Excerpted from The San Luis Obispo Farmers’ Market Cookbook: Simple Seasonal Recipes & Short Stories from the Central Coast of California by Kendra Aronson, copyright © 2015, self-published by Kendra Aronson Creative Studio. Photography copyright © 2015 by Kendra Aronson.
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Whole Roasted Chicken and Blackened Brussel Sprouts
Description
“If there was ever a single ingredient that I felt deserved a consistent spot on our menu, it was local chicken. Chicken is cheap, underappreciated, and underutilized by most Americans. People assume it can’t be spectacular. Game on!” Jensen Lorenzen
These Brussels sprouts sure do pack a punch! Between the garlicky aïoli, vibrant lemon juice, and salty bacon, you will always have a hankering to make this easy comfort dish.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Chicken
- whole chicken
- salt
- buttermilk
- water
- 8 oz. unsalted butter
- 8 oz. canola
For the Brussels
- BRUSSELS
- 1 lb. Brussels sprouts (similar size)
- 3–4 strips of bacon, chopped (opt)
- 1 T olive oil
- 1 Meyer lemon
- splash of white wine
- 5–6 cloves of garlic, minced
- AÏOLI
- soft butter
- mayonnaise
- Meyer lemon juice
- garlic salt
- garlic cloves
Instructions
- CHICKEN
- Make a brine based on the weight of the whole chicken with the following ratios: 2% kosher salt, 2% buttermilk, 96% water. Submerge the whole chicken in the brine; refrigerate for 24 hours. Once brined, allow chicken to air-dry in the refrigerator for 1-2 days on a wire rack.
- Preheat oven to 475°F.
- Place the chicken on a wire rack in a roasting pan. Roast for 40 minutes, basting and rotating every 20 minutes. Tip from Chef Jensen (p. 152): “The quantity of the baste is pretty arbitrary. You just need enough to baste the chicken a few times, the drippings from the chicken will also add to the amount, use approximately 8 ounces of melted butter and 8 ounces of canola. Basically you are just making a butter based baste with the heat resilience of canola. This keeps the butter solids from burning too quickly, without having to clarify the butter, plus the little bits of caramelized fat solids from the butter are tasty!”
- Reduce oven temperature to 350°F and finish roasting, approximately 20–30 minutes. The probe thermometer should read 145–150°F at the thickest part of the breast. Allow chicken to rest in a warm area for at least a half hour prior to portioning.
- BRUSSELS
- Clean, trim, and wash the Brussels sprouts. Cut them in half—this way the garlic and lemon juice can get into all the folds. Steam for 5–7 min so they cook half way through. Next, heat up a skillet to medium heat. Once heated, drizzle olive oil twice around the skillet. Add the steamed Brussels and raw chopped bacon. With one half of the Meyer lemon, slice into thin coins, remove the seeds, and add the slices to the skillet. With the other half of the lemon, squeeze the juice all around the skillet coating the Brussels and bacon.
- It takes around 10 minutes for the Brussels and lemons to caramelize. When they are a deep dark caramelized brown and the skillet has all that good stuff sticking to it, add a couple splashes of white wine to deglaze the skillet. Add the garlic. Only sauté for 1–2 minutes to avoid burning the garlic. Plate and serve with aïoli.
- AÏOLI
- In a food processor, combine equal parts of soft butter and mayo—make as much as you’d like. Add the juice from half of a Meyer lemon, add a couple dashes of garlic salt, and a couple cloves of garlic. Pulse a few times, season to taste, and serve on the side.
Notes
- Roasted Chicken Recipe contributed by Jensen Lorenzen, formerly the Chef of The Cass House Inn & Restauran and currently the Owner of The Larder Meat Co.
- Blackened Brussel Sprouts Recipe contributed by Jessica Newell of Pepper Creek Family Farms
- in Arroyo Grande
- Not Included in Large Real Food Box: Buttermilk, Butter (included in 3-5 size boxes), Canola, Bacon (opt), White Wine, Mayonnaise, Garlic Salt