WASHINGTON — Making a healthy, hearty and delicious meal the whole family can enjoy doesn’t have to take hours of preparation and time spent in the kitchen. In fact, it can take less than an hour.
Chef Michel Richard, a James Beard Award winner and founder of Central, has some advice for preparing a classic roasted chicken, a dish Richard has been eating, and helping prepare, since he was a child.
Growing up in the Champagne region of France, one of Richard’s fondest childhood memories is helping his mother make a roasted chicken. Often, he was tasked with selecting a fresh chicken from their coop out back.
But Richard says you can achieve the same taste by selecting a chicken from your grocery store or farmers market.
Cooking a whole chicken may sound intimidating, but really, it requires very few ingredients and can be done in one pan.
If you’re cooking for a group of four, Richard says a four-pound chicken is the ideal size. The chicken can either be whole or cut into pieces. If the chicken is whole, Richard says, it’s best to remove the legs, since the white meat cooks faster than the dark meat. This will make it easier to remove the breasts a few minutes before the legs in the cooking process.
“The chicken is very special — it’s almost like a beef. You have the filet mignon [and other cuts]; they’re all different. The chicken is the same thing,” Richard says.
Once the chicken is separated, put the meat into a Pyrex dish or casserole pan and fill the rest of the pan with chopped potatoes and onions. (See the recipe below for exact measurements.) Drizzle olive oil over everything, and season the ingredients with salt, pepper and thyme. Add chicken stock and butter and bake the one-pot meal in a 350-degree oven for about 45 minutes.
If your chicken came with a plastic timer, Richard says, disregard it. You can test to see whether the meat is done by pricking the breasts with a knife. If the juices run clear, the breast meat is done. The legs will need a few extra minutes in the oven.
And of course, Richard says, the best way to enjoy the satisfying meal is family style. Bon appétit!
Chef Michel Richard demonstrates his favorite roasted chicken recipe:
Recipe: Michel Richard’s Roasted Chicken
Ingredients
- One 4-lb. organic chicken (you can also buy the chicken pre-cut at the butcher)
- 22 pearl onions, peeled
- 4 cups yellow potatoes, chopped
- 20 cloves garlic, peeled, chopped
- 1 bunch chopped parsley
- 10 branches fresh thyme
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 4 tablespoons butter
- Kosher salt & black pepper to taste
Directions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Remove the inside package from the chicken. Wash the chicken and pat it dry it with a paper towel.
- Remove the legs from the chicken to separate the white and dark meat. Chop off the knuckle from the leg. Gently push back the meat to expose the edge of the leg. This will allow the meat to shrink and stay plump.
- Place the chopped garlic into the center of a Pyrex dish or oven roaster. Place the chicken breast and legs in the roaster dish. Spread the potatoes and pearl onions around the dish.
- Pour the olive oil over the chicken and vegetables.
- Place the chopped parsley loosely over the chicken and vegetables. Season everything with salt and pepper. Add the thyme in the same manner.
- Pour the chicken stock. Slice the butter into pats and place over the chicken and vegetables.
- Place the chicken in the oven and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. To test if it is done, prick the chicken breast with a knife. If the juice runs clear, it is done.
- When the breast is ready, remove the chicken from the oven. Take the two legs and move them to another oven pan or dish. Return the legs to the oven for 10 minutes more.
- Remove legs from the oven and return to the dish with the rest of the chicken and vegetables. Serve family style. Bon appétit!
