CRISPY ROAST CHICKEN WITH SALSA VERDE | RECIPE | EASY DINNERS NICOLE LEE

Hi Sweet Friends,

I have a new recipe for you Crispy Roast Chicken, with veg and Salsa Verde.  I'm sure you all know how to cook a chicken, but maybe you want to have crispier skin? Or more flavor out of your Sunday Roast? 

Also… Tell me you know about Sunday Roast? 

Here are some tips to getting a crispy flavorful bird..

TIPS/ PREP AHEAD: 

When you buy your roast, clean it, pat it dry with paper towels, and put fine kosher salt around the whole thing (even the back). Make sure to put salt under the breast, and deep under the skin. Do this of course with care and gentleness.

NOTE: ( I've been using fine sea salt because of the pandemic. I can't find the red diamond kosher I usually use) 

Prepping your chicken like this, WILL help gain the MOST FLAVOR OUT of your Bird. Then, put your chicken in a sealed gallon zip lock, if it's too big for the bag. Use a LARGE Ceramic bowl, cover the top with plastic wrap. Just be sure to leave room between the chicken and the plastic wrap. You don't want them to touch. 

Leave in the fridge for 12-24 hours. Like this. 

ON COOKING DAY, Remove the chicken from the wrap put in the fridge uncovered for 1-2 hours. Until it looks really dried out. ( trust me on this one)

This RECIPE is for 4-6, BUT if you have growing children like I do, simply DOUBLE, and put two roasts on one sheet pan.



ROAST CHICKEN WITH CRISPY VEG + SALSA VERDE RECIPE

Serves 4-6 people

INGREDIENTS:

Roast + Veg:

  • 1 whole roasting chicken 4.5-6lbs prepared with above method (see tip)
  • 3lbs baby potatoes scrubbed and halved
  • 2 medium yellow or white onions chopped large
  • 4 carrots cleaned, halved and chopped in large chunks
  • 2 heads of garlic sliced in half
  • 1 stick of grass-fed salted butter cut into pats
  • Herbs : 1 bunch fresh thyme, 2-3 tsp dried oregano
  • Sea Salt + Crushed Pepper to taste
  • Everyday cooking EVOO

Salsa Verde:

  • 1 Large lemon , zested and ½ juiced ( about 1-2TBS)
  • 1 small lime, zested and ½ juiced ( about 1 TBS)
  • ( plus more if desired)
  • 1 small bunch fresh cilantro chopped
  • 1 small bunch fresh flat leaf parsley chopped
  • (combined the herbs should be about ½ cup)
  • 1 pinch crushed red pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Roast + Veg

  1. Prep your Chicken with the above TIP.
  2. Preheat your oven to 425 F. (Make sure you have enough room on your bottom rack to fit chicken. )
  3. Place chicken in the middle of a large sheet pan (15x21), stuff 4 pats of butter under the skin of the breast. Place another 1-2 around the legs and wings. Stuff the chicken with 1 whole bulb of garlic, and the thyme. Tie the legs together with kitchen string. Tuck your wings under as well. Evenly coat the bird with EVOO, rub with oregano, salt + pepper on the outside of the chicken.
  4. Place the chicken on the bottom rack of the oven. Reduce heat to 400F. Cook chicken for 1.5 hours, or until a meat thermometer reads 155-165F. Now cook your veggies while that is going. (When the chicken is finished, take it out of the oven, put on a cutting board and cover with tin foil and tea towel. Let sit for 15min before cutting open. This keeps the chicken from drying out)
  5. Fill a large stock pot with filtered water, and season with salt. Add your potatoes. Bring them to boil. Right before they finish add the carrots and cook for 2 min. rinse veg with cool water and drain. Add veg back to pan, toss in your garlic bulb, onion, evenly coat with EVOO, salt + pepper to taste, add oregano as desired. Put on a large baking sheet, take some juices from the roast and cover the veg with. Bake for 20-40 min, until golden. ( If they aren't browning, turn up the oven to 425F just keep an eye so they don't burn).
  6. Carve your chicken, serve with chicken, and salsa verde. PRO TIP: Make a gravy with chicken juices, or pour juices over chicken right before serving.

