thefoodlessprocessed

“Sunday dinner turns my thoughts to that which was almost standardized in the home of my childhood, and is very nearly so in my own: an old fashioned dinner of fricassee chicken…That was the kind of dinner most favored for the Sabbath day…Now while, as a matter of habit and custom, we say ‘fricassee of chicken,’ it is, in fact, fricassee of fowl, for a chicken means a fowl under a year old, and has not the ripeness of flavor of one a year old. Even a plump, two-year-old hen properly cooked will have a richer flavor than a chicken.” Della T. Lutes from The Country Kitchen (1936).

The traditions from which thefoodlessprocessed draws its recipes go into great detail over how to choose chickens of quality. They matched the age of the bird to the method of preparation. Older birds were valued no less than younger ones. On the contrary, a range of ages was seen as an advantage. Each bird offered its own unique use and widened the variety of dishes. The care with which they judged chicken shows their appreciation for it. Chicken was not just everyday fare. It was often the preferred dish for special occasions.

Preparing one of the heirloom birds available today makes it clear why chicken was once held in such high regard.

For a more detailed description of their special qualities and to read about other less processed options in this recipe, follow these links: Chicken, Garlic, Olive Oil, Rosemary.

Roast Heirloom Chicken

Equipment

• a Roasting Rack and Roasting Pan
• a Rimmed Pan lined with aluminum foil to hold the chicken during the last half hour of roasting while making the gravy from the drippings in the roasting pan

Ingredients

• a 4.5 pound (about 2 kg) Heirloom, Slow-Growth, Air-Chilled Chicken
• 4 Cloves of Organic Garlic
• 2 Sprigs of Organic Fresh Rosemary. Remove the leaves from one stem and chop them. Leave the second stem whole.
• Fresh Ground Pepper
• 2 Tablespoons of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Preparing the Chicken for the Oven

• Remove the neck and packet containing the liver. Reserve the neck to make the gravy.
• Tuck the wings beneath the bird.
• Rub the chicken with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, sprinkle the chopped rosemary over it and grind some fresh pepper over it as well.
• Place the whole rosemary sprig inside the chicken, along with the garlic cloves.
• Place the chicken on the rack, inside the roasting pan and drizzle the second tablespoon of olive oil over it.

Roasting the Chicken

Gas or Convection Oven:  thefoodlessprocessed uses a gas oven. The conversions from Fahrenheit to Celsius do not attempt to adjust for differences between baking in a gas or convection oven. I have no experience using a convection oven, and leave adjustments to the better judgement of you who do have.

Roasting Time: The roasting time used for this chicken is 25 minutes per pound or about 55 minutes per kg. To crisp the skin a little more, the roasting time was increased to 2 hours. This did not dry out the meat.

• Preheat the oven to 450 F (around 232 C).
• Pour some water in the pan beneath the bird to cover the bottom so that the drippings do not smoke and burn. It will be necessary to add more water during roasting.
• Put the chicken in the oven and turn the heat down to 375 F (around 190 C).
• Baste occasionally. Turn the chicken, bottom side up, after 30 minutes. After 30 minutes more of roasting, turn the bird right side up again.
• From time to time, check to see if there is still water in the roasting pan and add a little if it is close to evaporating.
• When there remains about 30 minutes of roasting time, transfer the chicken, on the roasting rack, to the rimmed pan and return it to the oven until it is done.
• During this time, make the gravy, using the drippings collected in the roasting pan. The recipe for American Style Chicken Gravy is below.
• When the chicken is done, the skin will be crisp. Tip the bird so that juices run from the cavity down onto the pan below. They will be clear when done. The test for doneness used on a conventional supermarket chicken of wiggling the drumstick does not work on an heirloom bird. Their legs are firmer and more muscular because they are more active.

Note: Just as chicken dishes prepared with an heirloom bird are of a special quality, so is soup made from a roast heirloom chicken. The carcass and remains of the roast are used to make a fine soup with this recipe: Heirloom Chicken Soup.

American-Style Gravy

To read about the less processed options for the gravy ingredients, follow these links: Butter, Flour, Vegetable Stock.

Equipment

• a Medium-Sized Pot with a Heavy Bottom and a Lid
• a 4-Cup/1 Liter Liquid Measuring Cup and another, smaller Liquid Measuring Cup
• the Roasting Pan of drippings
• a Metal Spatula/Turner or Wooden Spoon
• a Flame Tamer (aka Heat Diffuser, Simmering Plate) is optional. The pot does not sit directly over the heat source. The gravy may be kept warm over a low heat and is less likely to scorch. Some brands may be used on a smooth-top burner.

Ingredients

• the Neck from the Heirloom Chicken
• 1 Tablespoon of Salted Butter
• 1/3 Cup (46 g) Organic Unenriched American Hard Wheat Flour
• about 5 cups (1.18 liters) of Homemade Vegetable Stock. (See thefoodlessprocessed recipe: Vegetable Stock.)
• the Drippings from the roasting pan. There should be about 1/2 cup (or 120 ml). If there is less, deglaze the pan with a little vegetable stock and add this to the measuring cup of drippings to make up the 1/2 cup (120 ml). A little more than 1/2 cup will be fine, too.
• Ground Black Pepper

Making the Gravy

• Melt the butter in the pot and add the chicken neck. Brown the neck in the butter and add 5 cups (1.18 liters) of homemade vegetable stock. Simmer for about 40 minutes or until the stock is reduced to 4 cups (about 950 ml). Discard the neck and transfer the stock to a large measuring cup. Add vegetable stock to increase the amount of liquid to 4 cups (about 950 ml) if necessary.
• Pour 1/2 cup (120 ml) of drippings from the roasting pan into the smaller measuring cup. If there is less than 1/2 cup (120 ml), deglaze the pan with a little vegetable stock and add this to the measuring cup of drippings to make up the 1/2 cup (120 ml).
• Pour the drippings back into the roasting pan and place the pan over a burner set to medium heat.
• Add the flour. Stir constantly, mixing the flour with the fat. When the flour is lightly browned, slowly add the stock, stirring and scraping up crisp bits from the bottom of the pan. Allow the gravy to thicken a bit between additions of stock.
• When all the stock has been added, continue cooking the gravy, stirring, until it is thick and smooth.
• Transfer it to the medium-sized pot. Add some ground black pepper to taste. Place the pot on the flame tamer. Partially cover it and simmer the gravy over low heat, stirring occasionally, to keep it warm while you carve the bird.

Complimentary Combinations

Roast Heirloom Chicken

American- Style Gravy

Mashed Potatoes