Lemon and Herbs Roast Chicken
At the Mercato Centrale launch, I met one of my students' mom. When he told me his mom was there, I had no idea that he was talking about the lady behind Sunshine Chicken. I have been reading about Solraya's Sunshine Chicken ever since I started this blog but I have never gotten the chance of trying one of her much talked about "grass-fed, free-ranged, naturally grown" chicken. At one point, I even thought about growing free-range chicken in our backyard- How cool is it to have chickens puttering away right outside your door or to get fresh eggs from your own back yard?- Okay. So I still do.
Chicken Liver Pate
So, imagine how absolutely thrilled I was when I introduced myself to Solraya. Thrilled. Absolutely. I really really was. She had me try her new chicken liver pate- robust flavor, wonderful texture, very good on lightly toasted pan de sal. I could not get enough of it.
Finally, I got my Sunshine Chicken, too. I had my brother, the family's second in command in roasting chicken (my dad being the first), roast it in the oven. He did a great job keeping it juicy, by brining the chicken first before roasting. My contribution was suggesting poking holes in the whole lemon to be stuffed in the chicken, an idea I got from Jamie Oliver.
Lemon and Herbs Roast Chicken
1 free-range chicken, brined
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
Fresh ground black pepper
3 sprigs Rosemary
3 sprigs Thyme
1 whole lemon, pricked all over with a fork
Directions
Follow the steps for brining chicken here: http://allrecipes.com//HowTo/roasting-chicken/Detail.aspx.
After rinsing the brined chicken under cold running water and letting it air-dry for at least an hour in the refrigerator, let it stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
Rub the chicken with butter and black pepper, inside and out. Stuff the chicken with the rosemary, thyme and lemon. Place chicken on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast the chicken at 500 degrees for about 20 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F.
Roast for another 30 minutes. A few minutes before the end of roasting time, check the chicken temperature (insert thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh). If it registers 170 degrees F, then it is done.
Solraya's Sunshine Chicken
Contact Information:
Address: Quirino Highway cor. Regalado, Fairview, Quezon City
Phone: (0917)847-2639; (02)417-1800
Fax: (078)682-3758
Email: info@solraya.com
Website: http://solraya.blogspot.com
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