Baked Chicken Recipes
Polish-Style Roast Chicken
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 2 (3 1/2 to 4 pound) whole chickens
- 1 onion, peeled and quartered
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika
- 2 teaspoons salt + more to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper + more to taste
- 14 1/2 ounces reduced sodium chicken broth, defatted
- 1/3 cup vodka
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
- 2 tablespoons sour cream (optional)
Instructions
- Position oven rack in lower third of oven; heat to 350 degrees F.
- Remove giblets. Place hearts, necks and gizzards in roasting pan and reserve livers for another use.
- With a sharp knife, remove excess fat.
- Dry insides with a paper towel.
- With your fingers, loosen skin over breasts and thighs to make pockets, being careful not to tear the skin.
- In a food processor or blender, combine onion, garlic, paprika, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper; puree until smooth.
- Spread 1/4 cup onion puree in the bottom of a roasting pan.
- Place chickens in pan, at least 1 inch apart.
- Rub 1 tablespoon puree into each cavity and spread remaining puree under skin.
- Tuck wings back and tie legs.
- Roast chickens for 20 minutes.
- Drizzle with 1/4 cup chicken broth and roast for 40 minutes more, basting with pan drippings every 20 minutes.
- Tent chickens with aluminum foil and continue roasting for 30 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, away from the bone, registers 180 degrees F and the cavity juices run clear.
- Transfer chickens to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm; leave giblets in pan.
- Pour pan juices into a bowl and chill in freezer for 10 minutes to bring fat to the surface.
- Meanwhile, add remaining chicken broth and vodka to roasting pan and bring to a boil over medium heat, scraping up any browned bits adhering to the pan.
- Add any juices accumulated on chicken platter.
- Skim off fat from chilled pan juices.
- Add juices to roasting pan and return to a boil. Strain juices through a fine sieve into a medium saucepan.
- Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
- In a small bowl, blend water and cornstarch; whisk into simmering gravy.
- Cook, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.
- Whisk in dill and sour cream, if using.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Carve chickens, discarding skin.
- Serve with gravy.