Friday, November 1, 2013

FFwD: Hurry-up-and-wait Roast Chicken


This week´s designated recipe for the French Fridays with Dorie group is a “Hurry-up-and-wait Roast Chicken”. This whole roast chicken is so easy and it will give you that perfect juicy meat and crispy skin




There are so many recipes for roast chicken out there and we have tried so many of them that it is a bit difficult to get excited about yet another roast chicken recipe. But Dorie´s method is interesting, to say the least. Her method for roasting a chicken is simple. At high heat, roast the chicken on one side for about 25 minutes, turn the chicken on its other side, roast for another 25 minutes, then roast the chicken breast side up for another 10 minutes (the “hurry-up” part of this recipe). The last step is letting the chicken rest headstand for another 15 minutes (the “wait” part of this recipe).




When roasting a chicken, the issue is not so much one of flavor – after all you get what you get what you pay for in that department – but texture and juiciness of the meat. And if you follow this method of roasting your chicken, you will certainly not be disappointed, the meat will be juicy and moist. I must admit though at having tried this very method of roasting a chicken before, there is is one very famous German cook who praises this method as "the one and only method of perfectly roasting a chicken".

But the point of a roast chicken is not only the meat and the golden skin but also the roasted vegetables that surround it and also what collects in the pan while it cooks. The sticky bits and morsels that adhere to the roasting pan will inspire you to make a little pan gravy alongside, maybe thickened with flour or simply dissolved in wine or stock to make a thin but deeply flavored juice.

Whether you serve your lovely moist Hurry-up-and-wait Roast Chicken with a green salad and some crusty bread in summer or with roasted sweet potatoes, new potatoes, celeriac, apples, orange carrots and violet carrots (like I did), this roast chicken is certainly a dish for all seasons.




To see how much the other members of the French Fridays with Dorie group enjoyed today´s recipe, please click here.

If you happen to own Dorie Greenspan´s book “Around my French Table”, you will find the recipe for the “Hurry-up-and-wait Roast Chicken” on pages 202 - 203.



49 comments:

  1. Looks like perfection to me!! And, you're right, good in any season!

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    1. Liz, a roast chicken is always delicious no matter when you prepare it - now is fall and the choice of vegetables is seasonal - in summer we enjoy this with a fresh green salad and some lovely crusty bread instead.

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  2. Love the selection of veges you served with this - yum!

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    1. Thanks so much - "the more the merrier" is the vegetable motto here!

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  3. A juicy roasted chicken should never be overlooked. It looks perfect Andrea!

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    1. Thanks, Paula - while we love roast chicken and veg, I am not so sure about the chicken being photogenic - but it was a recipe for the FFwD group today, so I caved in...seriously, we loved this!

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  4. Ahhh Perfection, Andrea! Your chicken looks absolutely lovely…love the presentation! Have a great weekend!!

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    1. Kathy, thank you very much - the presentation of this chicken proved to be quite a challenge but it turned out o.k. in the end - after all, with respect to a chicken, it is the taste that counts most.

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  5. What an interesting take on this recipe and technique, Andrea. I tried to say what you did but you said it so much better. I've made and tasted many roast chickens and found many of them delicious and also moist. So, I'm not so sure that I would go to the bother of using this technique again. However, my new red potatoes and quartered onions were absolutely fantastic. As you pointed out, that may be the real bonus of this recipe. Of course, celeriac would be a unique addition for me. I never thought of throwing apples and oranges into the mix. I guess the veggies would change with the season - but, the chicken, anytime. Nicely said and the photos are lovely.

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    1. Dear Mary, thank you so much for your wonderful comment - this is indeed a nice method of roasting a chicken but you are right, it is not always quite worth the trouble - it is indeed a tad messy and a bit of a challenge moving a hot chicken and to speed things up considerably, I often just spatchcook the chicken. The choice of vegetables and fruits that I serve alongside always varies with the seasons and what is available at the market and in stores.

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  6. As much as I know I should love the meat, I always end up loving the veggies surrounding it more. They soak up all those good juices and flavor! Thank you for sharing Andrea. Beautiful shots and what a unique way to cook chicken!

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    1. Monet, the vegetables that surround a chicken are always the best part - I could not agree more with you, dear Monet!

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  7. So pretty, I'm behind in my reading and hoping to catch up on all your wonderful posts soon. The vegetables you included are some of my favorites.

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    1. Christy, thank you very much - I have been a bit busy posting things myself and I seem to be desperately behind commenting too but I also promise to catch up on all those posts soon.

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  8. The pictures are great! I see spring, summer and fall in them!

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    1. Thank you, Emily - well, while the pictures were taken, there ware two minutes of bright sunshine...that might explain the "summery look". In any case, roast chocken is a dish for all seasons.

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  9. Yum! I know your family loved this delicious looking bird and your house smelled amazing while it roasted. Love your pretty presentation too with the fresh herbs!

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    1. Chris, you can never go wrong with roast chicken as a crowd pleaser, that´s for sure! Thank you for the nice comment!

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  10. Gorgeous. Wish I could come over for dinner w/ you! I Want!!

