Roasted Chicken with Crispy Skin and Pepperoni Sauce
Tonight's dinner is a tasty one. The pepperoni sauce I got off the web. It is from Top Chef Contestant Mike Isabella. I was intrigued by it when I saw it on the show and it was no disappointment. I am not a really big fan of pepperoni but OH MY is it tasty. It is a powerful sauce so expect a little to go a long way. We like it on chicken and using it as a pizza sauce the best. The roasted chicken was adapted from a F&W recipe that was for boneless skin-on chicken breasts with an anchovy and basil pan sauce, but there were no boneless skin-on chicken breasts to be had at my local Publix, so we made it with the whole cut up chicken. We LOVED the chicken, the first time we tried it but the anchovy pan sauce I think I messed up. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't a remake unless I figure out what I did wrong, SO instead we made the chicken this way but used the pepperoni sauce. (tonight it was pepperoni sauce, but I will enjoy experimenting with the pan sauce in the future) I personally don't like the skin, but everyone else loves it. We served the chicken and the sauce with a baguette and a mixed green salad with a bit of Gorgonzola and dressed with extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and a balsamic reduction. Tomorrow for lunch, french bread pizzas with pepperoni sauce. NO, tonight was not a light meal, just fill up on salad, if you can... Oh and my husband has informed me I need to improve my photography skills, get better lighting and serve the sauce with a bigger spoon. Should I take it as the compliment he meant to be, that all was tasty or get annoyed that I am being given "constructive" criticism? You guess;)
Pepperoni Sauce
Makes 4 1/2 cups to 4 3/4 cups
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, cut into small dice
5 medium cloves garlic, cut into very thin slices
1 pound pepperoni, cut into thin slices
1 teaspoon fennel seed, toasted (see NOTE)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
8 to 12 ounces canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, chopped, with their juices
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 fresh bay leaf*
Directions:
(*I couldn't find fresh so I used 3 dried and took them out before pureeing)
Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, until the oil shimmers. Add the onion and garlic; cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until they are golden and fragrant.
Stir in the pepperoni; cook for about 5 minutes, until fragrant and evenly coated, then add the toasted fennel seed and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute, stirring.
Add the tomatoes and their juices (to taste), the broth and the bay leaf; stir to incorporate. Once the mixture starts to bubble at the edges, cover and cook for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. The pepperoni slices will be soft, with a deeper color. Remove from the heat.
Working in batches as needed, transfer to a food processor or a high-powered blender (including the bay leaf). Puree until smooth.
The sauce is ready to use. Or cool, cover and refrigerate or freeze.
NOTE: Toast the fennel seed in a small dry skillet over medium heat, shaking the skillet often to keep the seeds from burning. They will become fragrant and slightly darker in color
Because it is boldly flavored, a little sauce goes a long way. The chef recommends serving it alongside roasted or grilled chicken.
MAKE AHEAD: The sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 3 months
Roasted Chicken with Crispy Skin
1 Chicken cut into 8 parts
1 T Olive Oil
Salt And Pepper
[Note: This base can be used to create a variety of pan sauces ]
1.Preheat the oven to 400. Season the chicken with salt and
black pepper. In a large ovenproof skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the
chicken breasts, skin side down, and cook over moderately high heat
until they are richly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the other pieces, skin side down, and cook until all pieces are browned. If some are done early, you can pull them and add them back in when its time for the oven. Turn the chicken pieces over and transfer the skillet to the oven. Roast for about 20 minutes. Check the temp on the smallest pieces. (wings and legs) Continue cooking this way, checking pieces with a thermometer until all the pieces are at least 165° and are just cooked through. Transfer the chicken to warmed plates.
Pepperoni Sauce
Makes 4 1/2 cups to 4 3/4 cups
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, cut into small dice
5 medium cloves garlic, cut into very thin slices
1 pound pepperoni, cut into thin slices
1 teaspoon fennel seed, toasted (see NOTE)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
8 to 12 ounces canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, chopped, with their juices
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 fresh bay leaf*
Directions:
(*I couldn't find fresh so I used 3 dried and took them out before pureeing)
Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, until the oil shimmers. Add the onion and garlic; cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until they are golden and fragrant.
Stir in the pepperoni; cook for about 5 minutes, until fragrant and evenly coated, then add the toasted fennel seed and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute, stirring.
Add the tomatoes and their juices (to taste), the broth and the bay leaf; stir to incorporate. Once the mixture starts to bubble at the edges, cover and cook for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. The pepperoni slices will be soft, with a deeper color. Remove from the heat.
Working in batches as needed, transfer to a food processor or a high-powered blender (including the bay leaf). Puree until smooth.
The sauce is ready to use. Or cool, cover and refrigerate or freeze.
NOTE: Toast the fennel seed in a small dry skillet over medium heat, shaking the skillet often to keep the seeds from burning. They will become fragrant and slightly darker in color
Because it is boldly flavored, a little sauce goes a long way. The chef recommends serving it alongside roasted or grilled chicken.
MAKE AHEAD: The sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 3 months
Roasted Chicken with Crispy Skin
1 Chicken cut into 8 parts
1 T Olive Oil
Salt And Pepper
[Note: This base can be used to create a variety of pan sauces ]
1.Preheat the oven to 400. Season the chicken with salt and
black pepper. In a large ovenproof skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the
chicken breasts, skin side down, and cook over moderately high heat
until they are richly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the other pieces, skin side down, and cook until all pieces are browned. If some are done early, you can pull them and add them back in when its time for the oven. Turn the chicken pieces over and transfer the skillet to the oven. Roast for about 20 minutes. Check the temp on the smallest pieces. (wings and legs) Continue cooking this way, checking pieces with a thermometer until all the pieces are at least 165° and are just cooked through. Transfer the chicken to warmed plates.
Comments
Post a Comment