Food For Thought: Roast Chicken

Now, all grown up, I too practice the art of roast chicken. So much so that when moving to France the first thing I purchased was an esteemed Bresse Chicken from the local boucherie – it cost me 45 euros and it was worth every cent! A very proud butcher held the yellow tinted bird up for me to acknowledge, all of the paperwork my chicken would come endowed with. He then spent five to ten minutes preparing the bird; the giblets and neck were carefully removed and wrapped neatly, the bird was blowtorched to remove any remaining feathers and then perfectly trussed, ready for my roasting pan. I very proudly strolled home, ready to bring my family’s rendition of the roast chicken to Paris. Back in Australia, choosing the right chicken is just as important and with a handful of small producers rearing free range or even organic birds, the quality of the chicken we can get our hands on is starting to rival the standards of the French Bresse. In fact, right here in SA we are leading the way with our chicken farming and produce some the country’s best. For me it has to be organic, free range and maybe more importantly, I only purchase if the name of the farm is on display. Choosing the right chicken is not only supporting more humane farming practices; you are also guaranteeing a more flavoursome end result. I have always loved the saying, chicken soup is like Jewish penicillin; there is something extremely healing about a bowl of glistening gold chicken stock. Placing a whole chicken in a stock pot with cold water spiked with carrots, leeks, celery, garlic and bay and allowing it to gently poach for one hour gives you one of the most nourishing dishes ever conceived. Place pieces of the poached chicken in a bowl, top with the cooked vegetables and ladle over the stock, possibly the original ‘one pot wonder’! Poaching, roasting, stuffing, steaming and braising, chicken lends itself to just about every method of cooking. The classic roast chicken is what keeps me coming back for more and although the roast of my childhood is very fondly remembered, I now have my own version and it will be the one dish that I hope never stops being a family favourite.

Roast Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic Recipe

Serves 4 No need to count the garlic cloves, three heads of garlic will be more than enough. You can serve the garlic cloves whole and use your knife and fork to ooze the garlic from their skins. Ingredients • 1 organic free-range chicken • Thyme • Rosemary • 1 lemon • 3 bay leaves • 30g butter • 6 slices of smoked bacon • 40 cloves of garlic (skin on) • 1/2 cup water • Salt and pepper • Clarified butter – melt 100g of butter and leave to cool, gently pour off the pure butter and discarded the milk solids • 4 slices white bread Method 1. Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the herbs, bay leaves and a lemon cut into two. 2. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Rub the butter all over the skin of the chicken and season with salt and pepper. 3. Place into heavy based roasting pan and cover the breasts with the smoked bacon slices. Surround the chicken with the 40 cloves of garlic and add the water to the pan. 4. Bake in a 190-degree oven for 50 – 60 minutes or until the juices run clear from behind the leg. 5. Leave the chicken to rest for 15 minutes, loosely covered with foil. 6. Squeeze the garlic from their skins using a fork, stir to create a smooth paste and season with salt to taste. 7. Cut each slice of bread into two even rectangles. Fry the bread in clarified butter until golden brown on both sides. 8. Serve the fried bread with the garlic paste, carved chicken with a green salad or roasted vegetables. @annabelleats