    Here is the video of Kay. Hope you can see it... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQtJQ0QLBFI

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    1. Kim, thank you for going through the trouble and sending me the link to the video again - hopefully, I will be able to watch it now - wouldn´t it be nice if you could join me for dinner then?!

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  11. Great job:). The chicken and veggies look delicious.

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    1. Geraldine, thank you kindly - the roast chicken was pretty darn good and so were the veg - what would a chicken in fall be without roasted vegetable to accompany it?!

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  12. It seems that many of us have settled on a favorite method for roast chicken. Mine is actually Dorie's earlier recipe where we cooked the chicken in a covered dutch oven. It was interesting to try something new, at least this was new for me, but I doubt that I'll do it again.

    And the weather has indeed been fantastic. I hope that it keeps up.

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    1. Rose, indeed a nice alternative method - glad that you enjoyed your roasted chicken and enjoy the still balmy weather in Frankfurt.

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  13. That is a perfect roasted chicken and I love your selection of veggies. I love to roast veggies with meats, it gives them so much
    flavor. This was a great chicken, moist and tender, but too much turning for me at that temperature. Have a wonderful weekend.

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    1. Nana, thank you very much - those lovely veg are just sesonal and delicious and abundantly available right now - a tasty choice for serving them alongside this chicken.

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  14. I am loving your vegetable medley. Sweet potatoes and celeriac? Inspired choices, Andrea!

    Unlike many Doristas, I didn't think it was that much trouble flipping the chicken. I only wish I hadn't lost some of that tasty skin.

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    1. Adriana, it is indeed quite a task turning and flipping a very hot chicken and most times I just will not bother but it is a wonderful method to know and have up your sleeve when you feel like preparing a roast chicken with moist breast meat.

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  15. Oh girl, these look and sound insanely good. Can I have a glass of Chardonnay with it

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    1. Candy, a glass of Chardonnay sounds nice with roast chicken.

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  16. Oh, liebe Andrea - this looks so wonderful and comforting. I have heard of the side-to-side roasting but have never tried it. It is something we will try as soon as it cools down enough to roast a chicken! ~ David

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    1. David, it is a fun method to learn and it yields a wonderfully moist chicken, especially the breast meat. But I am not quite sure if it always worth the trouble, I still believe that a lot of the juiciness of the meat tends to depend upon the quality of the chicken you use.

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  17. Gorgeous presentation, as usual. Love the combination of veggies that you included as well as your sage comment that the veggies really add to why we roast a chicken to begin with. So true. I also love how you captured that roast chicken is something most of us have made many times, that there are many opinions and options out there, so it was interesting (yet held a bit of a hurdle) for us to try Dorie's suggestion. As always, the FFWD is an adventure and the meal was wonderful. What's not to love ?

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    1. Tricia, always so nice to heat from you - personally, I am not convinced that chicken are all that photogenic and I was hesitant at first to take pictures - but they turned out allright, besides, it is the taste that counts most. And the taste was wonderful - tried it again a few days later, incredibly moist chicken.

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  18. This looks wonderful. I just made roast chicken too, and there's no meal that's simpler and more delicious.

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    1. Beth, roast chicken seems to be the comfort food of choice these days.

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  19. I have heard of this method before but have never tried it. What I like in your post is the vegetables and apples that you roasted with them. They had to be delicious from the juices of the chicken dripping on them.

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    1. Karen, vegetables and apples compliment a roast chicken in the sweetest of ways it seems. Thanks for the comment - hope your are enjoying your vacation in EU.

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  20. What a wonderful assortment of vegetables, Andrea! I've never seen violet carrots before. How fun! While I wasn't wild about this technique (too many steps, skin not crispy enough for me), the moist meat was unbeatable. I did enjoy the roasted vegetables bathed in chicken fat and juices too. I hope you have a great week ahead.

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    1. Betsy, this variety of carrots is called "Purple Haze", while purple on th eoutside, it is bright orange on the inside.It is a cross between the modern day orange carrots that we all know and the "ancient" purple carrots. Purple carrot varieties are actually one of the first originally cultivated varieties among all carrot colors. They can trace their origins back to the Middle East region of what is modern day Afghanistan. Thanks for the comment!

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  21. Your vegetable selection sounds wonderful - especially the celeriac and carrots!
    I enjoyed how juicy this chicken was - a strange recipe, but great results!

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    1. Cher, it seems that roasted vegetables of all sorts were very popular with Doristas with his recipe - I can ceratainly relate to that - love the taste of sweet roasted veg with wonderful roast chicken.

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  22. Beautifully golden roasted chicken… Love!

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  23. I've tried roasting a whole chicken less than 5 times and I really enjoy it every time! It's always fun to try new method. Yours look perfectly groasted, and made me so hungry! :)

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    1. Nami, roast chicken is such a crowd pleaser and so very easy to make - I love that the family goes crazy over a dinner like this, so easy and so few and very accessible ingredients

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  24. The addition of apples is so creative. I've never thought to eat them with chicken (except maybe in a salad). I bet they were great.

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  25. This is one of my favourite meals! I had never heard of this technique of roasting chicken before, next time I make it I will have to give it a try.

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  26. I love a good pan gravy, too, especially when there are vegetables roasted along with the bird. It seems like you had a beautiful fall day to photograph the chicken - the photos are terrific.

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