Trey's Mom got him this great rotisserie for our new grill back in June and we hadn't used it until last night. Sometimes I think chicken is super boring, but then we make it a new way and I'm reminded that seasoned and cooked well, chicken can be wonderful. We had the rotisserie chicken with a side salad of arugula, bacon, warm goat cheese medallions (super easy to make!) with a simple balsamic vinaigrette. We also had white rice (delicious when you add salt and butter to the boiling water) and some grilled asparagus that got a little burnt. It was a really nice meal. Simple, homey and delicious. It's this type of meal that prompted me to start this blog - anyone can make it and it'll make you feel good all over.
The rotisserie is completely optional in this recipe. If you don't have one (you should get one!) you can roast the chicken in the oven at 375 degrees for about an hour and a half (or until a thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the thigh reads 180).
So, Trey had wanted to get the chicken started early so we could eat at a decent hour. He started it at about 6:30 I believe. He wanted me to go to the store after work (I work until 7) and get a roasting pan to catch the drippings with. By the time I had gotten to the store (about 7:10) he called to ask me to get another chicken since the one he was making got completely burnt to a crisp. This was due to the fact that he added the butter basting sauce without first putting the roasting pan under it to catch the drippings and the grill flared up. He left it alone for one minute, came back and it was gone. Irreparable. He was pretty mad about it, but I wasn't concerned. With me home, I could see the whole process (plus take pictures!). So, to make a long story short - we ate at 10 pm and I didn't get a good shot of the chicken on the rotisserie, but it doesn't really matter does it? As long as it tasted good...And it did. In fact, only one word comes to mind as I recall this chicken - succulent.
The salad was inspired by one I used to get at South Congress Cafe in Austin, TX. They put warm goat cheese medallions on their salad and I've been obsessed with goat cheese ever since. They are super easy to make and really good - I do recommend eating them right out of the oven while the cheese is still warm. Don't let them sit around for 10 minutes like I did last night.
Rotisserie Chicken (or Roasted Chicken):
1 3-4 lb. whole chicken
Various herbs - we used sage, rosemary and thyme. Keep half of the herbs whole and chop the other half.
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lemon, cut into slices
1 stick butter, for basting
Salt
Pepper
Prepare your chicken by removing anything from the cavity, rinsing with cold water and patting dry. Season liberally inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with your herbs, a few slices of the lemon and two pats of butter. Season the outside with some of herbs that have been chopped and some of the minced garlic. Reserve some minced garlic for the basting sauce.
Tie the legs and wings back with kitchen string and put the chicken on the rotisserie bar. If you are using an oven, preheat to 450 degrees - put chicken in a roasting pan and let it cook for about 10 minutes at 450 then turn oven down to 375. Roast for an hour and a half, until a thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the thigh reads 180. On the rotisserie, cook the chicken over high heat for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes put a roasting pan underneath the chicken to catch drippings and turn heat down to low. Roast for an hour and half, or until a thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the thigh reads 180.
For both methods, baste with chicken's own juices or with basting sauce (just melted butter and garlic will do, you can also add any herbs you like) every 20 minutes or so.
Warm Goat Cheese Salad:
Salad mix (We used arugula, because that's what we had on hand, but any salad mix will do)
Toasted pine nuts
Cooked bacon, chopped
Balsamic Vinaigrette (recipe below)
Goat cheese, cut into rounds (using really cold goat cheese will help with this, so you may want to stick it in the freezer for about 10 minutes before cutting)
1/2 C Panko bread crumbs
1/2 C Regular (Italian) bread crumbs
2 eggs
Salt and Pepper
Pre-heat your oven to 425.
Cook your bacon and toast your pine nuts. Add to the salad mix.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk the two eggs with salt and pepper. In a separate bowl, combine the two types of bread crumbs. Take your goat cheese rounds and dip into the eggs then into the bread crumbs. Shake off excess and dip back into eggs and then back into breadcrumbs. Lay them on your baking sheet. Cook in oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
Toss the salad with the vinaigrette and serve on a plate with the goat cheese medallions.
Balsamic Vinaigrette:
1/8 C good balsamic vinegar
Juice of 1/4 lemon
1/4 C olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Combine vinegar, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Whisk in olive oil slowly to emulsify.
Bon appetit!
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