ROAST CHICKEN STUFFED UNDER THE SKIN WITH SPINACH AND RICOTTA
Instructions:
- FOR THE STUFFING :
- 1 small onion, chopped fine
- 1 large clove garlic, chopped fine
- 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
- 1 pound spinach, stemmed, leaves washed
- 1 cup [245 g] ricotta
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh herbs, such as marjoram, sage, or thyme
- 6 cup [75 g] freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- T H E C H I C K E N S :
- 2 chickens (4 pounds [1.8 kg] each), giblets reserved
- F O R T H E J U S :
- 1 pound [450 g] chicken wings, chopped coarse (optional)
- 1 small carrot, chopped (optional)
- 1 small onion, chopped (optional)
- 5 stalk celery, chopped (optional)
- 2 cups [500 ml] brown chicken broth or water
- TO M A K E T H E ST U F F I N G :
- COOK the onion and garlic with the butter in a heavy-bottomed sauté pan over low to medium heat, stirring every few minutes, until the onion turns translucent, about 10 minutes
- P LUNGE the spinach in a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds, drain, rinse with cold water, and squeeze dry. Chop coarse.
- COMBINE the cooked onion and garlic with the spinach, ricotta, herbs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and egg. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (If you’re worried about tasting the mixture with the raw egg in it, season before adding the egg.)
- TO ST U F F T H E C H I CK E N :
- U S E your forefinger to loosen (but not remove) the skin on each side of the breast, making space for the stuffing. Don’t try to pull the skin away from the breastbone. Push the stuffing under the skin covering the breast, spreading it as best you can over the surface of the breast meat. If you truss the chicken it will look neater when it comes out of the oven, but trussing isn’t essential.
- TO ROA ST T H E C H I CK E N AND PREPARE AN OPTIONAL J U S :
- P R E H E AT the oven to 450°F [230°C/gas mark 8].
- S P R E A D the chicken wings and vegetables—or just the giblets—in a heavy-bottomed roasting pan or an iron skillet just large enough to hold the chicken. Put the chicken, breast-side up, on top of the wings and vegetables or giblets. Bake for about 1 hour, until the juices in the cavity are clear and streaked with red or the temperature between the leg and the breast reaches 140°F [60°C] (see “Poulet Paranoia,” page 349). Tilt the chicken to let any juices that have accumulated in the cavity drain into the roasting pan.
- Transfer the chicken to a serving platter or cutting board and keep it warm. Put the roasting pan on the stove and boil the juices until they caramelize—keep moving the pan to different positions over the heat so that the juices caramelize evenly. Tilt the roasting pan and spoon out the fat and discard it.
- Pour 1 cup [250 ml] of the broth or
water for the jus into the pan and boil it over high
heat to caramelize the juices a second time. Deglaze
again with the rest of the broth or water and simmer
gently, while stirring, for about 3 minutes. Strain the
jus, pressing against the contents of the strainer to
extract as much jus as possible.
- TO S E R V E :
- C A RV E off the legs and wings and gently remove the boneless breasts in one piece by sliding a long knife between the flesh and the breastbone, being careful not to tear the skin or dislodge the stuffing.
- Arrange the breasts, with their stuffing and crispy skin on top, on four hot plates and serve. Pass the jus at the table.