RECIPE: REC: Kevin Costner/Scarborough Fair Chicken. Actually it's from Costner's defunct Pasadena

RECIPE:
J

joe

Well-known member
restaurant Twin Palms. We ate there once and the rotisserie chicken was superb. Bon Appetit featured it in 1995 and I copied this recipe and made it many times--chicken rubbed under the skin with herbs and garlic. Last night I tried it again, but with a mixture of fresh herbs instead of the dried Herbs de Provence, using about 1/3 cup total of (sing along with me) Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme. It was even better, but now that damn song is in my head!

Here's the original recipe:

TWIN PALMS CHICKEN

From Twin Palms in Pasadena, printed in Bon Apetit 1/95. Baking, then broiling, the chicken approximates spit-roasting. Marinating the chicken the day before isn't essential but it does make it better. Good with potatoes dauphinois, and/or thinly sliced bread for the garlic.

1/3 cup vegetable oil

3 Tbsp. dried herbs de Provence, slightly pulverized

2 Tbsp finely chopped garlic

Salt and pepper

1 3 1/2- to 4-pound chicken, cut in half

1/4 cup whole garlic cloves (about 1 large head's worth), peeled

1/4 cup olive oil

Make a paste out of the 1/3 cup oil, herbs, chopped garlic, and salt and pepper to taste.

Place chicken halves in 9x13 baking dish. Loosen skin by slipping fingers under breast and leg areas. Spread some of the herb mixture under the skin. Rub the remainder over the top. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Toss whole garlic cloves with remaining oil. Place around chicken. Bake at 350 degrees until just barely done, about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare broiler or barbeque (medium-high heat). Remove chicken from pan and broil or grill, turning until browned. Pour pan juices and garlic into a pitcher or measuring cup and skim off fat. Pour over chicken and serve.

http://www.seeing-stars.com/dine/twinpalms.shtml

 
Broiler. But I've done both. I'm hosting a Thank You dinner for my garden donors and volunteers

in a couple weeks. I'll be doing five chickens and I will definitely use the grill. This was a trial run with the fresh herbs, which will be a nice touch since they will be from the gardens.

It's a nice dish for a party because the chicken can be baked and set aside for an hour or so, then grilled or broiled at the last minute.

The main thing with charcoal is not to burn it. Indirect heat is best.

 
I think it would be good with any of them individually, or a combination.

The huge amount of garlic is surprisingly mild.

 
That's insane / delishious / but not necessary! Seriously. Just mail it to me. The chicken sounds

wonderful. I usually gravitate to boneless chicken for a crowd. I am anxious to try this recipe. I will peruse the butcher section this weekend to see if they have something already cut up. Do you cut it up your self and then cut after you grill?

 
It's easy to cut a chicken in half. You cut out the backbone, then cut through the breastbone.

Your butcher should be happy to do it for you. It would be hard to do the under-the-skin thing with individual pieces.

I'm not quite sure how to fit a homemade lasagna into one of those flat-rate boxes. I'll work on it.

 
Think I'll try this with Cornish Hens. Oh, here, Joe, hope this helps...

High on a hill was a lonely goatherd
Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo
Loud was the voice of the lonely goatherd
Lay ee odl lay ee odl-oo

Folks in a town that was quite remote heard
Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo
Lusty and clear from the goatherd's throat heard
Lay ee odl lay ee odl-oo

 
You viscous person, you. Curses on your game hens.

However, I'm immune to that song. Update: the goat people we kicked out of the garden are pestering everyone in the city about the goat laws. They even got a hearing at a city council meeting. They're getting quite a reputation.

Every now and then someone asks me about them and I say "Oh, you mean the Lonely Goatherds. Have they alienated you too now?" It invariably gets a laugh and a rendition of your tune.

 
Michael, I KNEW there was a little "Maria" inside you, "viscous" though you may be.

(I was unaware you had the "properties of adhesive". That Joe. He knows things.)

 
: ) I spoke with our butcher today, he would cut it in half and do that for me...

Thanks for the guidance. This is on my short list. I will let you know how it goes.

I am sure the recipe is wonderful. I am just a lil intimidated by the cut of poultry. .

 
You know, if you wanted to do just breasts you might ask the butcher to leave them whole--

i.e. both half-breasts still joined. It's easy to get under the skin of the breast meat. You could use the legs some other way, or leave them joined as well--leg and thigh, which would give you more skin to get under.

Whatever gets you past the intimidation factor.

 
Damn Spell-Check! You know I meant "vicious," but doesn't "viscous" also mean oily or slimy?

I can't think of enough terrible things to say about Michael right now. I'd say there's a WHOLE LOTTA Maria inside him.

 
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