Clearing the cobwebs

It's almost a month since I last updated this blog. I am feeling terribly guilty of neglecting 'this part of my life' that I fear my blog has already collected a thick layer of dust. I apologise for my tardiness, especially to all of you who have remained my loyal readers. I think it is time now for me to wipe off the dust and clear away all the cobwebs.

I wasn't really busy with anything over the past month. In fact I was rather 'inactive' if not for the usual household chores that kept me 'moving'. I could only blame it on the weather. Thanks to the poor design and layout of my house, I feel like I am living in a sauna :'( The heat and high humidity makes me feel so sluggish that I have no mood to do any baking. All I want is to go somewhere cold to hibernate than to sweat it out in the kitchen.

I can stop all baking activities but cooking is something I cannot avoid. I have never liked cooking since my cooking skills remains the same, that is, I am forever a novice. I am so tempted to eat out or opt for takeaways everyday, but, my conscience has prevented me from doing so. Nothing beats home cooked meals, even if it is something as simple as roast chicken.

I have been following this recipe whenever my boys craved for a roast chicken. Lately I got lazy, and relied on a new recipe which is so much easier and simple to prepare. Most importantly, the recipe always yields a crispy skinned roast chicken.

The key to the crunchy crisp skin is this secret ingredients...corn starch. What a valuable lesson I have learned from the Living Magazine! This is such a simple roast chicken that anyone can prepare. All you need to do is to wash and clean the whole chicken (believe it or not, this is a task that I took a while to pick up the courage to do!), pat it real dry, inside out, and rub some butter all over the skin, including under the skin. Butter will help the chicken to brown evenly. The next thing is to rub a combination of salt, pepper and corn starch all over the chicken, including the cavity and of course under the skin to add flavour to the meat. I like to add in some dried mixed herbs as I love the smell of the herbs when the chicken is roasting. It is perfectly all right to leave it out or you could do with some fresh rosemary (finely chopped). I don't truss the chicken as I don't know how to do it, plus, I think it is not an absolute must. The last step is to place it in a roasting pan (preferably one that comes with a rack, to encourage even browning) and leave it to the oven to the finish the job as it is not necessary to baste the chicken. In about an hour's time, you will be rewarded with a golden crispy chicken, not forgetting the inviting aroma of the roast chicken...I feel so proud for myself as I am very certain my neighbours could smell it and would probably think their neighbour must be a good cook!

I would usually baked some potatoes together with the chicken, but this time, I left them out, and served the chicken with some salad instead. I have also served the chicken with tortilla wraps, making it an interesting meal for my kids.

Besides the crispy skin, the meat is tender and juicy, even the chicken breast tastes good, soft and moist. This is mainly due to the ingredients used. The salt and corn starch will lock in the moisture as the chicken roasts. It is certainly a no-frills, no-fail and yet delicious meal that I would go back again and again. I am not so concerned about the fat, as most of the fat from the chicken melts and drips away during roasting. I am always amazed by the amount of oil that is collected in the roasting pan. It makes me think that a roast chicken is a much healthier choice than deep fried ones. Of course, the pan juice is best used to make a flavourful sauce out of it, but I have given up on it as I was too zealous trying to spoon off every single drop of fat that I was left with not much of juice to work with, lolz. 

I hope this post has help wiped off some dust, and I believe I will be back soon, and hopefully it will be something to do with baking.



Crisp-skinned Roast Chicken

Ingredients
1 medium-size chicken
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly grounded black pepper
1 teaspoon corn starch (also known as corn flour)
1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs (optional)
1 knob (about 1 tbs) unsalted butter, soften at room temperature

Method:

Combine salt, pepper, corn flour, mixed herbs (if using), set aside.

Wash, clean and pat the chicken dry (very dry) with paper towels all over, including the cavity. Rub the butter all over the chicken.  With fingertips, gently separate the skin from the meat of the chicken breast and rub some butter under the skin. Rub the seasoning mixture over the chicken and inside the cavity, and push some seasoning mixture under the skin.

Tuck the wings underneath the chicken and place it breast side up, on a roasting pan (preferably with a rack). Cook in preheated oven at 230 degC for around 10-15 mins then turn down to 200degC for around 40-45 minutes or until the skin is nicely browned. To test whether the chicken is done, pierce the tip of a knife near the joint between the drumstick and the thigh. The juices should run clear (not pink), if it is still pink, cook the chicken a little longer. Let the chicken rest for 15 minutes before serving. This allows the juices to settle and redistribute and the chicken will be much more succulent.

Recipe source: adapted from Living Magazine