Roast chicken asado

A whole chicken is marinated for at least twenty-four hours to prepare it for roasting. Meat is braised in a salty-sweet sauce to make asado. I combined the two to create a new way of cooking roast whole chicken. I call it roast chicken asado.

The chicken is actually cooked twice. It is boiled before roasting. But don’t let that intimidate you. This is a very, very simple recipe.

I might as well let you in a little secret too about how I came up with the idea for this dish. See, I was out the whole morning to take care of the paper work for my kids’ transfer to a non-traditional school. It was 11.00 o’clock by the time I got home. The chicken I was planning on cooking for lunch hadn’t completely thawed. I couldn’t chop it into smaller pieces. I thought I might as well cook it whole. But I couldn’t just throw it in the oven. It hadn’t been marinated. So, the idea was born. Boil it with all the spices and seasonings so that it absorbs all the flavor, then brown it in the oven.

You might wonder: But all the juices and natural flavor of chicken would have gone to the broth… that’s too many good things lost! Well, I solved that issue by turning the broth into a gravy.

Finally, I took out the remaining bag of corn kernels from the freezer, cooked the corn in a little butter and served them on the side. The cooked dish, as presented, must have impressed my 11-year-old who commented: “Is it Christmas again, Mommy?” (read: What’s the occasion?) Well… it’s those little remarks that make home cooking such a pleasure.

Ingredients :

1 whole chicken (I used a 1.2 kg. bird)
1/2 c. of dark soy sauce
1/4 c. of brown sugar
2 whole onions
1 whole garlic
7-8 peppercorns
1 star anise
1 bay leaf
2 tbsps. of butter
2 tbsps. of flour

Cooking procedure :

Place the chicken in a deep pan just large enough to fit the chicken. Add the onions, garlic, peppercorns, star anise and bay leaf. Pour enough water to cover. Add the soy sauce and sugar. Bring to a boil, skimming off scum as it rises. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the broth and transfer to an overproof dish. Roast in a 200^oC oven for 45 minutes or until well-browned.

While the chicken roasts, reduce the broth by simmering until only about two cups remain. Strain well.

Make the gravy. Melt the butter in a small sauce pan. Add the flour all at once, stirring continuously. Cook over medium heat until the mixture is golden brown in color. Pour in the strained broth, a little at a time, while stirring constantly. Cook until the gravy thickens and shows a uniform texture.

To serve, cut the chicken into serving pieces. Place a piece on individual plates and smother with gravy. Add some buttered vegetables (corn, carrots, peas or all of them) on the side to make your roast chicken asado even more special.