cooked my own but have gotten quite lazy.
I did buy a tri-tip and roast from Triple S based upon you and told him that on Saturday. He must be getting a lot of feedback!!
NTSC: Yeah, forgot about the drippings, and that that's how smoke happens. OK—you can go ahead and use your gas grill. ;) Thanks for the tip on the stock; I do do that sometimes, in fact I have one carcass in the freezer now. Homemade stock is great.
Amy, there's definitely a time and a place for store-bought rotisserie chicken! Sometimes these things happen. :)
I hope you enjoy your roasts from Stan. If you eat pork, I highly recommend his pork products, too. The pork chops are especially succulent. I'd like to try a tri-tip; I used to get that cut years ago, back in CA, but I haven't seen it around here. I used to use it for shredded beef for filling burritos as I recall, and it was wonderful.
Lovely chicken!
The normal-size chicken here is always a bit tough for the barbecue... so we do the little 1.5 lb babies... and they are wonderful!
I just don't want to know the details....
Thanks, Katie! I'd love to try one of your tiny chickens . . . and I hear you about not wanting the details...!
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