Please Blame Aimai for Your Added Girth: The Roasted Chicken Thread

I’m a huge fan of roasted chicken dishes because they tend to be one-dish–you throw everything in a pan or dutch oven just roast away, letting the heat of the oven and rendered fat from the chicken do all the work of crisping the chicken and flavoring the veggies. So I was thrilled when I saw Aimai’s recipe in my “One Dish” thread. (Please bookmark for future reference.) I swear by my roasted chicken, which is just a very simple preparation of roasting chicken on top of onions, garlic, fennel, apple, and coins of ginger. I’m not sure anything could replace it in my heart. But if any dish could do it it would be Aimai’s variation. I’ve made it at least three times she posted the recipe, switching up things only very slightly. (I’ve used half-and-half a couple of times, poultry seasoning in place of the fresh sage, and since so many of my people are heat-averse, I use a sparing pinch of red pepper flakes instead of the peppers. I also used cut-up chicken and less garlic.) Each time it’s turned out beautifully…and that sauce is nothing less than genius. Try it yesterday.

Take one 4 lb chicken
10 garlic cloves
Handful of fresh sage
1 cinnamon stick
1 dried red pepper (or two)
Peel of one lemon
Juice of one lemon
1 cup milk
1/2 cup or 1 cup of dry white wine
Onions–Sliced in quarters longitudinally so the shape will be preserved.
Celery–sliced in long batons about 2 inches
Carrots–Chunks
sometimes parsnips–same size as the carrots

Salt and pepper the chicken all over. Brown it in butter or olive oil. Drain pan but save any sticky bits. Then put the vegetables and all the other ingredients in a roasting pan or a dutch oven and put the chicken down on top, nested in the liquid, and cook until the top is browned and golden, chicken is done, and the base vegetables are cooked. The milk and the lemon will “break” and make a classic sauce. For extra killer deprssion repair you can add some cream at the last minute to the sauce and you get an unbelievably rich sauce for pouring over potatoes or rice or dipping bread.

What are your favorite roasted chicken dishes?