Salsa Verde Directions:

  1. In a medium size bowl, put all your ingredients except the oil. Slowly drizzle the oil in, and whisk with a fork as you drizzle. Whisk everything together, and set aside until serving. Taste, if it needs more acid or EVOO. Add in small increments to your preference, if desired. Serve with chicken + veg. Store in the fridge for 2-3 days.

EASY LEFT OVER CHICKEN SOUP RECIPE || FOOD PHOTOGRAPHER NICOLE LEE


CHICKEN SOUP


Hello Friends,

Sometimes the best recipes stem from only what is stocked in the fridge at the moment. You know, when it gets bare and you can’t bring yourself to do another weekly shop. As my kids are growing it seems I am constantly running out of food! So we barely have leftovers, but I do have staple ingredients lying around. Garlic, ginger root, onions, carrots, celery, fresh herbs, always cilantro and basil. In the pantry, canned beans, tomatoes, chicken bone broth and veggie broth stock the shelves. That way when I am in a pinch, I can easily throw something in a pot and walk away, while I  to tend to the chaos of after school activities. Inspired by the classic the many leftovers in the fridge after hosting our first “classic” thanksgiving meal a beautiful hearty soup was born.


Leftover Chicken Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cooked Cornish Hens (or 1 fully roasted chicken)

2 sweet onions

4 celery stalks

2 carrots (I used my roasted carrots from the night before!)

2 cloves garlic

Fresh Ginger (about half the size of your pinky finger)

2 - 16 oz chicken bone broth (free range organic is my preference, I like Pacific Brand or you can make your own stock) White wine (you actually like to drink, I love Sauvignon blanc)

2 cans of cannellini beans (eden brand is great, they pressure cook and Soak them, so they are great on your digestive system)

2 -3 cups of fully cooked mixed potatoes, Japanese sweet, white, red… you get it! (roasted from night before, or boiled then add them to the pot, don’t add raw potatoes to your soup, it will soak up all your broth)

Herbs:

1 bay leaf

fennel leaves

fresh oregano, thyme leaves, sage, rosemary

Salt

Fresh ground pepper

Other things you may need:

Olive Oil, or avocado oil for frying your veg

1 large stock pot, with wide bottom (Dutch oven work great too)

1 wooden spoon

Chef’s knife

Cutting board

Directions:

First chop all your onions, carrots, celery, place in one bowl set aside. Take two garlic cloves with the peel on, place one on your board and with your knife smash down, take off the peel and set aside the garlic. Repeat.

Place your stock pot on the stove, turn on the stove to medium-high heat add in your Avocado oil, when its good and hot add in your onion carrots and celery mixture to the stock pot. Then add in salt and pepper to taste, (small amounts at a time here if you aren’t experienced). Add in your whole garlic. Then Add in ½ cup of wine while the pot is good and hot, then bring the stove down to medium heat. Cook until the onions are clear, then add in both smashed garlic cloves. While that is making magic, roughly chop your herbs and add those to the pot. If things are good and cooked, turn the heat to low.

TIP: Be sure to stir your saute every few min so it will not burn, I like to feel things out when cooking, smell also helps so be sure to use your senses as a guide in the process!

Pull apart the chicken meat and bones, add them to the pot, and set aside the carcass for other use or discard altogether.

Open your cannellini beans, thoroughly rinse and drain beans and put them in the pot. Add in the fully cooked potatoes from last night's roast, ( or pre boiled potatoes). Cut about 1 inch long of fresh ginger root, toss this into the pot whole. Add in your Bay leaf as well.

Give everything a good stir, turn your heat up to high, now it’s time to to add in the bone broth to the stock pot. Let it boil for 5 min on high, when you see it bubbling, give it a good stir and bring your heat down to low and let simmer for min of 45 min - 12 hours depending on when you will be eating. The longer it sits the more time the flavors have to melt into each other. After the 45 min on low heat, you can taste if it needs more herbs, salt or pepper.

Serve with crusty bread and salad to make a glorious dinner!

Cheers

-Nicole