Chikkin

Roast chicken with garlic croquettes🍗🍗🍗

-Roast chicken, the stalwart of Sunday dinners and festive feasts, offers a tantalizing medley of flavors and aromas. Picture this: a plump, golden-brown bird, its skin crisped to perfection, seasoned with a symphony of herbs and spices. As you carve into its succulent flesh, juices ooze out, mingling with the aromatic herbs to create a tantalizing aroma that fills the air, leaving your taste buds on the edge of anticipation.

Ingredients:

100g fine salt
1.6kg chicken, halved lengthwise, wings removed
2 1/2 tbs finely chopped preserved lemon
2 eschalots, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup (125ml) extra virgin olive oil

GARLIC CROQUETTES:

2 garlic bulbs
125g unsalted butter
1 cup (150g) plain flour
2 cups (500ml) full-cream milk
100g finely grated parmesan
2 tbs each finely chopped rosemary & thyme leaves
2 egg yolks
Ghee, to shallow-fry

SEMOLINA CRUMB:

Flour, to dust
350g fine semolina
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups (375ml) milk
SAUCE
150ml white wine
1 garlic clove, sliced
2 bay leaves
3 thyme sprigs
2 cups (500ml) good-quality chicken stock

Directions:

-To brine the chicken, place 4 cups (1L) warm water in a large non-reactive bowl or container with the salt and whisk to dissolve. Cool in the fridge completely. Add the chicken and brine in the fridge for 6 hours. Remove the chicken from the brine and pat the skin dry with paper towel.

-Preheat the oven to 180°C. For the garlic croquettes, wrap the garlic in foil and roast for 1 hour or until very soft. Cool to room temperature, then squeeze the garlic out of the skins. Mash the garlic pulp with the back of a fork.

-Meanwhile, melt the butter in a heavy- based saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 3-4 minutes, whisking continuously so the flour doesn’t clump, stick and burn. Slowly pour in the milk while whisking and continue to cook for a further 10 minutes or until the mixture becomes thick. Remove the pan from the heat and mix in the parmesan, roast garlic, chopped rosemary and thyme and egg yolks. Transfer the mixture to a small container to chill and set in the fridge for about 3-4 hours or overnight.

-Once set, divide the mixture into 50g portions. Roll into balls then flatten into a 5cm x 2cm disc. Return the croquettes to the fridge for 15-20 minutes to firm up.

-For the semolina crumb, season the flour with salt and pepper, then spread on a large plate. Place semolina in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, beat milk with the eggs. Lightly coat the croquettes first in the flour mixture, then in the milk mixture, and finally in the semolina. Place on a tray and chill for 30 minutes.

-To make the lemon vinaigrette, combine the preserved lemon with the eschalot, lemon juice and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside.

-Preheat the oven to 220°C. Heat a large oven-proof frypan with 2 tbs oil over high heat. Add the chicken, skin-side down, and cook for 6-8 minutes until golden. Turn the chicken over and transfer the pan in the oven. Roast the chicken for 50-55 minutes until cooked through. Remove from the pan, cover loosely with foil and rest for 15 minutes or until ready to serve.

-For the sauce, place the roasting pan over medium-high heat. Add the wine, garlic, bay leaves and thyme. Simmer the wine and reduce by half then add the chicken stock and cook for 10-12 minutes until reduced and slightly thickened. Whisk in the Dijon mustard and lemon juice. Remove from the heat, then whisk in the butter to thicken and finish the pan sauce. Strain through a fine sieve and set aside and keep warm.

-Heat a non-stick frypan with 1cm of ghee. Cook the croquettes for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towel and season to taste. Keep warm until ready to serve. Repeat with remaining croquettes. Add more ghee to the pan if needed.

-When ready to serve, return the chicken to the oven to warm through. Carve the chicken and divide among 4 plates, along with the hot croquettes. Dress the parsley leaves in the lemon vinaigrette and arrange on the plate with chicken and croquettes. Serve immediately with warmed sauce alongside.