Chipotle Truffled Infused Whole Roasted Chicken - Another One Pot Wonder

If you've never roasted a whole chicken, it's time to start...It's easy, but there are few tips you need to know to keep the bird juicy since different parts of the chicken cook differently...

1. Put some fat (i.e. butter, oil, lard, ghee) in between the meat and the skin.

2. Brine the bird...I like to injection brine my birds instead of a salt-water-sugar solution...It's way quicker and it will keep the bird dry which will result in crispier skin...

3. For the first hour, cook the bird at 450 degrees to crisp the skin. Then reduce heat to 275 degrees and slowly roast until juicy and tender...

Ingredients

- 1 Whole Chicken (3-4 lbs.)

- 6 oz butter, softened

- 3 TBS Truffle Oil

- 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped

- 5 garlic cloves

- 1 jalapeño, roughly chopped

- 1 sweet potato, chopped

- 3 carrots, roughly chopped

- 1 leek, roughly chopped

- 3 celery stalks, roughly chopped
- 1 can of chipotle in adobe sauce, reserve sauce for brine

- 2 cups red wine

- Seasoning: Salt, pepper, granulated garlic, ground cumin, ground coriander, chipotle powder, turmeric, cayenne pepper

Injection Brine Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 1/2 red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup chipotle sauce
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 TBS salt
- 1 cup olive oil

Injection Brine Instructions
1. Place all ingredients except the olive oil in a food processor and blend.
2. While blending, gradually drizzle the oil into the processor to emulsify.
3. Optional - Save the extra brine and add some fresh basil and parsley to make a side sauce.
4. Fill the injection briner with liquid brine and inject fluid into a few spots on each side of the breast, legs and wings.



Salt-Water-Sugar- Seasoning Brine Ingredients
- 1/3 cup salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 TBS Peppercorns
- 2 TBS Juniper Seeds
- 2 TBS Crushed Pepper Flakes
- Enough cold (ice) water to cover the chicken

Salt-Water-Sugar- Seasoning Brine Instructions
1. In a medium size pot, add the salt, sugar, peppercorns and juniper seeds. Add enough water to cover the seasonings.
2. Place on stove, bring to a boil and then simmer until salt & sugar dissolve. Let cool.
3. Place chicken in a big plastic bag with ice. Add cooled salt-water-sugar solution to the chicken and place in let brine in refrigerator for 12-24 hours.



4. Remove from liquid, rinse and pay completely dry. 

Roasted Chicken Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. In a bowl, mix the butter and truffle oil together. Reserve about 2 oz of the truffle butter to sauté veggies.

3. Using your hands, separate the skin of the chicken breast and legs from the meat.

I know this bird is too big to a chicken, it's actually the 23 lb turkey I cooked for Thanksgiving...
That said, you can use this same technique & recipe for turkey:-)

4. Here's the messy, but important part to help keep the bird juicy...Spread the truffle butter under the bird's skin...Use HOT water to wash your hands...Your hands will feel grimy at first but once washed will feel silky smooth:-)

5. Season the chicken thoroughly...front, back and all sides...



5. Tie the legs together either with twine or by cutting a hole in flap of the skin by the leg and weave the other leg into the hole. See photos below.

Step #1

Step #2

5. Injection or use a salt-water-sugar solution to brine the bird. See above instructions.

6. Heat the reserved truffle butter in your roasting pan (I prefer my Dutch oven), and sauté veggies over medium heat. Sweat the onion and garlic first, then I add the rest of the veggies one by one and coat with fat. Add more fat if the veggies aren't evenly coated. (I use about 4-5 chipotle peppers. If you don't like heat, use less, but if you like heat you can use more.) 

8. Add red wine and enough water to semi-cover the veggies.

9. Add chicken and bring to a boil.

10. Place in oven without lid for about a hour.

11. Reduce oven to 275 degrees. Cover with lid or tin foil and cook for another 3 hours. Cooking this chicken low and slow will result in a very juicy and tender bird. Internal temperature should read about 165 degrees.

As you can see I'm serving this my bird with spaghetti squash 

12. Skin should be crispy and inside should be juicy and tender. Let chicken to sit with lid on for about 1 hour.

13. In the meantime, create puree dipping sauce by placing the drained veggies into a food processor and adding a some drippings (little by little) to make it smooth. Serve with the chicken or by itself, but don't forget this step because it is deliciously amazing.

14. Cut the chicken by breaking off the legs first (the bird should be so tender the legs should break apart with your hands). Break off the wings next and then cut through the breast with a boning knife. Pick off all the extra meat so the carcass is clean.

15. Don't forget about the oyster of the chicken, its the 'diamond in the rock'. It's in the center backside. It should fall right off and will create an oyster divot in the bone when the meat is removed.    Savor this piece, there is nothing like it in the world.

 

This recipe is dedicated to Susan, sorry it took me so long to post...but I promise you won't be disappointed for how long you waited after you cook and eat it!!!

This recipe will be a 'One Pot Wonder' for all you busy carnivores out there...