Pan-Roasted Chicken With Lemon and Whole-Grain Mustard

This is a Wolfgang Puck recipe. And if you have ever eaten at a Wolfgang Puck resturant (a real one, not the express crap in Cool Springs) you will know that everything there is DELISH!

Serves: 2-4

 

Time: 45 minutes

 

Ingredients:

1 whole frying chicken, 3 to 4 pounds, butterflied

1 sprig fresh flat-leaf parsley, 2 fresh basil leaves, or 1 small sprig rosemary

Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup chicken stock or good-quality canned chicken broth

Juice of 2 large lemons (6 to 8 tablespoons)

2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into several pieces

1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley or finely shredded fresh basil

 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Prepare the chicken. From the neck opening, gently ease your fingertips between the skin and the meat to loosen the skin all over the breast, taking care not to tear the skin. Insert the parsley sprig, basil leaves, or rosemary sprig under the skin. Season the chicken generously on both sides with salt and pepper.

 

Heat an ovenproof skillet large enough to hold the chicken over high heat. Add the olive oil and swirl it in the skillet. As soon as you begin to see slight wisps of smoke, carefully place the chicken skin side down in the skillet. Sear the chicken, undisturbed, while reducing the heat little by little to medium, until its skin has turned golden brown and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. With tongs, carefully turn the chicken skin side up. Put the skillet with the chicken into the preheated oven and cook until the chicken is deep golden brown and the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh meat is pierced with a thin skewer, 10 to 15 minutes more, depending on its size. When the chicken is done, remove it from the skillet with tongs and transfer it to a cutting board.

Pour off all but a thin glaze of fat from the skillet. Return the skillet to high heat, add the chicken stock or broth and the lemon juice, stir and scrape with a wooden spoon to deglaze the pan deposits, and boil the liquid until it has reduced by half its volume, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn down the heat, add the mustard, and, stirring briskly with a wire whisk, add the butter a piece at a time to make a creamy sauce. Make sure each piece has been incorporated completely before adding the next. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper and stir in half of the parsley or basil.

 

To serve, spoon the sauce into the centers of two to four heated serving plates. With a large, sharp knife, cut the chicken into two halves or four equal pieces. Place the chicken on the plates, sprinkle with the remaining parsley or basil, and serve.

Recipe from Wolfgang Puck Makes It Easy.