Our friends, the Alffs, graciously agreed to come over for dinner last night for the chicken/salt experiment. The experiment did not get off to a good start. About 10 minutes after preheating the oven, smoke started pouring out of the oven. So, there we are, opening all the windows and fanning at the oven, while Greg has to clean and scrape out some grease that was spilled in the oven.
So, slight delay.
The chicken is prepared by mixing about six pounds of kosher salt (two boxes of Morton's) with some eggs, lemon juice, water, fennel seeds and peppercorns. Something I learned: when you smash fennel with a frying pan to crack them, they tend to roll everywhere and most of them will end up on the floor.So, after I swept the kitchen floor, I was ready to really get started.
After preparing the salt crust mixture, I applied the salt all around the chicken. It was kind of like making sand castles at the beach because the salt was moist and clumped together nicely. Then I wrapped the whole thing up in tin foil and threw it in the oven.
Two hours later, the bird was done. While everyone stood around I cracked through the crust and it split apart to reveal a perfectly cooked, juicy chicken. Greg carved it up because I still don't know how to carve a chicken (and I'm bad with knives). We served it with a simple mache salad with meyer lemon vinaigrette and Greg made some perfectly roasted fingerling potatoes and cippolini onions.
Salt Crust Chicken
adapted from Jamie Oliver's recipe
1 4 lb chicken
fresh thyme
9 tablespoons fennel seeds, cracked
2 beaten eggs
2 lemons, halved
1 tablespoon whole peppercorns
6 lbs kosher/corse salt
Olive oil
2 sprigs rosemary
8-10 cloves garlic (smashed with skins left on)
Preheat oven to 400.
Combine fennel, eggs, peppercorns, lemon juice (reserve the squeezed lemons), salt and a glass of water (about 1 1/2 cups) in a large bowl.
Chop up thyme and combine with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Rub that mixture all over the chicken as well as a little bit inside the cavity. Pack the cavity with the squeezed lemon halves, a few sprigs of thyme and rosemary, and garlic. You want it really full so none of the salt gets in.
Then get 4 long pieces of tin foil and layer them so they form a square. The tin foil is going to wrap up the whole chicken, so make sure you have enough tin foil to completely cover the bird. Layer on one third of the salt mixture in the middle of the tin foil square. it should be just under 1 inch thick. Place the chicken on top of the salt and then add the rest of the salt, patting it around and on the chicken until entirely covered.
Wrap the tin foil around the salted chicken and roast for two hours. Once done, allow the chicken to rest for 15 minutes before cracking open the crust and carving.
Simple Mache Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Mache rosettes (if you can't find Mache, Boston lettuce or mesclun will work)
1 tablespoon lemon juice (I prefer Meyer lemon)
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped shallot
splash of Champagne or white wine vinegar
pinch of dried mixed herbs
salt and pepper
Add all ingredients to a container with a lid and shake to combine. Toss with lettuce.
Roasted Potatoes and Onions
from Giada de Laurentiis
2 lbs potatoes (white, red, or Yukon), scrubbed and halved
1 lb cippolini onions, peeled
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons rosemary
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In large bowl, toss together all ingredients. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake until the potatoes and onions are golden brown and cooked through - about 40 minutes. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat the next day in a preheated 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes.
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