Skip to main content

Roasted Lemon-Fennel Spatchcocked Chicken #FoodieReads


Our Sunday family hikes have given my reading a boost. We hike up a mountain, then - while the boys fly their glider or do other testosterone-y things - I plunk down and read a book in the shade.



I can usually get through a nice chunk before we head back down the mountain. Yesterday, at the top of Gilson Gap, I started The Last Van Gogh by Alyson Richman.* I noticed this on my bookshelf before we headed out and I decided to give it a go. I really had no idea how much food there was going to be in it. What a delicious read!

fineartamerica.com
On the Page
This is a historical fiction - one of my favorite genres, especially when there's food involved - about the relationship between Vincent Van Gogh and Marguerite Gachet, daughter of Van Gogh's doctor in Auvers-sur-Oise. We read the tale from Marguerite's point of view.

Set in France, in the early 1800s, the majority of the book takes place during the last few months of Van Gogh's life. Van Gogh was in Auvers-sur-Oise, battling his addiction to absinthe and painting prolifically while under the care of Dr. Gachet. The painting, above, is the first portrait he did of Marguerite. I thoroughly enjoyed how the author crafted her novel around actual people and actual paintings that exist of those people. Whether they actually had an illicit affair, I don't know, but it made for an interesting read as she explored her sexuality with the fragile yet passionate artist.

I won't be spoiling the book too much by sharing that Marguerite is under her father's oppressive thumb. I understand that gender roles were much more traditional in the 19th century, but since her mother's death, Marguerite has been both cook and maid for her father and her brother. And, in that role, she is tasked with preparing the meals when her father invites Vincent to lunch or dinner.

The first meal she prepares for Vincent is roasted chicken. "I had spent the early part of the morning preparing my favorite dishes. ...I handpicked the chicken from Armel, the butcher, insisting that ti Have the largest, juiciest one from that morning's slaughter. ...The entire house now smelled of my crisp roasted chicken.... I could not help but smile as I emerged from the kitchen with the large platter in my arms" (pp. 52-53).


On the Plate
Roasting a chicken is not for the faint of heart. I mean, anyone can stick a whole chicken in the oven and roast it till it's not raw. But, seriously, the number of mediocre roasted chickens I've made is embarrassing. And there is nothing worse than dried out chicken breasts, right?

So, when I read about a technique that splits the chicken and flattens it, I knew I could marinate it easily and roast it to (near) perfection. I've tested it out a few times and it has changed my mind about roasted chicken. And - it's so easy - I will certainly add this to our dinner menu rotation. I can imagine plating this golden brown chicken on bright turquoise platters in Gachet's garden!

Ingredients
  • 1 whole 4-pound chicken
  • 4 to 5 cloves whole garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1 T fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 1/2 t fennel pollen
  • olive oil
  • juice from 2 organic lemons
  • lemon slices
  • freshly ground salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and thickly sliced


Procedure 
Spatchcock It
Place chicken on a cutting board, breast side down. With a sturdy pair of kitchen shears, cut along one side of the backbone, starting at thigh end. Turn chicken around and cut along other side. You can discard the backbone or save it for stock. Spread the chicken on a flat surface and press firmly on breastbone to flatten it.

Rub It
Rub the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle it liberally with  salt and pepper. Massage the rosemary, garlic, and fennel pollen into the skin. Pour the juice from 1 lemon over the top. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before roasting.

Roast It
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place the spatchcocked chicken flat in a roasting dish. Drizzle with the remaining lemon juice. Scatter fennel pieces and lemon slices around the chicken.

Roast chicken for 40 minutes. Drizzle the chicken with olive oil and return to the oven. Roast for another 30 to 35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is browned and crispy.


Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes before cutting. I served my chicken with barely blanched asparagus and a crisp fennel slaw.


You'll be seeing my thoughts on this pairing later this month for the February #Winophiles event, but I poured Famille Bougrier's Pure Loire Rosé d'Anjou 2016 with the chicken...and it was sublime.


*This blog currently has a partnership with Amazon.com in their affiliate program, which gives me a small percentage of sales if you buy a product through a link on my blog. It doesn't cost you anything more. If you are uncomfortable with this, feel free to go directly to Amazon.com and search for the item of your choice.

Here's what everyone else read in February 2018: here.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Meyer Lemon Custard-Filled Matcha Turtles #BreadBakers

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our  Pinterest board  right here. Links are also updated after each event on the  Bread Bakers home page .  We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month Stacy of Food Lust People Love  is hosting and she wrote: "Your bread can be large, as in one big animal, or small - animal-shaped rolls. Use your imagination! Points for flavor and shape!" If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. Here's the animal-shaped bread basket from the #BreadBakers... Beef and Sweet Onion Dim Sum Pandas from Karen's Kitchen Stories Bird Bread Rolls from Ambrosia Easter Bunny Buns from Cook with Renu Ham and Cheese Elephant Rolls from Food Lust People Love Hedgehog Bread from Making Mir

Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé #Winophiles

This month the French Winophiles group is looking at affordable wines from Burgundy.  Host Cindy of Grape Experiences wrote: "Burgundy, or Bourgogne, is known for its wines of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir... as well as Aligote, Gamay, Sauvignon, César, Pinot Beurot, Sacy, Melon in lesser quantities. Many of the well-known wines are quite expensive, but there are plenty of values to be found." Read her invitation here. And there won't be a Twitter chat for this event, so you will have to dive into the articles themselves to read about our pairings and findings. Here's the line-up... Wendy Klik from A Day in the Life on the Farm enjoys Domaine Chevillon Chezeaux Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits, 2018 Paired with a Maple Pecan Chicken . Camilla Mann from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares her love of Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé. Jeff Burrows of FoodWineClick! explains why we should Look t

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce