INTRO:
This week in lab we will be making roast chicken with garlic mashed potatoes, and supreme sauce. While I have absolutely zero prior experience when it comes to supreme sauce, I have made mashed potatoes before (but they were definitely from a box). I also don't have much experience with cutting into a raw, whole chicken. Although I will be tuning in to class from zoom this week, I am still excited to learn and participate with my own chicken at home.
My biggest learning objective this class, aside from my usual answer to focus on the cutting of the chicken. I see my mother do it so easily, but I never know if she is doing it correctly. This way I will be able to learn the proper techniques for chicken cuttng and roasting, and I will also be able to share my new skill with my mother.
RESEARCH:
This week, we'll be learning a few different topics– mainly roasting and baking of poultry. There are a few differences between red meats and poultry. For example, poultry doesn't have marbling, or the intramuscular fat, that red meats do. In our lab on Wednesday, we'll specifically be working with chicken which is the most popular and widely eaten poultry in the world. The USDA actually categorizes chickens into different classes including game hen, broiler/fryer, roaster, capon, and hen/stewing. The wonderful thing about chicken is that you can do just about anything to it! Not to mention it is very inexpensive and widely available throughout the world.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Roasted chicken is a popular method of preparing a popular dish that date back to centuries ago. According to Smithsonian Magazine, chickens were discovered fighting each other by the side of a road in Greece in the early 5th century. Eventually, the Greeks prepared them as dishes to honor them, which spread throughout the globe. In some cultures, chickens are actually seen as sacred. Of course, nowadays, cockfighting is illegal in the United States.
The methods used in making this dish include making supreme sauce and steaming asparagus that are served with the roast chicken. There are several variations of roasted chicken depending on how the chicken is seasoned or stuffed. A few classic variations would include herbs and lemon, maple-glazed, and mustard-crusted roast chicken.
ROASTED CHICKEN
serving size: 4
Ingredients
3-4 lb. chicken
salt and pepper, as needed
2 oz whole butter, room temp
1 lemon, halved
1 pt chicken stock
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 lb. garlic mashed potatoes
Directions:
Remove the neck, giblets and liver from the chicken’s cavity. Reserve for another use. Season the chicken inside and out with salt and pepper. Loosen the skin above the breast. Slide the butter evenly under the chicken skin without tearing. Place the lemon halves inside the chicken cavity. Truss the chicken.
Place the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast at 400°F (200°C) for 15 minutes. Baste the chicken with the fat and pan juices. Continue to roast the chicken for 30 additional minutes basting it at least two additional times. Reduce the temperature to 325°F (160°C) and continue cooking the chicken to an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C), approximately 15–30 additional minutes.
When the chicken is done, remove it from the roasting pan and set it aside to rest. Degrease the roasting pan, reserving 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) of the fat to make a roux.
Deglaze the pan with a small amount of stock.
Make a blond roux with the reserved fat and the flour. Add the roux to the deglazing liquid and remaining stock, whisking well to prevent lumps. Simmer 15 minutes. Adjust the seasonings.
Carve the chicken into eight pieces. Plate each serving with the mashed potatoes, asparagus spears and pan gravy.
Remove the neck, giblets and liver from the chicken’s cavity. Reserve for another use. Season the chicken inside and out with salt and pepper. Loosen the skin above the breast. Slide the butter evenly under the chicken skin without tearing. Place the lemon halves inside the chicken cavity. Truss the chicken.
Place the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast at 400°F (200°C) for 15 minutes. Baste the chicken with the fat and pan juices. Continue to roast the chicken for 30 additional minutes basting it at least two additional times. Reduce the temperature to 325°F (160°C) and continue cooking the chicken to an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C), approximately 15–30 additional minutes.
When the chicken is done, remove it from the roasting pan and set it aside to rest. Degrease the roasting pan, reserving 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) of the fat to make a roux.
Deglaze the pan with a small amount of stock.
Make a blond roux with the reserved fat and the flour. Add the roux to the deglazing liquid and remaining stock, whisking well to prevent lumps. Simmer 15 minutes. Adjust the seasonings.
Carve the chicken into eight pieces. Plate each serving with the mashed potatoes and pan gravy.
GARLIC MASHED POTATOES
serving size: 2
Ingredients:
8.5 fl oz heavy cream
8.5 fl oz whole milk
1 1/2 garlic cloves
4 ea russet potatoes
50g Gruyere cheese, grated
3-4 sprigs thyme
salt and pepper, as needed
Directions:
Add cream, milk, and garlic into a saucepan and bring to a simmer, allow to sit for a few mins to infuse.
Slice the potatoes thin (about 1/15th of an inch), add them to the cream and simmer for 3 mins until nearly cooked.
Gently stir to separate the potatoes and stop them from sticking, season them with salt and pepper.
Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon and place them in a shallow dish in layers, add thyme to each layer and season, to about 2 inch in depth.
Pour over the garlic infused cream (straining out the garlic) to the level of the potatoes on top.
Scatter gruyere cheese and bake at 350ºF for 30 mins – 1 hour until browned.
SUPRÊME SAUCE
serving size: 10
Ingredients:
1 gal chicken velouté sauce
8 oz mushroom stems and trimmings
1 qt heavy cream
salt and white pepper, as needed
Directions:
Simmer the velouté sauce with the mushroom trimmings until reduced by one-fourth.
Gradually whisk in the cream and return to a simmer.
Adjust the seasonings.
Strain through a china cap lined with damp cheesecloth.
PLAN OF WORK:
COOKING OUTCOMES:
Sadly, I could not attend this weeks lab, but I did my best to learn the techniques through the zoom. The class did a very good job with the task for the lab! Everything looked amazing, I was SO jealous! According to those in the class, the added garlic gave a lot of flavor to the mashed potatoes, and the flavor definitely coats your mouth. The asparagus turned out a bit overcooked which gave them a more browned look, but that was only because they were kept in the oven to keep them warm and ended up cooking them more. Overall though, the dish looked absolutely beautiful!
The finished dish: roast chicken breast, oven-roasted asparagus, garlic mashed potatoes, Supreme sauce, and garnished with chopped parsley and a lemon wedge!
FOOD COST:
RESULTS:
According to a few of my peers, several techniques used in this dish worked, while others didn't. The most difficult technique supposedly being the Supreme sauce. Students struggled with keeping their Supreme sauce from reducing too much. However, from this, we all learned that I can fix the problem by adding a bit of heavy cream or more stock. In the end, the Supreme sauce still came out great though it was a little thick, but in my opinion I enjoy thick sauces over thin.
Top from left to right:
[1] Stuffing the chickens with lemon, onion, and thyme after taking out the wishbone.
[2] Into the oven to roast!
[3] The chickens cooked on an elevated baking rack to prevent soggy bottoms.
Bottom from left to right:
[4] Clarifying butter by taking the milk fats and water out of melted butter.
[5] The Supreme sauce that required a cartouche.
[6] Mashing potatoes after removing excess liquid out of our boiled potatoes!
CONCLUSION:
Out of the specific learning objectives I set out prior to our lab,Although I was not in the lab, it was very beneficial watching our professor and chef handling the chicken carving. I've never handled raw chicken as much as I should have, but I feel as if I have a much better understanding of how to do so. Some additional things I learned through zoom was how to truss a chicken and that it is actually really unnecessary! I am excited to use the techniques I learned from this laban cook for my friends and family!
WORKS CITED:
Andrew Lawler, J. (2012, June 01). How the Chicken Conquered the World. Retrieved September 22, 2020, from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-the-chicken-conquered-the-world-87583657/
Kristin Donnelly Updated May 23, & Donnelly, K. (n.d.). 11 Ways to Flavor Roast Chicken. Retrieved September 22, 2020, from https://www.foodandwine.com/lifestyle/11-ways-flavor-roast-chicken
Labensky, S. R., Hause, A. M., & Martel, P. (2019). On cooking: a textbook of culinary fundamentals. Pearson.
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