Get creative with this one-pot dish

It can easily take you through the week - and cut down on your cooking time

I love everything about roasting chicken. What is there not to love? The easy-peasy preparation, not having to deal with raw poultry fabrication (fancy chef speak for jointing chicken), the thrill of having the oven cook dinner for you instead of slaving over a hot stove top, the delicious smell of well-seasoned meat roasting in the house, the crispy skin at the end, and the countless ways I do not have to cook again for several meals. Have I sold you yet? I bet!
This week, we are focusing on the art of easy. If you intend to eat most of your meals at/from home for any reason - special diet, fitness, or financial prudence - you will want to make your time in the kitchen as efficient as possible. I guarantee you that this one recipe will do the trick. Here is one roast chicken, six ways. (If you have a family, I suggest you buy the juiciest corn-fed chicken you can find and double the recipe. You will want extra. If you are cooking for one, I still suggest you double the recipe. It is that good!)
Friday Roast
On Thursday night, marinate the roast chicken in the recipe (see right). On Friday morning, you can throw in some potatoes and other root vegetables tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper along with the chicken and roast on a large sheet pan. Serve one piece of chicken (if you can stick to just one) with the vegetables for brunch.
Saturday Stir-Fry
You can refresh your pre-roasted dinner in a way no one will ever know that it wasn't all from scratch. Slice pieces into strips and sauté in a wok or hot pot with a plain oil (like sunflower or peanut oil), and add all the vegetables you have on hand. Broccoli, cauliflower, snow peas, sugar snap peas, string beans, bok choi, cabbage, onions, spring onions and carrots are great for this. Add Kikkoman Soy Sauce and Lee Kum Kee Oyster Sauce instead of salt.
Sunday Salad
Start your week off with a great salad, combining your favourite leafy salad greens and small pieces of the chicken. Add some sliced avocado on top. Carry olive oil and a lemon to work to drizzle on top, if packing for lunch outside the home.
Monday "Manwich"
I am using the term "manwich" here creatively for a huge sandwich. Pile up shredded roast chicken, tomatoes, cucumbers, iceberg lettuce and some avocado for a decidedly moreish sandwich using your favourite bread or baguette. I love mine on the popular Filipino Pan de Sal bread from the Panaderia bakery in Abu Dhabi.
Tuesday Rasta Pasta
Jazz up any pasta meal with strips of your roast chicken. Just cook pasta, make your favourite sauce and add
the chicken. Grate Parmesan or Romano cheese on top and voila!
Wednesday Soup
On Wednesday, strip the last bits of meat off the chicken and put the bones in a pot of chicken stock and water, or use your favourite stock cube, and cook for 45 minutes with carrots, celery and onions. Serve plain or add baby bok choi for a low-carb meal or add noodles, if desired. Finally, drizzle some toasted sesame oil on top, and serve. Chances are you will have enough soup for Thursday as well.
Chef and Steward's Jamaican Roast Chicken
Ingredients
. 1.4-1.5 kg whole fresh chicken
. 2 tsp sea salt
. 2 tsp coarse cracked black pepper, freshly cracked
. 2 tsp coarse cracked allspice, freshly cracked
. 1 tbsp olive oil
. 3 large garlic cloves
. 7 sprigs thyme
. ½ scotch bonnet pepper (substitute with habanero or extra tsp black pepper, if desired)
. 2 tsp cane vinegar
. 1 tbsp butter
. 2 stalks scallion/green onions
Method
Wash and pat the chicken dry.
Finely chop scotch bonnet/habanero, discarding the seeds.
Finely dice the garlic and strip thyme leaves from stems; combine with black pepper, allspice, scotch bonnet/habanero, salt, oil and vinegar, and mix in a small bowl.
Thinly slice the green parts of the stems of the green onions and set aside till required.
Rub the spice paste all over the chicken, getting into every nook and cranny and the cavities as well as the neck area. Gently ease skin away from chicken in the breast and back areas and rub marinade underneath. Tuck the sliced green onions under the skin as well.
Place the white stems of the green onions along with the stems of the thyme inside the cavity. Truss the legs together with kitchen twine.
Tuck the wing tips underneath the back of the chicken so that the chicken will present nicely on the table when done.
Marinate for at least 2 hours, although keeping it overnight will yield best results.
Bring the chicken to room temperature before cooking.
When ready to cook, preheat oven to 180°C.
Bring butter to room temperature; divide into two portions and stuff underneath the skin of each breast.
Roast chicken for an hour, then crank up the oven to 220°C for another 5 minutes to brown.
Allow chicken to rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting. Present it whole at the table and carve tableside for extra fanfare.
wknd@khaleejtimes.com

• Food and Dining