12.27.12 Chicken Provence

Now....That above is a chicken.

For the Ninja's second adventure in awesome, The CEO decided we should roast a chicken.  That's right, a whole stinking chicken. 

This is something I have never done.  My mom used to oven roast in a method we called "chicken up the butt" (yes, I'm serious) but the only time I've handled an entire chicken was boiling it for chicken pot pie. 

I secretly felt overwhelmed but no way was I telling him that...ha!

Plus, as he pointed out, this gave me a chance to take the Ninja 1200 for a spin. 

So I stopped and picked up a 6 lb chicken and off we went. 

Here's the story in pictures (and words):

First you add one healthy sized bunch of chopped up parsley (I used my fancy multiple blade scissors), 3 heaping tablespoons of minced garlic, 1 large shallot (very coarsely chopped), 2 tablespoons Herbes de Provence, a teaspoon of dried rosemary, 3 generous tablespoons of dijon mustard (I used a blue cheese herb one I had in the fridge), 1 heaping teaspoon salt, and one heaping teaspoon black pepper to the food processor.  As I mentioned, I have a Ninja 1200 Kitchen System.  So I used that.  If you don't have one, you should.

A few notes on ingredients.  One is that if you don't have Herbes de Provence in your kitchen, you should.  I happen to have them because The CEO's mom got us some for Christmas.  This little spice mix packs a massive wallop of flavor and can be used to spice up meat dishes, bean dishes, veggies, you name it.  Another is that I totally cheated and used pre-minced garlic and dried rosemary.  I also pretty much doubled the ingredients from the recipe as I thought more marinade is always better.

Anyway, you pulse those together until they are chopped up.  Then, add in 4 tablespoons of olive oil while the blender is on through the hole in the top. 

Finally, add the zest of one lemon...this recipe prompted me to get a microplane...FYI...pulse until all combined.  It'll be a paste, something like this:

After you have your lovely completed marinade (I am not sure if this techincally a marinade...but whatever).  Get a brush and get ready for some fun. 

see that tiny jar of Herbes de Provence?  You need one.

Now, turn the Ninja on stove top high (or you stovetop on high, I suppose).  Spread the parsley mixture on all sides of the bird to get it coated.  Also apply liberally inside the cavity.  I confess I painted the exposed bits one by one while the covered bits browned. 

Also, see that little brush gadget?  You need one of those as well.

Next, place the chicken in the Ninja and brown on all sides.  I did five minutes on all four sides, adding more marinade as I flipped it around. 

Here she is a-browning:

Don't worry about losing some of the marinade to the bottom of the pan, it will just waft up later in a cloud of yum.

You'll be shocked how brown each side gets in five minutes, the Ninja is a miracle.

Once all browned, move her to a cutting board and fill in any rubbed off parts with marinade.  Then, pour two cans (or four cups) of chicken broth into the bottom of the Ninja.  Place the roasting rack into the broth, then place the chicken on the roasting rack. 

Set the Ninja to OVEN setting at 350 for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Take one more picture.

Close the lid and leave it alone until the timer goes off.

See?

Meanwhile, make a side dish.  I made Sesame Carrot Sticks with Garam Masala in the oven from the linked recipe.  I followed the recipe fairly exactly and they were yummy.  Here are the ingredients all laid out.

When everything is done, lift the lid on your birdie and let it cool a bit.  When cool enjoy, quarter it (The CEO showed me how) and serve.  It looks like this:

It's a little ruffled because The CEO couldn't wait.

Words cannot express for even one minute how good this chicken is to eat.  Steam roasting is a miracle.  I exclaimed "this is a as good as rotisserie" and The CEO corrected me that it is better.  He's right.  There are none of the dry parts you get with rotisserie.  Every bite is melt off the bone delicious and moist.  I've never tasted better chicken.  I want to try some other ways of doing this that are a bit more daring flavor wise (maybe a garlic based sensation).  You could absolutely roast this chicken in the oven but you should probably just break down and buy a Ninja. 

Here is a link to the recipe card.  Enjoy.

NoM!

~ EK

Up Next: Pot Roast!