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Ultimate Roast Chicken with Fondant Potatoes and Marsala Sauce
Recipe by Curtis Stone
Curtis Stone's ultimate roast chicken recipe will certainly become a favourite at every festive feast.
- Steps
- Ingredients
Ingredients
Chicken Stock
Chicken
Compound Butter
Chicken Oysters
Chicken Thighs
Fondant Potatoes
Crispy Chicken Drumsticks and Wings
Marsala sauce
Herb Salt
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Steps
- Preheat oven to 220°C convection (fan-forced). Place wire rack in rimmed baking tray.
- Preheat deepfyer on work bench to 165°C.
- Place a small saucepan on the medium heat with 2 ½ cups of water.
- To break down the chicken, working with chicken breast side up, cut chicken leg quarters away from chicken, being sure to cleanly remove chicken oysters on underside of chicken. Cut chicken oysters from leg quarters and reserve them.
- Beginning at neck end of chicken breast crown, use your fingers to make a pocket between chicken breast meat and skin.
- Carefully remove skin from underside of chicken that covers backbone. Reserve chicken skin.
- Cut through ribs on underside of chicken to remove backbone and ribs from chicken. Cut backbone into small pieces. Add backbone into the pot of water for the chicken stock.
- For the compound butter In a small food processor, blend herbs. Then add butter, garlic, lemon zest, salt and pepper.
- Gently slide compoud butter from food processor into pocket under skin to evenly coat breast meat. Brush chicken with skin with oil and season chicken crown all over with salt. Place chicken on wire rack and roast in oven for 35 mins, or until thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast registers 63-65°C.
- To finish breaking down the chicken, cut chicken leg quarters through joint to separate into drumstick and thigh. Reserve drumsticks. Cut around chicken thigh bones and cartilage to remove from chicken meat. Add cartilage and reserved chicken thigh bones to your stock.
- Cut chicken wing and wing tips from chicken, leaving first drumette attached to chicken. Working with removed chicken wings, cut through joint to separate wing flats from wing tips. Set chicken wing flats alongside reserved drumsticks. Add chicken wing tips to the stock pot.
- For the chicken oyster place a small saucepan over medium-low heat, pour in the grapeseed oil for the chicken oysters and heat oil to 95°C.
- Salt the chicken oysters and leave aside for about 10 mins.
- For the ballontine lay boneless, skin-on chicken thighs on work surface. Create a pocket under the chicken skin from thighs and tuck 3 sage leaves between each chicken skin and thigh meat. Season chicken thighs all over with salt and pepper and roll into cylinders; tie chicken thighs with butcher’s twine to secure into a ballontine.
- For the chicken oyster, add garlic, rosemary, thyme and reserved chicken oysters to the preheated pot of oil. Cook, adjusting heat to maintain oil temperature at 95°C, for 20 mins, or until chicken oysters are cooked through and tender. Remove from heat and reserve chicken oysters in oil until ready to serve.
- For the ballontine, In large frypan over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add chicken thighs and cook, turning as needed, for about 4 mins, or until browned all over. Transfer chicken thighs to oven and place on rack alongside chicken crown. Roast thighs 8 mins, or until cooked through, thermometer should read 70° when inserted into center of chicken thighs. Set thighs aside to rest 5 mins before slicing.
- For the chicken skin, place sheet of baking paper on overturned baking tray. Lay chicken skin, fatty side down, and sprinkle with salt. Place another sheet of baking paper on top of skin and place another heavy baking tray on top to weigh down skin. Bake 15 mins, or until fat has rendered and skin is golden brown and crisp. Transfer skin to kitchen paper.
- For the stock, In small saucepan of water, add to the stock carrots, celery, shallots, thyme, bay leaf and peppercorns. Place stock mixture over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook 20 mins, skimming as required.
- To make the fondant, trim sides of potato to square off potato. Cut trimmed potato lengthways into 3cm thick slabs. Using 6cm diameter ring cutter, punch out 2 potato rounds, removing any excess potato.
- In small saucepan over medium-high heat, heat oil. Season two potato rounds with salt and add potatoes to pan. Cook potatoes until undersides are golden brown, about 4 mins
- For the crispsy drumsticks and wings, In medium bowl, mix baking powder with 1/2 tsp fine salt. Add reserved chicken drumsticks and wing flats to baking powder mixture. Toss to evenly coat chicken pieces, dusting off excess baking powder mixture.
- Carefully add chicken pieces to preheated deepfryer and cook, adjusting heat to maintain oil temperature at 165°C, for 20 to 25 mins, or until chicken is golden brown, crisp and cooked through.
- For the Marsala sauce return frypan used for cooking chicken thighs to high heat. Add butter to melt and mushrooms. Cook mushrooms, tossing frequently, for 3 mins, or until mushrooms are golden brown and tender. Add Marsala and cook, stirring frequently, until Marsala has reduced to a syrup
- For the potatoes, turn potatoes over and add butter, stock, thyme, rosemary and garlic. Cover potatoes in pan with parchment paper and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook 25 mins, or until potatoes are tender. Keep fondant potatoes warm until ready to serve
- To finish the Marsala sauce, add chicken stock and cream to the mushrooms and bring to a simmer. Simmer mixture until sauce has thickened slightly. Season Marsala sauce with salt and pepper. Remove pan from heat and stir in 1 tbsp chives.
- For the crispy drumsticks and wings, remove from fryer and drain on kitchen paper. Finely chop rosemary and thyme, then add to a small bowl with the sea salt flakes. Sprinkle herb salt all over crispy chicken pieces.
- To serve: Remove one chicken breast from crown and rest for1 minute on paper towel. Slice 3 centre pieces; place chicken breast slices just off center on large plate. Carve ends off one roulade and slice roulade in half; plate one piece of roulade next to sliced breast. Place one potato fondant on plate next to roulade. Top with two chicken oysters and a piece of chicken skin crisp over potato. Lean one crispy drumstick and wing flat alongside roulade. Pour the sauce in a small serving pot. Garnish with remaining chives and serve.
