Decadent in theory due to the crème fraîche and butter, this traditional Lyon chicken has a surprisingly light mouth feel due in large part to the vinegar. Add that it cooks in less than an hour, this is perfect for a weeknight with the family or to impress friends on the weekend.
Saw a version of this done by April Bloomfield, find myself going back to it in cold months for comfort, in warm months for the excuse to pair with an icy rosé.
Lyon-Style Chicken with Vinegar Sauce
Total Time: 1 hr
Active: 25 mins
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
• Kosher or flaky sea salt + cracked pepper
• extra-virgin olive oil
• One 4-pound chicken, cut into 10 pieces
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• unsalted butter
• 12 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 3 bay leaf
• 1 cup Banyuls vinegar or Spanish sherry vinegar
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 tbsp fresh thyme, rough chopped.
• 1/4 cup crème fraîche
• Herbed Steamed Rice
Directions:
* Preheat the oven to 450°.
* Heat a 10” cast iron skillet over med-high heat.
* Season the chicken with kosher or flaky sea salt and freshly cracked pepper.
* Add a drizzle of olive oil to skillet, followed by chicken. Allow to brown on both sides, adding 1 tbsp butter before turning to coat all pieces. Turn the chicken skin side up, add the garlic and bay leaf.
* Place the the oven and bake the chicken for 8-10 minutes, until the breast pieces are just cooked through. Remove the breast pieces to a side plate.
* Add the vinegar to the skillet, return to the oven and bake the remaining chicken, basting a few times, until cooked through, 15 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken and garlic to the plate.
* Add the chicken stock to the skillet and boil scraping up the browned bits, until reduced to 1 1/4 cups, about 10 minutes. Add thyme, whisk in the crème fraîche and 2 tbsp of butter.
* Return the chicken to the skillet along with any accumulated juices. Simmer over moderately high heat, basting a few times, until the sauce thickens slightly and the chicken is heated through, about 3 minutes.
* Taste for seasoning, add salt and pepper, if necessary.
* Serve with the Herbed Steamed Rice.
Note:
If you can't find Banyuls, try a Spanish sherry vinegar. Both are lighter in acidity, easier on the palate than straight red wine vinegar.
The Basic... Roasted Pork Loin
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients:
•2 tbsp finely chopped rosemary + 1 tsp reserved
•One 4 lb. boneless pork loin
•Kosher salt
•Fresh ground pepper
•8-10 small shallot, skinned(Optional)
•Olive oil
+
•Butcher twine, 7-8 ft.
•rimmed baking sheet
Instructions:
•Preheat oven to º450.
•Lay pork on the rimmed baking sheet, pat dry with pepper towel. Starting at one end, tie string across the body go the pork, then loop it for another round, continuing at 1/2” intervals until completely tied off.
•Sprinkle salt, crack pepper and 2 tbsp rosemary to cover completely, rolling loin on the tray to recover any rosemary that didn't initially stick.
•Place shallots in a med. mixing bowl, add a pinch or two of salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Toss to coat.
•Set roast, fat side up. in center of roasting pan. Surround with shallots.
•Place pan in oven on center rack, roast for 25 mins. Then reduce heat to 375º, rotate and cook for another 25 mins.
•Check internal temp at 50 mins., remove loin at a thermometer reading of 145º.
•Set on a cooling rack, let rest for 10-15 mins.
•Remove string, slice thinly across body of roast. Fan meat on a serving platter, surround with the shallots Sprinkle reserved rosemary over all.
Notes:
•With a little set up to do, I’m a big fan of using a rimmed baking sheet to give a large work space to prep pork, keep your work space and kitchen clean.
•The tying off of the pork insures an even cooking of the entire roast. Don’t be intimidated, it’ll get better, easier each time done.
If the tying thing seems too much this time, your local butcher should bee able to handle this in a few minutes.
The Basic... Roast Chicken
Prep Time: 20 mins.
Cook Time: 1 hour
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
• One 4-pound chicken
• 6-8 shallot
•5-6 garlic cloves, skinned and lightly crushed
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Fresh cracked pepper
• Butcher twine
Instructions:
•Set on chicken on plate/platter for 20 mins. to take off fridge chill.
•Preheat the oven to 450°.
•Pat down chicken loosely with paper towel, set breast side up. Salt and pepper the cavity generously.
•Then, wrap legs together in a figure 8, running twine down the side of the bird, tying snugly at the rear.
•Salt and pepper the skin.
•Peel shallot, slice in half lengthwise any that are very large. Place shallot and garlic in a cast-iron skillet or roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil and a few generous pinches of salt. Toss with your hands to combine.
•Set the chicken atop the pile, roast on center rack of oven for 30 mins., then reduce heat to 400 for the next 30 mins. Remove when skin is well browned and instant thermometer reads 160º-165º when inserted into inner thigh.(See note)
•Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, rest for 10-15 minutes.
•While doing this, scoop the shallot, garlic and some pan juices onto platter. Place portioned chicken on top for serving. Done.
Note: Instant read thermometers are really helpful, although I seldom use them. In time you’ll know when a birds done by feel, simply in tapping/pressing the skin. However, use the thermometer until you get comfortable with the doneness.
Whole Roasted Spanish Mackerel with Rosemary and Lemon
Prep Time: 10-15 mins.
Cook Time: 20-25 mins.
