What happens when traditional roasted chicken is married to sheet pan cooking? A delicious meal that combines old and new. It makes for the perfect weekend or weekday meal.
Regular contributor Melissa Clark wrote about this in yesterday's New York Times Wednesday Food section. She was always a big fan of her moms roasted chicken ,cooked in a deep roasting pan.The bird was placed on a layer of carrots, onions and celery.The chicken fat would drip down on these veggies rendering the carrots and onions soft and sweet (the celery was always a bit stringy in Ms Clark's view). She changes it up with a sheet pan version. She embraced this technique that first came about in the early 2000's.It's an easy technique ,perfect for novice home chefs. It;s just layering everything on a sheet or jelly roll pan. Using parchment paper to line it is a plus because it's an easy clean up. The logic she uses behind this new dish is the same as her mother's The chicken skin renders, melting down on the veggies giving them a rich flavor. Sheet pans, however, have lower sides than traditional roasting pans so less team is trapped. This means a more burnished and crispier skin.
The chicken parts she uses are bone in chicken legs. she seasons them with salt and then tossed them in a mix of garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and sweet paprika. She arranges them on the pan surrounded by carrots and red onions along with smashed garlic and thyme sprigs. These last two add more savory notes to the dinner. What is different from Ms Clark's mother's recipe is that she drizzles hot honey and sprinkles on fennel and coriander seeds. it gives the chicken a spicy, fragrant kick.To finish she stirs the veggies in the pan, scraping up the crispy browned bits from the bottom. Lemon juice and a handful of fresh herbs lend brightness and acidity. The herbs are a mix of fresh basil, mint cilantro and dill. These can be in any combination. The chicken should be extra crispy simply because it;s been cooked in a 425 degree Farenheit oven for twenty minutes. After that stir the onions and fennel seeds into the carrots. Drizzle on more olive oil and roast for another twenty minutes more. Top with lemon juice and herbs and serve.
This is a fun updated version of a classic chicken dinner.Even better it;s crispy chicken legs ,.It'sa wonderful weeknight or weekend dinner
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