RECIPE: Thought I'd posted this but can't find it... rec: Maple Vinegar Crispy Chicken

RECIPE:

julie-r-wa

Well-known member
Maple Vinegar Crispy Chicken

We made this wonderful dish at Culinary Communion, with Chef Gabriel Claycamp. This recipe is a repeat favorite with class attendees, and they've been known to call Gabriel up years later, from halfway across the country, to replace the beloved recipe that they'd misplaced. smileys/smile.gif Recipe posted with permission.

Sauce

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup minced shallots

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, to taste

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1/3 cup cider vinegar

1/3 cup maple syrup

Chicken

1 fresh chicken

salt & freshly ground black pepper

4 tablespoons peanut oil or bacon fat or duck fat

Topping

3 tablespoons butter, melted

3/4 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup sliced leeks (sliced across, in "coins")

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs

salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Begin the sauce by melting 2 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium high temperature, then add the shallots and cook until translucent.

3. Add the pepper, nutmeg, and vinegar and bring to a boil, then add the maple syrup and return to a boil; allow to reduce by half and reserve.

4. While sauce is reducing, begin working on the chicken by spatchcocking it: with sharp kitchen or poultry shears, cut the backbone out of the chicken by cutting along one side of the backbone, then along the other; turn the chicken over and remove the keel bone, then press down to flatten it; additionally, for this recipe you also remove the wings; do NOT remove the skin of the chicken.

5. Season both sides of prepared chicken with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

6. Heat the oil or fat in a large, heavy oven-proof skillet over high temperature; when it is very hot, carefully add the chicken skin-side-down into the hot pan (place the chicken away from you, not toward, to avoid oil splatters).

7. Cook over high temperature for approximately 10 minutes, checking to see that the skin is turning a nice, crispy golden brown.

8. Turn the chicken over in the skillet, then place the entire pan in the pre-heated oven and continue to roast, basting often, until done and juices run clear, about 35-45 minutes.

9. When chicken is done, remove it from the oven and the pan and allow it to rest for about 10 minutes.

10. While the chicken rests, begin the topping by combining the melted butter and almonds in a small skillet, and sauté until the nuts turn golden brown.

11. Add the leeks and cranberries and cook until leeks begin to go limp, about 5 - 7 minutes, then add the bread crumbs and salt and pepper to taste and sauté for 3 minutes until crumbs begin to brown; remove and place in serving dish.

12. Finish the sauce by removing the fat from the skillet the chicken was cooked in, then deglaze it with the sauce; pour completed sauce into a serving bowl.

13. To serve: cut the chicken into serving size pieces, top with the sauce and then with the topping.

4-6 servings

time to make 1 1/4 hours 15 min prep

http://www.recipezaar.com/118864

 
Indeed. It sounds like an insult from a bodice ripper....

Lord Pamplemousse stared icily at young Danvers. The whippersnapper had been insolent beyond all bounds of reason.

"How dare you question my honor you...you...spatchcock!" Pamplemousse seized his heavy leather gauntlet and struck Danvers across the face with it. A rivet pieced the skin, and a thin trickle of blood ran down Danvers' pale cheek.

Danvers stood for a moment, muscles tense. Then his lips twisted into a grim smile. He gave a mocking little bow, turned on his heel, and left the room. He did not look back.

"That'll show the young pup who's master here!" said Lord Pamplemousse to the assembled company as he readjusted his lace cuffs. But his voice rang hollow. Once again, Danvers had walked off with all the honors.

 
Oh, the Harliquin moment...Lord Pamplemoose is comforted by the heaving

boosom of his scullery maid....

 
I always press the spatchcocked chicken with a hot foil-covered brick when I do it.

I did a Cornish hen recently with sage leaves under the skin. Takes about 1/2 hour and delicious. Regular chicken about an hour. Skin side down first, then inside down and finish with skin side down for a shorter time. No oven involved but lots of spattering and smoke alarm going off.

 
um - amanda?...

you forgot the bodice part. but thank you for the correction, traca.

 
thanks for your description of spatchcocking, julie. i never removed the keel bone before.

 
Here are some steps from Cooks Illustrated: STEP BY STEP: Splitting Whole Chicken Breasts

From their website: www.cooksillustrated.com

We’ve found store-bought split chicken breasts to be problematic. Some are so sloppily cut that the tenderloins are missing, some retain only tiny shreds of tattered skin, and some packages contain wildly divergent sizes. Consequently, we advise purchasing whole breasts and splitting them yourself. The basic method for splitting a chicken breast is to simply push a chef’s knife through the skin, flesh, and bone. While this method is straightforward, sometimes the split breasts end up lopsided, and sometimes both lobes are marred by unruly bits of bone and cartilage around which a knife and fork must eventually navigate. Enter a classic technique for splitting a chicken breast. It involves the removal of the keel bone and cartilage that divide the breast, thereby making the chicken easier to eat. This method takes a few extra minutes, but we think it’s time well spent.

Trim Rib Sections

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/Finer_Kitchens/Chicken1.jpg
Score Membrane
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/Finer_Kitchens/Chicken2.jpg
Pop Out Keel Bone
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/Finer_Kitchens/Chicken3.jpg
Pull Out Keel Bone
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/Finer_Kitchens/Chicken4.jpg
Halve Breast
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/Finer_Kitchens/Chicken5.jpg

 
Good video Julie, thanks.

I knew how to remove the backbone, but I hadn't seen the keel bone removed like that. Thanks!

 
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