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients:
1 large(or 2 med.) leeks, sliced in half lengthwise, rinsed, white and light green rough chopped
•Good olive oil
•white vermouth(Optional)
•Kosher salt + freshly cracked black pepper
•1 whole Spanish mackerel, cleaned, heat + tail left intact
•1 whole lemon, sliced in half lengthwise, then into very thin half moons
•4-6 sprigs rosemary
•1 tbsp rough chopped flat-leaf parsley
Instructions:
•Preheat oven to 425º.
•Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
•In a small bowl, place leeks with a drizzle of olive oil a pinch or two of salt. Add a light drizzle of vermouth, if using. Toss to combine. Mound on parchment, making a loose rectangular bed for the fish.
•Make a few light score marks on each side of the fish, salt and pepper the cavity, then add a layer of overlapping lemon inside. Next tuck in a couple-to-few sprigs of herbs as the next layer.
•Drizzle both sides of fish with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
•Set atop the leeks, then roast for 20-25 mins. or until fish is opaque, slightly firm to the touch.
•Remove from oven, set on counter, then carefully run a knife along the back “spine” of the fish. Make other slices just above the tail, just below the head at the gill line, and lastly crosswise, in half. Use a soup spoon and/or large fork to gently loosen filets, move to plate. Flip fish and repeat.
•Scoop a spoonful of leeks for each, sprinkle with parsley.
Note: While brown rice, farro or some other grain are always good to soak up any juices that are left, maybe try a silky purée depending on season(tomato, butternut squash, cauliflower or asparagus).
Herb Roasted Spatchcock Chicken + Summer Veg
Prep Time: 15 Mins.
Cook Time: 1 hr.
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- One 4-pound chicken
- Olive oil
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary(or thyme, oregano…)
- Kosher salt
- Fresh cracked black pepper
- 1 head garlic, broken into cloves, unpeeled
- 1 pint plum, Sweet 100 or Cherry tomatoes
- 1 bunch Butter radish, well rinsed and dried, sliced lengthwise, greens attached
- Kernels sliced from 2 cobs of corn
- Leafs of 1 bunch flat leaf parsley
- 1 cup French white beans(Optional)
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 450º
- Place chicken on large rimmed baking sheet, breast side down. Using a sharp pairing knife or poultry sheers, cut along each side of the backbone. Remove and reserve(see below).
- Turn the chicken breast side up, press firmly with ht palm of your hand to flatten bird. (Have some fun with it, give a good, hearty pop!)
- Pat chicken down on both sides with paper towel, drizzle with olive oil rubbing to completely cover skin.
- Salt and pepper well, then sprinkle herbs to cover.
- Toss garlic in olive oil, set on fresh rimmed baking sheet, place chicken on top.
- Put bird in oven, roast for 30 mins.
- Toss tomatoes in olive oil and pinch of salt.
- At 30 mins., reduce heat to 400º, pour tomatoes around chicken.
- Toss radish and corn in olive oil + pinch of salt.
- At 15 mins. litter corn/radish around bird.
- Skin should browned, an instant-read thermometer inserted in inner thigh should read 165°. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, let rest for 10-15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, sprinkle parsley and beans onto veg, gently toss to combine. Then using a slotted spoon, scoop all onto a serving platter, making a space in the center for chicken with a sweep of the back of the spoon.
- Portion chicken as desired, set on veg, you’re good to go.
Note: Consider placing reserved chicken back and neck in zip-lock bag, date and label it, put into freezer until a few are collected. Then pull them to thaw in fridge one Friday night. The next morning, add to a carrot, branch or two of celery and an onion, all thickly chopped plus a Bay leaf or two, cover with water by a few inches. Simmer on low for an hour, strain into bowl to cool, then into fresh dated/labeled zip-locks. Pop them into freezer until you need stock.
Roasted Pork Loin with Apples, Mustard and Shallot
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients:
•2 tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme + 1 tsp reserved
•1/2 cup whole grain mustard
•One 4 lb. boneless pork loin
•Kosher salt
•Fresh ground pepper
•Juice and zest of 1 lemon
•3-4 apples, cored, peeled, thinly sliced in to wedges
•2-3 shallot, skinned and thinly sliced across
•2-3 tbsp sugar
•Olive oil
+
•Butcher twine, 7-8 ft.
•rimmed baking sheet
Instructions:
•Preheat oven to º450.
•In a small mixing bowl, stir together the herbs, mustard and lemon zest.
•Lay pork on the rimmed baking sheet, pat dry with pepper towel. Starting at one end, tie string across the body go the pork, then loop it for another round, continuing at 1/2” intervals until completely tied off.
•Sprinkle salt and crack pepper completely, then with your hands slather thoroughly with mustard mixture. Let rest.
•In a med. mixing bowl, place apples, shallot, sugar, lemon juice and drizzle of olive oil + a pinch or two of salt. Toss to coat.
•Mound apple-shallot mixture in center of roasting pan, shaking free any excess liquid. Set roast on top, fat side up.
•Place in oven on center rack, roast for 25 mins. Then reduce heat to 375º, rotate and cook for another 25 mins.
•Check internal temp at 50 mins., remove loin at a thermometer reading of 145º.
•Set on a cooling rack, let rest for 10-15 mins.
•Remove string, slice thinly across body of roast. Scoop apples and shallot to a serving platter, placing sliced pork on top. Sprinkle reserved thyme over all.
Notes:
•With a little set up to do, I’m a big fan of using a rimmed baking to give a large work space to prep pork, keep your work space and kitchen clean.
•The tying off of the pork insures an even cooking of the entire roast. Don’t be intimidated, it’ll get better, easier each time done. If the tying thing seems too much this time, your local butcher should bee able to handle this in a few minutes.