IT DIDN’T START WELL. First of all the book took ages to arrive, three weeks after I ordered it from the usually trusty Amazon UK. Then there was the matter of buying a whole chicken. I’ve had poultry trouble before. But today I went to the butcher’s counter directly. Go to the source, I said. He pointed to a variety of chickens behind the glass, some with heads on, some without (thank you!) and all with more feathers still attached than any American cook would ever want to see. (As I understand it, Italians actually like the feather remnants because it indicates freshness. Or a connection to the land. Or something. What I do know is this: I do not like them.) I also misunderstood the price when quoted in my awesome Italian and 10.89 EUROS later (at least $15) I left with my chicken. Still raw, still with a few feathers, thinking Gwyneth, this better be good.
And it was.
First of all, the house smelled incredible as the chicken roasted and crackled away in the oven. The process of making Gwyneth Paltrow’s Roast Chicken Rotisserie Style was fairly involved (prepare spiced butter, smear it and tie everything with twine) and at 75 minutes plus, the cooking time was quite long. The results however, were delicious. To make things easier for those with little (hungry, not so patient) tummies in the house, I’d simply use a cut up chicken next time. Cooking time will be faster and twine will not be involved. (Something I tackled while the wee ones were napping, otherwise I’d probably still be covered in butter.) Slather the pieces with Gwyneth’s tasty paprika-garlic butter and flip a couple of times but also add half a cup of water, chicken broth or white wine to the pan. This is a trick I learned in an Italian cooking class last year and it’s brilliant. Everything stays moist and gets an extra infusion of flavor.
But as for the real recipe, we give it a thumbs up. Both kids, and both parents, enjoyed this chicken last night. The meat was so moist that even Estelle, she of two teeth, could easily gum her way through dinner.
We also made two more dishes from “My Father’s Daughter” and those posts are up next. First I’m going to make myself a chicken sandwich.
MORE DINNER IDEAS TO TRY:
- Spaghetti with sausage two ways
- Toddler-friendly Asian noodles with vegetables
- Carroty mac and cheese
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