Dutch Oven Chicken With Dark Ale And Juniper Berries Recipes

DUTCH OVEN WHOLE ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Combine salt, brown sugar, garlic powder, paprika, and chipotle pepper in a bowl. Rinse and pat chicken dry. Rub with seasoning blend, placing any excess in the cavity.
• Allow to rest at room temperature for up to 90 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Place chicken in the bottom of a Dutch oven. Pour butter over the chicken. Cover.
• Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, 2 to 3 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone, should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Remove from the oven and allow to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
• Carve chicken and spoon over pan drippings before serving.

DUTCH OVEN CHICKEN AND VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Make the chicken: Heat oven to 450 degrees.
• Pour 3 tablespoons of the olive oil into a Dutch oven large enough to hold the chicken, then toss in all but 1 piece of the onion. Add the garlic and 4 sprigs each of the thyme and rosemary. Stir to coat, then season generously with salt and pepper.
• Pat the chicken dry, season the inside with salt and pepper, and tuck in the remaining piece of onion and herb sprigs. Rub the chicken with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Squeeze the juice from the lemon half over the bird, and then pop the lemon inside it with the herbs and onion. Settle the chicken into the pot, breast side up. Pour in the wine and cover.
• Roast the chicken for 60 minutes, then check on it: It's done when a thermometer plunged into the thickest part of the thigh has reached 165 degrees. If it's done but doesn't have enough color for you, you can run it under the broiler for a few minutes; if it's not done, remove the lid and continue to roast until done, 15 to 30 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a platter, cover loosely with a foil tent, and let rest.
• While the chicken rests, make the vinaigrette: Pour off the pan drippings, measure out 6 tablespoons and return them to the pot. (If your drippings are scant or very dark, you can still use them. Keep any extra drippings for another use.) Hold onto the garlic but discard the onion and herbs from the pot. Place the pot over medium heat, pour in 1/2 cup water, and boil for a couple of minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to pick up any stuck bits. You should have about 1/3 cup of drippings; if they're very chunky, strain them when you add them to the vinaigrette.
• Working in a medium bowl, mash 6 to 8 cloves of the soft garlic with the mustard, then whisk in the vinegar. Slowly whisk in the reserved liquid, followed by the walnut oil, if using. Taste for salt and pepper, then pour the vinaigrette into a small pitcher.
• To serve, carve the chicken, cutting it into quarters or eighths, and arrange on the platter. Pour over a little of the vinaigrette. Dress the salad greens lightly with vinaigrette and serve on the platter or in a shallow bowl. Pass the rest of the sauce at the table.

CHICKEN WITH ALE AND JUNIPER BERRIES

Steps:

• Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper.
• In a large skillet, melt the 1 tablespoon of uncut butter in the oil.
• Add the chicken in batches and cook over moderately high heat until browned, about 5 minutes per side; remove to a plate.
• Reduce the heat to moderate, add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 1 minute.
• Add 1/2 cup of the ale and bring to a boil, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom.
• Return the chicken to the skillet, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn and baste the chicken with the pan juices, then cover and simmer until cooked through, about 15 minutes longer.
• Remove the chicken from the skillet and keep warm.
• Boil the pan juices over high heat until syrupy, about 5 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to moderate.
• Add the juniper berries, pink peppercorns and the remaining 2 tablespoons of ale, then whisk in the remaining 3 tablespoons of cold butter, a few pieces at a time. Season with salt and pepper.
• Remove from the heat.
• Return the chicken to the skillet and spoon the sauce over it to coat. Serve the chicken on a platter or dinner plates, sprinkled with the parsley.