Roast Chicken
At Grand Cafe, the stuffed chicken was a labor of love — and time. Ideally, the stuffed birds began their journey of prep three days before we served them, so the stuffing and skin would adhere to the breast and the skin was dry enough to crisp.
When the chickens came in, the legs were removed, the wing bones frenched, and part of the backbone was removed so they would sit upright. The cages were brined, and the legs were cured in salt and aromatics — both overnight. The next day, the chickens were pulled from the brine, the skin was carefully pulled back from the breast, and placed on a lined rack to air-dry in the cooler. The legs were rinsed and confited in a blend of schmaltz and canola oil until tender before being picked from the bones.
We then folded the confit into chicken mousse, along with créme fraiche, aromatics, — and for the chicken in the photo, roasted garlic puree, caramelized onions, and onion syrup (onion stock rolled overnight and reduced). The mousse was piped onto the chicken breast, smoothed with an offset spatula, and then the skin was carefully pulled back over the mousse — like pulling on a t-shirt that’s a little too small. The chickens would then (hopefully) chill in the cooler, uncovered, for another night to be sure the skin was dry enough to roast to a beautiful golden brown — but that was only if we didn’t go through them during service.
Finally, the chickens were brought to room temperature right before service, and interval roasted for 10 minutes in the oven, rested for 10 minutes, and back in the oven for an additional 10 minutes — brushed with brown butter each time. Interval roasting allows the meat to evenly cook as it rests for as long as the bird cooks. As the orders came in, the breasts were sliced off the cage, placed onto a beurre-lined tray so they wouldn’t dry out, and then sliced before being plated. Essentially, each stuffed breast was half of the chicken.
These versions are a simpler version of what we did at Grand. One version is a whole roasted bird and the other is the roasted cage with confited legs — but if you’re feeling ambitious, feel free to reach out to us for the full Grand Cafe recipe! We recommend serving the chicken with spinach salad with brown butter & hazelnuts and carrots in carrot butter.
Roast Chicken Dinner
serves 2-4
shopping list —
for the whole roasted chicken —
1 5-6# whole chicken
butter
garlic
thyme
lemon, sliced in half
for the roasted cage with chicken confit —
1 5-6# whole chicken
1 bunch thyme
a few parsley stems
3-4 bay leaves
1 tbsp black peppercorns
canola oil — enough to cover the chicken thighs
for the brine —
120 grams salt
4000 grams water
for the pan gravy —
2 tbsp reserved fat from roasting
2 tbsp flour
1 1/2 - 2 cups stock
equipment —
butchers twine
steps —
Option 1: Whole Roasted Chicken
Dissolve the salt in the water for the brine — it should taste salty like the sea. Remove the giblets and trim any excess fat from the cavity. Place the chicken in a big enough vessel for the brine to completely cover the bird. Brine overnight.
Pull out the chicken from the brine. If time allows, place the chicken on a wire wack and place in the fridge overnight, uncovered, to dry out the skin. Discard the brine.
Bring the chicken out to room temperature 30 minutes before beginning to prep. Allow the butter to soften at room temperature as well.
Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
Sprinkle the cavity with salt and pepper, and insert the garlic cloves, thyme, and lemon into the cavity.
Place the chicken in a roasting pan. Tuck the wings underneath the chicken. Bring the legs forward, cross them, and tie them together with butcher's twine.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper and spread softened butter over the entire surface of the chicken. Place in the oven, and roast until skin is golden brown and crispy — about 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours — or until the internal temperature is 165ºF.
Remove chicken from the oven and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes.
To serve, untie the legs. Remove the garlic, thyme, and lemon from the cavity. Carve the chicken and serve with the gravy.
Option 2: Roasted Cage with Chicken Confit
Dissolve the salt in the water for the brine — it should taste salty like the sea. Remove the giblets and trim any excess fat from the cavity.
Take the legs off of the bird by making a cut where the skin is loose just shy of the top of the thigh, leaving as much skin as possible on the breasts. Crack the leg backwards, and cut down to remove the thigh. Repeat with the other leg.
Holding the breast with one hand, place your other hand on the now exposed bone near the cavity. Crack the backbone backwards until it snaps in half and cut it off from where it’s cracked, leaving the rest of the bird on the cage.
To french the wings, cut around the wing, nearest its “armpit.” Crack the wing backwards and pull the skin from where you’ve cut to remove the wing. A small bone will be exposed.
Add the chicken into the brine and brine overnight.
Meanwhile, prepare the chicken confit. Make a small cut around the leg bones, where the knobby bone is near their feet, cutting through the tendon. Place the legs in a small pan or sheet tray. Heavily season both sides of the legs with salt. Tuck the thyme, parsley, bay leaf, and peppercorns in around the chicken. Allow to cure overnight.
Pull out the chicken from the brine. If time allow, place the chicken on a wire rack and place in the fridge overnight, uncovered, to dry out the skin. Discard the brine.
Preheat the oven to 300ºF.
Rinse off the salt from the legs. Place in a pan and add canola oil to cover the legs. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 2 hours or until tender.
Once the chicken confit is out of the oven, turn the heat up to 400ºF. Allow the chicken confit to cool in the oil.
Sprinkle the cavity with salt and brush with canola oil or spread softened butter over the entire surface of the chicken.
For interval roasting: place in the oven, and roast for 10 minutes. Pull out the chicken and rest on the range for 10 minutes. Brush with brown butter. Repeat this process until the chicken is golden brown and the internal temperature is 165ºF.
Allow the chicken to rest for an additional 10 minutes, and brush again with brown butter. Meanwhile, pull out the chicken confit and crisp skin-side down until golden brown.
To serve: cut off the breasts from the chicken and serve with the gravy and chicken confit.
Pan Gravy —
While the chicken is resting, make the pan gravy. Pour off the drippings into a bowl and skim off any fat. Reserve 2 tbsp of fat for the pan gravy. If there’s not enough, add butter to equal 2 tbsp.
Heat the roasting tray over medium heat on the stove top and the reserved fat and butter. As it heats, scrape up the fond in the pan. Add 2 tbsp of flour and whisk to form a roux. Cook until lightly browned.
Slowly add the drippings and chicken stock, whisking it into the roux. Scrape up any remaining fond. Bring to a boil and cook, whisking until thick.
Pass the sauce through a sieve, adjust the seasoning with black pepper and salt, and serve in a gravy boat. Add a splash of vinegar for a little acidity.
Want the Grand Cafe Caramelized Onion Roast Chicken Recipe? Email Britt at britt@parisdiningclub.com. :)