Herb de Provence Spatchcocked Chicken
This recipe is one I have been working on for a long time and have prepared time and time again. This particular iteration however, is special. It was conceived out of the need that to have a casting video to submit to Food Network!
I couldn’t believe that someone from the Food Network had actually seen this blog, or that really anyone has seen this blog! That being said you’ll find two links below one is an unabridged video (almost 10mins) of me preparing a spatchcocked chicken with gravy and mashed potatoes (potatoes not filmed, just a standard purée) and the other a shortened 5 minute version. Either way, please enjoy them! And subscribe to my YouTube channel! 🙂 The recipe is simple, yet flavorful!
10 minute unabridged version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddoYEbCrtg8
5 minute highlight video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bB0z4a9FkNA
The recipe
Ingredients:
The Bird-
One thawed young chicken washed and cleaned.
Herb de Provence – about 4-5 heaping tablespoons.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Olive Oil
Crushed garlic 2-3 cloves
Vegetables of your choosing
The Gravy-
3-4 cups chicken stock ( I ended up using 2 cups stock and 2 cups prepared bouillon).
1 stick of butter.
5 table spoons of butter.
1 large leek or a few shallots
Crushed garlic 3 cloves
Salt and pepper.
Method:
If you’ve never spatchcocked a chicken before, be sure to watch the longer video. Prepare your bird by removing the spine with sharp shears and then flip it to crack the breast bone by pushing down in a quick forceful press. Then, flip back over and using a sharp knife remove the breast bone (this is optional but makes it better for even cooking and easier carving). Pre-heat the oven with your rack on the lower 2/3 leaving some room up top, so the bird won’t burn, and heat to 475 Deg. F.
With the bird breast-side up gently separate the skin from the breast, but don’t remove it, just so you can get your fingers between the skin and breast. Add garlic and massage it into the breast meat and down the chicken making sure it stays under the skin. This will help keep it from burning while also infusing the chicken with a luscious garlic flavor. Pat-dry your chicken with paper towels And rub with olive oil to coat, then sprinkle generously with your herb de Provence coating the chicken well! Sprinkle generously with course salt and fresh cracked pepper.
In the bottom of your roasting pan place your vegetables. You will need to find a way to prop up your chicken, I used a insta-pot wire insert to hold it up, but a wire rack is fine. Just something to make sure the bird isn’t going to swim in its own juices as it cooks. Ideally it would not be touching anything. Roast your bird for about an hour to an hour and a half or until it reads 165 degrees F. with an insta-read thermometer.
While your bird cooks, boil up your potatoes and you can get working on your gravy!
For the gravy, clean your leeks well with hot water as dirt and sand tend to hid between the layers. Chop them thinly primarily utilizing the white and very light-green portions. Sauté your leek in a large pot with the stick of butter and a some salt and pepper to taste, a few cloves of garlic, and I also added a tablespoon of herb de Provence. As they cook, in a separate pot bring your stock to a boil/get it hot. Hot liquid is much easier to turn into a sauce than cold, especially when you make a cream gravy with milk or cream. Once your leeks are translucent and your stock is hot get your flour ready. While using a sturdy whisk, slowly add in your flour one tablespoon at a time until it is all well absorbed. Keep moving it around with the whisk as to not let it burn until it reaches a mild tan color. Now slowly ladle in your hot stock, combining it completely each time. You may not use all the stock, but keep it handy. Essentially add as much stock until you reach the consistency you like. Bring your sauce to a boil and boil for 2-3 minutes. If it’s too thick, add a little stock, if it’s too thin you can reduce it over the heat or you can add a little mixture of cornstarch or arrow root and water. You can also re-incorporate some flour, but it’s risky business, you run the risk of it turning lumpy and if you use flour you must bring it back up to a boil or it won’t thicken. I like cornstarch.
Take the gravy off heat and put a lid on it, or float a little stock on tip to keep it from forming a skin. You’ll want to reheat it just before serving.
Check your bird, and once you have reached an internal temperature of 165 Deg. F in the breast and the thigh, remove it from the oven and let it sit in the open air for about 5 minutes. This is so important because if your cut open that breast without letting it rest it will be incredibly dry. Letting any meat rest after cooking allows the juices to redistribute and reabsorbe into the meat. Slice and serve with those veggies!
And for course, I don’t have a photo because I’m an idiot. But it’s in the video 🙂
Love and happy cooking to you all!
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