Rosemary and Wild Mushroom Roasted Chicken
healthy helpingscanada
(Jul.06.10)
This delicious and well-flavored roasted chicken is a real treat on a cold, blustery night—it makes for a big, hearty meal that is very satisfying. The complex, woodsy flavor of the porcini mushrooms, together with the aromatic mixture of fresh rosemary, sage, and olive oil, make a delicious paste that is almost meat like in itself. Spreading the mixture directly on the flesh of the chicken, under the skin, infuses the bird with layers of flavors that are rich and delightful to the palate. Serve with a crisp green salad made of organic local romaine lettuce (buy a head of lettuce, not packaged leaves). Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon (15 g) fresh rosemary needles
3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon (18 g) sea salt
¼ cup (9 g) dried porcini mushrooms (available in gourmet grocery stores), reconstituted in warm water, soaking water reserved
¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
1 organic local free-range roasting chicken
1 carrot, chopped
1 rib celery with leaves, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon (15 g) extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
very fine sea salt
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350° F (177°C) (Gas mark 4).
Mince the rosemary, garlic, salt, and reconstituted mushrooms together on a board, then drizzle with the oil and chop some more to make a thick paste.
Put the chicken in a large roasting pan and remove the giblets. Lift up the skin on the breast and push small amounts of the rosemary mixture under the skin on both sides. Make sure the mixture is well distributed all over the breast. Turn the chicken over and lift the skin on the back. Insert more of the rosemary mixture under the skin, on both sides, reserving some of the remaining mixture. Turn the chicken over and put the carrot, celery, and onion in the cavity. Drizzle with olive oil and dust with salt.
Rub the chicken all over with the remaining rosemary mixture. Bake for about 1¼ hours. Insert an instant-read meat thermometer in the crevice between the leg and the breast. There should be no pink, the juices should be clear, and the temperature should read 170° to 180° F (77° to 82°C) when the chicken is done. Move the legs; if they are loose, the chicken is done.
Excerpted with permission from Coming Home: A Seasonal Guide to Creating Family Traditions, by Rosanne Bowles. Photography by John Granen. Published by Stewart, Tabori and Chang, 2010.
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