Tarragon roast chicken

This French recipe from Damien Pignolet’s ‘French’ book is the perfect roast chicken dish to cook for Bastille Day, 2014.

A great classic roast chicken recipe that I have adapted for cooking in the combi steamer on the Combination mode.  Have a look at the percentage of steam for the first stage, an amazing 95% which is why roast chicken cooked in a combi is SO moist and tender.  You know those giant ovens that the chicken shops and supermarkets use?  They are combi steamers!

I have cooked roast Spiced chicken here before but that time I used less moisture.  This time I want to see how the two stage program will work and if it produces a ‘better’ roast chicken?  Result; a crisper skin and moist chicken.

The original recipe included instructions on how to rest the cooked chicken, upside down in a bowl to allow the juices to moisten the breast.  A good idea in theory (and a lot more washing up) but you don’t really need to rest chicken when cooked in a combi.  You will lose the crispy skin if you cover it at this stage so just let it sit for a few minutes before serving.

There is also an Auto program for chicken in the Miele but be aware it is based on a small, 1- 1.2kg chicken.   My chicken tonight is nearly 1.8kg so I am not going to use the Auto program this time.

Make a simple sauce to serve with the chicken from the pan juices, a little chicken stock and some fresh herbs.  Carved and served over French lentils here, some roast potatoes or a crisp green salad.

A wonderful Bastille Day dinner 🙂

Ingredients:  Serves 4

120g softened, unsalted butter
1 small clove of garlic, crushed
3 tbsp. lightly snipped French tarragon leaves
Ground pepper & salt
1 x 1.8kg chicken
6 sprigs tarragon
a little olive oil

1 tbsp Madeira or brandy
125ml reduced chicken stock
Little more chopped tarragon

Method:

1. Combine the butter, garlic, snipped tarragon leaves, a pinch of salt and some pepper into a small bowl and mix well until smooth.
2. Using your fingertips and starting at the neck end, gently ease the skin away from the breast, taking care not to break it.  Evenly divide the butter between both sides of the breast and gently spread it between the flesh and the skin.  This is easy to do once you have separated the skin.  You can actually put a spoonful under the skin at the opening and then using your fingers ‘squeeze’ it down the breast and into the top of the drumstick.
3. Insert a pinch of salt and the extra tarragon into the cavity, truss the legs together around the parsons nose with a piece of string and set aside in the fridge, uncovered for as long as possible (1-2 hours is best if possible) to dry the skin out a little.  This will help make the skin crispy.
4. Remove from fridge, rub the chicken all over with a little olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place directly on the oven rack in the combi with a solid steamer tray under to catch the drips.
5. Cook on Combination mode @ 200°C + 95% moisture for 40 minutes then add another stage: 180°C + 30% moisture for 50 minutes.
6. I added some potatoes to the bottom solid tray one hour before the end of cooking.
7. Remove chicken from combi and set aside for a few minutes while you make the sauce.
8. In a small saucepan warm the Madeira or brandy over gentle heat.  I didn’t flame it but just added the chicken pan juices and stock and reduced the sauce a little.

Serve over the warm, carved chicken 🙂

If you don’t have a combi then Damien suggests cooking it, laying on its side @ 180C for 15 minutes, turning it to the other side for another 15 minutes.  Now sit it breast up, lower the temperature to 160C and cook another 20-30 minutes basting frequently.  Rest for 10 minutes upturned in a bowl so that the juices run back into the breast.