For every rule, there is an exception. (This, in itself, is a rule… which has no exceptions… which makes it exceptional? Arrrgh, my head, too much for a Monday morning.)
I before E except after C (unless you’re spelling, say, “science” or “species”).
Red wine with beef (unless it’s steak tartare), white wine with fish (unless it’s salmon, in which case a good Pinot Noir or rosé is a perfect complement).
White wine with poultry is another rule people like to toss about and, generally speaking, a good one. Except… when it’s not. Sometimes rules are meant to be broken, I guess.
This chicken recipe is a great example of the exceptional exception: a whole chicken marinated in red wine and a laundry list of aromatic herbs and spices. It shouldn’t work so well, but it does.
Bold and unique in flavour but still hits all the same deeply comforting notes as a traditional roast chicken. Juicy and flavourful with a totally enchanting aroma that will fill your house and make your mouth water.
Honestly, every time I make this chicken, I just want to live with that smell in my nose for a week (bonus points: make stock with the leftover carcass so that you can hold on to that flavour a little longer).
| Aromatic Red Wine Roasted Chicken | | Print |
- Marinade:
- ½ cup dry red wine
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup yellow onion, finely chopped
- 4 large cloves garlic, crushed
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp whole coriander seeds, crushed up a bit
- 2 tsp fresh thyme, leaves picked
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 Tbsp whole fennel seeds
- 3 bay leaves
- .
- 1 whole frying chicken
- ⅓ cup melted butter
- Combine all marinade ingredients together in a large ziploc bag. Add chicken to bag and seal well, giving the chicken a little toss in the sauce. Place in the refrigerator for 24 hours, giving the bag a rotate once or twice to make sure the chicken is evenly marinated.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Remove chicken from marinade bag and dust off as much of the whole spices as possible. Strain leftover marinade into a small saucepan (removing all whole spices), add butter. Bring to a boil then remove from heat.
- Using some kitchen twine, truss the chicken's legs if they aren't already tied. Place chicken on a rack in a large roasting tray or dutch oven, breast side up and baste with marinade/butter mixture.*
- Bake uncovered for 15 minutes then reduce heat to 350 and cook for an additional 45-60 minutes (depending on the size of your bird), basting every 15 minutes or so.
I wish I could cook like you. Thank you for the recipe I will try my best.
We tried this last night. 350˚ seems too low, or 15+60 minutes too short, so we added another 20 minutes at 400˚… but it was DELICIOUS! You could taste each of the flavors in perfect harmony, Reminded us of Cantonese glazed chicken.