CRISPY HERB-ROASTED CHICKEN

I love chicken.  I can’t eat it every day for the rest of my life, but man, I do love chicken.  Until recently, I was very partial to the chicken breast.  I think the reason for this dates back to my childhood.  Growing up, my father loved fried chicken and would often get a bucket of chicken from KFC for dinner.  Being the smallest and youngest, the only pieces I was ever allowed to eat were the drumsticks.  I never got a wing, a thigh, or the piece I wanted the most – the breast.  It just looked so big and full of meat.  The drumstick soon became my least favorite part of the chicken.  When I moved out, in order to compensate for this tragedy, all I ever bought were chicken breasts.  I appreciated its versatility, but I started to crave something less bland – something juicier.  I began to buy more dark meats.  I still despise drumsticks, but I now view them as a necessary evil.

I followed Emeril Lagasse’s recipe for this herb-roasted chicken.  Instead of using a chicken half, I used four drums and two thighs.  I also omitted the lemon at the end.  Two of the commenters mentioned they did this because the chicken was tasty enough without it, and they were right.  I used dried thyme because I didn’t feel like bothering with fresh herbs.  Laziness often wins out in my world.  Finally, I melted the butter with garlic and thyme before spreading it over the chicken.  Mixing that unmelted butter with the garlic and thyme was kinda hard, and again, laziness.  I busted out my trusty, and rarely used, cast-iron skillet since the recipe called for it.  For the first time, something other than steak touched its surface.  This must be growth.

Ingredients (Serves 1 or 2, depending on how much of a beast you are)

·         1/2 (3 1/2-pound) chicken, (halved with the breast bone, back and first 2 digits of the wings removed)

·         1/2 tablespoon kosher salt

·         1 teaspoon ground white pepper

·         1 tablespoon olive oil

·         1 tablespoon unsalted butter

·         1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

·         1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

·         1/2 lemon, juiced

 Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Season the chicken on both sides with the salt and white pepper. Set a cast iron pan over high heat and add 2 teaspoons of the olive oil to the pan. Swirl the pan to evenly coat and lay the seasoned chicken half, skin-side down in the pan. Sear until golden, about 3 minutes and place the pan in the oven. Bake until the chicken is fully cooked through, about 17 minutes.

While the chicken roasts, combine the butter, garlic and thyme in a small bowl and use a fork to combine. When the chicken is removed from the oven, place on the wooden trivet, and turn over with a spatula. Spread the thyme-garlic butter over the skin of the chicken, drizzle with lemon juice and serve immediately.

I had no idea what a wooden trivet was until I used the hyperlink.  I do not have one of those, nor do I plan to get one.  Instead, I rested the pan on one of the stove burners, did my thing, and moved my pieces to my plate.  It worked just as well.  No need to be so fancy.