Roast Chicken w/ Ginger and Soy-Whiskey Glaze
That’s what i call a good-looking chicken!
As you can tell, today is chicken day on Chef’s gone wild. Of course, you know it’s not your average chicken day when your chicken taste a bit like Peking duck…
So is it chicken or duck, you asked? Well, let’s say it’s a chicken wannabe duck but who cares really as long as it’s delicious and taste like chicken… or duck. No, no, don’t pull your feathers hair now, this ain’t fowl play! I already told you it’s a chicken… Okay, to be fair let’s call it a chicken who lives on the edge of duckiness… cuz it kind of taste like duck too – not that i want to confuse you or anything. I’m sure it’s not a test tube chicken with added duck extract, i only use free-range chicken… and duck. It’s just that… this particular chicken just couldn’t decide. Could it be the ginger and soy-whiskey glaze then? Ahh …you bet! A glaze that transforms a chicken into a Peking duck? A transvestite chicken!! That’s what it is!!
Pffewwwww… I’m glad i got this out. Be discret now, the chicken doesn’t know and you don’t want to hurt his feelings. It might get tough.
Oh! err..er…eh.. Thanks Mr President for clarifying, my readers were worried about that! hmmm. It’s an honor to have you here…err.. See my friends! That chicken is safe to eat and that’s all that matters. Enjoy!
- 1/2 cup kosher salt (for the brine), plus more to taste
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- One 3-pound chicken
- 1 cup roughly chopped ginger (don’t bother to peel)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup Scotch or other whiskey
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 1/4 cup canola oil
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- Combine the 1/2 cup and 1/4 cup of the sugar in a large container with 4 cups of cold water to dissolve. Add the chicken and soak for 1 hour at room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 450’F. Drain the chicken and pat dry. Stuff about 3/4 cup of the ginger into the chicken’s cavity, season the bird with salt and pepper, and truss it. Or at least tie up the legs. Combine the remaining ginger with the soy sauce, whiskey, the remaining 1 cup of sugar, and the garlic in a saucepan and bring to boil; simmer while you brown the chicken, then strain.
- Heat the oil in a large ovenproof skillet or roasting pan and turn the heat to medium high. when the oil is hot, brown the chicken on both sides, coloring one leg and half the breast at the time – it will take 5 minutes per side. Put the chicken on its back, baste it with the soy mixture, and put pan in the oven.
- Roast for 45min to 1 hour, basting every 10 minutes with the soy glaze, until dark brown. A thermometer inserted into its thigh should read 155’F. Remove the bird from the oven and let it rest for a few minutes before carving. Serve with pan juices.
