We're lucky around here… quite a few VPR staffers are terrific cooks. Fabulous smells often emanate from our kitchenette, and we do a lot of recipe swapping and taste testing! We love to cook for one another, and we'll use this page to showcase some of our favorite recipes, as well as the stories and traditions behind them.
Cheryl Willoughby is VPR's Director of Music Programming and hosts a program on VPR Classical weekdays from 8-10 a.m.
Saturday nights for me usually mean live music. But when I do stay home I'm often creating a special meal to share with a few good friends, like my 'eating locally' party this past Saturday evening. The menu included baked local beets with caramelized onions, and topped with local feta. Potatoes were mashed with local sour cream and butter, homegrown rosemary and garlic. A fresh spinach salad and tart apple crisp completed the meal. The main dish was one a friend recently made for me: cider-roasted chicken. It's tender, flavorful, and completely delicious. Happy harvest-time!
Note: This recipe is originally from Cooking Light Magazine.
Ingredients
3 quarts water
1 quart apple cider
1/8 - 1/4 cup kosher salt (Cheryl used 1/8)
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 (6-pound) roasting chicken
2 cups apple cider
1 large onion, peeled and halved
4 flat-leaf parsley sprigs
4 garlic cloves, peeled
Combine the first 5 ingredients in a saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring until salt dissolves. Remove from heat; cool completely. Remove and discard giblets and neck from chicken. Rinse chicken with cold water; pat dry. Trim excess fat. Pour brine into a 2-gallon zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken; seal. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight, turning the bag occasionally.
Preheat oven to 400°.
Bring 2 cups cider to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until cider has thickened and reduced to 1/4 cup (about 15 minutes). Set aside.
Remove chicken from bag; discard brine. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Place the onion halves, parsley, and garlic into cavity. Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck under chicken. Tie legs. Place chicken on rack of a broiler pan. Bake at 400° for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until thermometer registers 175°. Remove from oven (do not turn oven off). Carefully remove and discard skin. Baste chicken with half of reduced cider; return to 400° oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven; baste with remaining cider reduction. Transfer chicken to a platter.
Place a zip-top plastic bag inside a 2-cup glass measure. Pour drippings into bag; let stand 10 minutes (fat will rise to the top). Seal bag; carefully snip off 1 bottom corner of bag. Drain drippings into a small bowl, stopping before fat layer reaches opening; discard fat. Serve jus over chicken.
Serves 8.