Oven Roasted Chicken With Pan Gravy-Get Those Juices Working For You Any Day Of The Week
It’s September-fire the ovens back up and get roasting!
There is something about cooking a whole chicken which conjures up Norman Rockwell images of the family gathered at the Thanksgiving table (OK–a big chicken) Matriarchal aprons are donned, and patriarchal pride fills the room while guests salivate at the bronzed bird. The with aromas of poultry, dressing and yams commingle in the air and wine glasses are filled in anticipation of a grand toast and thanksgiving to all.
The cook’s hands wring nervously as the bird is carved; awaiting the beautiful juices running down the sides of crisp skin. Success. The turkey platter is passes as each guest chooses white or dark meat, followed by an endless parade of sides in Mom’s best china.
Next comes the best part, the glue, so to speak–the gravy. Hopefully, it’s pan gravy. You dress your meat and potatoes with it, and perhaps everything else on your plate, lest you pour the gravy boat dry. Me, I would like nothing better than to dunk my whole head into a bowl of pan gravy. I love it.
My name is Ramona, and I’m a gravyholic.
When making chicken or turkey, I historically turned to the jar for gravy. Boston Market brand isn’t bad, but making pan gravy is the real deal, and can’t be beat. With an increased experience cooking and a broadened culinary acumen in general, I began to feel confident that I could put forth a worthy homemade gravy.
Now to my opening, roast chicken can be a meal for any day of the week–not just for weekends, holiday or guests. It takes less time than you may think. Preparing the chicken is fast and easy if you have a go-to method (I’ll share mine with you) and roasting can be expedited by cooking the chicken at a high temperature. Vegetables and herbs in the bottom of the pan commingle with chicken stock and chicken drippings to make a terrific base for pan gravy.
My favorite way to prepare chicken is to simply salt and pepper the cavity, and stuff with fresh (preferably) rosemary and a quartered lemon. Place the chicken on an elevated roasting rack in a pan that is filled with chopped carrots, celery, onion and perhaps another quartered lemon if you have it on hand (the lemon in the final gravy is wonderfully refreshing). Generously rub olive oil all over the chicken, legs and wings included. Salt and pepper the chicken and place 3 tablespoons of butter on top of the breast.
Place the chicken in a preheated 450 degree oven and bake until the internal temperature of the thigh reaches 165 degrees. Total cooking time will vary depending on the size of the chicken, but you will be surprised at how fast the bird comes up to temperature when cooking at this temperature.
As the chicken roasts, allow the vegetables to roast along for the first 15 minutes. This will allow the vegetables to caramelize. Add about a cup of chicken stock to the pan at this point, and another cup 30 minutes later. The liquid will braise the vegetables and steam the skin a bit, crisping it up nicely. You can also baste the chicken with pan juices once or twice to help the skin crisp even more.
Once the chicken is done, remove the chicken to a platter and tent lightly with foil. Remove the lemon and using a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to a serving bowl and cover to keep warm.
Place the roasting pan with juices on burner over medium high heat. Bring juices to a strong simmer/low boil and add a beurre manie. A beurre manie is a paste, or dough, made of equal parts softened butter and flour used to thicken soups and sauces(I do 2-3 tablespoons each, depending on the volume of pan drippings). Maintian heat and whisk to dissolve beurre manie. Continue whisking continuously until the sauce thickens. If the sauce thickens too much, add more chicken stock. If the sauce doesn’t thicken up enough, make more beurre manie and add. See how foolproof this is?
Check the gravy for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.
This is a basic method for taking your pan juices, enhancing them with aromatic vegetables, herbs, seasoning and chicken stock, and thickening with a beurre manie. You wont go back to the jar again.
