Roasted Chicken with Shallot White Wine Pan Sauce

I’m sure we are like most households; we eat a lot of chicken.  I do try to be aware of it though and really do try not to serve chicken more than once a week.  I mean one can only eat so much boneless skinless bla bla bla.  Don’t get me wrong boneless skinless chicken has its place (like Thai Green Curry) but it can get boring.  Enter the roasted chicken.Roasted Chicken


Sunday roasted chicken is such a nice way to kick the week off and there is always plenty leftover.  This means when you’ve had a case of the Mondays at least you know dinner will be a snap to throw together.  There’s nearly endless options when using up your leftovers.  Take your pick, salads, sandwiches, casseroles or as we did with ours, chicken phad Thai.  Now the only trouble is getting a roasted chicken that is cooked through where the breast meat is still juicy and the leg and thigh are cooked through.  Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered on that too.

This is a method of roasting I learn from watching Jacques Pepin on PBS.  Or perhaps it was from one of his many cookbooks.  (PS – if you don’t have at least one of his books on your shelf you really should.  He’s fantastic.)  In any case, what you’re essentially doing with this method is creating a rotisserie chicken without having to own a rotisserie.  It comes out perfect every time.  That’s right.  I said it.  Every. Time.

Let’s pause for a second while I get sidetracked with a little story shall we?  The first time I made this for my better half I had just arrived in Perth from Seattle.  I arrived around noon and he wasn’t due home until after 6.  In order to not pass out from complete exhaustion from jetlag and just having traveled 24 hours to get there I decided I would cook dinner and have it ready for him when he got there.  After I had arrived to the house, showered and felt a bit refreshed, I busied myself wandering the neighborhood picking up all the ingredients to make my roasted chicken dinner.

When I got back to the house the rest of the housemates where there and they set me up with all the tools I would need to start my feast.  And so I started.  In the oven the chicken went and it began to brown and splatter a bit (as it does) and the house began to smell delicious.  And then as the splattered bits began to burn in the hot hot oven it began to smoke a bit.  The housemates began to wonder if I was going to burn the neighborhood down.  And I think they secretly began to feel sorry for my poor better half who was going to have to endure this horrible burnt chicken dinner.  I assured them I was in control in spite of my jetlag and on I cooked.

My better half came home to a slightly smoke filled house and tried to appear excited for dinner that I’m sure he expected to be only partially edible.  The short of the story is this; the dinner was wonderful, as were the chicken Caesar salads and the chicken sandwiches made with the leftovers.  It’s one of the things he requests from time to time and I always think of this story and the time his housemates thought his crazy American girlfriend attempted to burn the neighborhood down.

You see, this chicken is roasted at a pretty high temperature and it is possible that when you open the oven you will be greeted with a puff of smoke.  You, like me, might even set off a smoke detector or two.  Oh the smoke detector stories I could tell!  But don’t worry.  Forge on.  It will be perfect.  Every.  Time.   I promise.

Are you ready to make the perfect roasted chicken?  Let’s get to it!

Start by preheating your oven to 400*F (200*C).  Remove the chicken from the packaging and remove any giblets from the cavity, trim any extra skin that might be hanging loose and rinse under cold water.  Pat the chicken completely dry inside and out with paper towels.  Season liberally inside and out with salt and pepper and drizzle all sides with olive oil.  At this point you can stuff the cavity with extras if you’d like (lemon wedges, rosemary etc).  Place in a roasting dish on its side so one leg and wing touch the pan.  If you intend to make the pan sauce to go with it you’ll want to use a roasting dish that can also be heated on the stovetop.  If you are feeding more than two, don’t be afraid to throw a second bird in there so you can be sure to have leftovers!

Chicken placed on its side; one leg and wing touching the pan and one leg and wing up in the air.
Chicken placed on its side; one leg and wing touching the pan and one leg and wing up in the air.

Once the oven is preheated place the roasting pan on the bottom rack of the oven and set your timer for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes, turn the chicken on to its other side and cook another 30 minutes.  For the final 30 minutes rotate the chicken to its back to finish baking.  This was plenty of time for my 3.5lb (1.6kg) chicken to reach an internal temperature of 165*f (74*C).  If you are taking the temperature of your chicken be sure to put the thermometer in the meatiest part of the thigh.  The thigh takes the longest to cook which is why, many times, the breast comes out so dry.

Remove from the oven and allow to rest for at least ten minutes while you make the pan sauce.  Note: to go the extra mile to ensure complete juiciness rest the chicken breast side down so gravity can do its job and redistribute the juices to the breast.

In the roasting pan you should have some chicken juices, a bunch of tasty bits (technical term), and fat that has rendered from the skin while cooking.  Carefully pour off all but a couple tablespoons of the fat but be sure to not lose the juices or tasty bit.  Return to stove top and turn on to medium high heat.  Add one thinly sliced shallot to the pan and sauté until translucent and softened.  Add approximately 1/3 cup of dry white wine (one you would drink).  A chardonnay or a sauv blanc work great.  Allow to come to a simmer and start to reduce.  Stir occasionally.  After a few minutes finish your sauce with a knob of butter.  Feel free to add fresh herbs if you would like.  Thyme would be good.  Once melted spoon overtop of your plated chicken.

Roasted Chicken with Shallot Pan Sauce and Twice Baked Potatoes and Green Beans
Roasted Chicken with Shallot Pan Sauce and Twice Baked Potatoes and Green Beans

I served my chicken with twice baked potatoes and blanched green beans.  To make the potatoes bake (or microwave) until soft.  Place on baking sheet and using a heavy bottom sauce pan or potato masher push down on top of the potatoes to flatten.  Season with salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.  Place in the oven on the top rack and bake until crunchy and brown; about 10 minutes.

We hope you enjoy this roasting method as much as we do.  Perfect. Every. Time.

Be sure to check out the next post on how to easily cut your roasted chicken!

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