Splayed Roast Chicken With Caramelized Ramps Food

SPLAYED ROAST CHICKEN WITH CARAMELIZED RAMPS

Steps:

• Rub the chicken inside and out with salt and pepper. If you have time, do this 2 to 3 hours ahead and refrigerate the bird uncovered. Otherwise, let it rest uncovered at room temperature while oven heats.
• Place a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet in the oven and heat to 500 degrees for 45 minutes. If you salted the chicken in advance, take it out of the fridge so it can warm to room temperature.
• Meanwhile, prep the ramps: trim the hairy bottoms and remove the outer layer of skin. Separate the leaves from the bulbs, rinse both gently, and pat dry. Cut any fat bulbs (wider than a pencil) in half lengthwise. Tear the leaves into large pieces.
• Transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut the skin connecting the legs to the body. Splay the thighs open until you feel the joint pop on each side. Place 2 lemon wedges inside the chicken.
• Carefully transfer chicken, breast-side up, to the hot skillet. Press down on the legs so they rest flat on the bottom of the pan. Drizzle the bird with the oil. Roast for 30 minutes. Toss ramp bulbs (not leaves), garlic and capers into the skillet. Stir to coat them with pan juices. Roast for 5 minutes more, then stir again. Continue cooking until ramps are tender and chicken is no longer pink, 5 to 15 minutes more (for a total cooking time of 40 to 50 minutes).
• Remove chicken from oven and stir ramp leaves into the pan until just wilted. Let chicken rest for 5 minutes, then serve with the pan juices and ramps, garlic and capers, seasoning everything with juice from the remaining lemon wedges, if desired.

ROASTED CHICKEN WITH RISOTTO AND CARAMELIZED ONIONS

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onions and saute for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the onions are a dark golden brown. Remove from heat, stir in the balsamic vinegar and set aside.
• Heat the remaining oil in a separate large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the rice and mix well. Let heat for about 2 minutes, then pour in the wine. Reduce heat to medium low and start pouring in the broth about 1 cup at a time. Add more broth as each cup is absorbed. Continue in this manner until all the broth is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 20 minutes.
• Stir in the reserved onion mixture and allow to heat through. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and chicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and garnish each serving with fresh thyme.

ROASTED CHICKEN WITH LEMON, RAMPS, AND GREEN OLIVES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Fry lemon slices until just beginning to brown, 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and reserve oil in pan.
• Season chicken with salt and pepper. Return pan to medium-high heat. Working in batches to avoid crowding the pan, cook chicken, without turning, until skin is nicely browned and crisped, 7-8 minutes per batch. Transfer chicken, skin-side up, to a large roasting pan; repeat with remaining chicken. Reserve skillet (do not wash).
• Arrange reserved lemon slices and ramps around chicken pieces. Transfer roasting pan to oven and cook until chicken is cooked through (it should reach an internal temperature of 165°F), 25-30 minutes. Transfer chicken, lemon slices, and ramps to a serving platter, reserving pan juices.
• Heat reserved skillet over medium; add garlic and shallots and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add olives and thyme and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add wine and cook, stirring, until reduced by about half, 2-3 minutes. Using a spoon, transfer chicken juices from roasting pan to skillet and cook until thickened, 3-5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce around chicken and garnish with fresh parsley.

ROASTED CHICKEN WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°; bring garlic and milk to boil; drain and discard milk; in a small metal baking pan toss garlic with 1 T oil; roast 13 minutes or until golden; cool a bit and put the garlic and it's cooking oil in a food processor; process to a paste; sprinkle with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Saute the onions in the butter and 1 T oil over medium-low heat; cook until golden, about 40 minutes; add vinegar, thyme and bay leaf and simmer until liquid is reduced by half, about 3 minutes; stir in cream and salt and pepper; set aside.
• While the onions are sauteing, preheat the oven to 450°; heat the remaining 1 T of oil in a large skillet; salt and pepper the chicken; place skin side down in skillet and cook until golden brown on one side only, about 4 minutes.
• Place chicken, skin side up, on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until internal temperature is 180°; spread garlic paste atop chicken pieces and bake another 5 minutes, until golden brown.
• Rewarm onions over medium-low heat; to serve plate onions and place 2 pieces of chicken atop them; garnish with parsley.

ROASTED GARLIC CHICKEN WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice the top off the head of garlic, place on a piece of foil, sprinkle with salt, and drizzle olive oil over top. Roast about 30 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, squeeze the garlic into a small bowl and mash with a spoon into a paste.
• Melt the butter in a pan and saute the onions over medium heat for about 45 minutes. You want the onions to caramelize in their own sugars and take on a nice golden brown color. This may take up to an hour, depending on how dialed your heat is. If they turn black, it was too hot!
• Season the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and thyme on both sides. Saute in olive oil over medium-high heat for about 2-3 minutes per side. You only want a nice golden crust here.
• Spread the roasted garlic paste over top of the chicken breasts and finish them in the 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until the juices run clear. Let the chicken rest on your cutting board for 5 minutes while you prepare the sauce from the pan drippings.
• Drain the excess olive oil from the pan and place over high heat. Deglaze with chicken broth and the optional wine, scraping the browned bits off the pan with a wooden spoon. You want to boil this rapidly and reduce it down to about a third of what it was (or until it's a nice sauce consistency). Taste and correct the seasoning with salt and pepper.
• To plate, slice the breasts diagonally, lay the slices one atop the next, drizzle with the sauce, and top with the carmelized onions.