2B — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD
TUESDAY, MAY 25, 2021
HOME & LIVING
CHICKEN
Continued from Page 1B
The simplicity and purity
of the chicken is only empha-
sized and enhanced by the
sauce.
In delicious contrast is
the Japanese way of frying
chicken, called karaage. This
chicken is cut into thin strips
and marinated briefl y in a
highly seasoned mixture of
soy sauce, sake, ginger and
garlic.
Thus imbued with the
essential fl avors of Japan,
the strips are then dredged
through corn starch for extra
crispiness when fried.
How good is it? The fi rst
time I made karaage, a
videographer and I fi nished
the entire batch in maybe
two minutes. And we wanted
more. If these fi ve recipes are
my favorite ways for cooking
chicken, then karaage may be
my favorite favorite.
Which is not to discount
my next chicken dish, which
comes from one of the most
famous Italian restaurants in
America, Rao’s in New York
City. It is literally impossible
to get a reservation at this
small, 125-year-old Harlem
establishment; the tables
have been assigned to regu-
lars for decades. When one
of the regulars dies, his heirs
inherit the table.
The most popular dish at
Rao’s is the lemon chicken,
and with the recipe published
in their cookbook, it is easy
to see why. I have served it to
guests on numerous special
occasions.
The recipe calls for garlic
and oregano, but what makes
it truly stand out is a large
amount of olive oil and an
even larger amount of fresh-
squeezed lemon juice. Your
arm may get tired from all the
squeezing, but you know the
saying: When life hands you
lemons, make Rao’s Famous
Lemon Chicken.
Chicken and lemon always
go well together and, as it
turns out, so do chicken and
an awful lot of lemon. The
other secret to this iconic
dish is that it is partially
broiled, which sets down a
base of earthy undertones
that makes the contrasting
brightness of the lemon soar
even more.
Roast chicken with herbed
butter and croutons was next.
I know a chef who judges
restaurants on the quality of
their roast chickens. It is easy
to do, he says, but diffi cult to
do right.
Maybe he doesn’t know
how to make roast chicken
with herbed butter and
croutons.
Most of the herbed butter
goes between the skin and
fl esh of the chicken, which
makes the most satisfying,
buttery chicken ever, and also
crisps the skin. The rest of
the herbed butter goes into
the savory croutons, which
become rich and fl avorful.
The croutons are stuffed
into the chicken’s cavity before
roasting, like a Thanksgiving
turkey, so they can absorb the
juice of the chicken as it cooks.
My fi nal favorite way to
make chicken is specifi cally
a recipe for wings. That is, I
once made a recipe for the
whole chicken that was enjoy-
able enough — but the wings
were amazing. So now I use
the recipe for wings only.
It is a simple application of
fl avors that go well together.
Maple syrup goes with
bourbon, and bourbon goes
with chicken. And because
sweet foods often benefi t from
a little heat, I throw in some
crushed red pepper just to
awaken the fl avors even more.
Buffalo wings have their
place, but to my taste buds,
Hillary Levin/St. Louis Post-Dispatch-TNS
Maple-Bourbon Chicken Wings.
Hillary Levin/St. Louis Post-Dispatch-TNS
Karaage (Japanese fried chicken).
maple syrup, bourbon and a
little heat are the ultimate
expression of chicken wings.
And it’s never, ever bland.
CRISPY-SKIN
CHICKEN WITH PAN
SAUCE
Yield: 2 servings
4 small chicken thighs
or 2 large thighs
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup dry white
wine, see note
1/2 cup chicken broth, see note
3 sprigs basil, thyme
or tarragon, or 2
sprigs rosemary
1/2 tablespoon butter
Note: If you don’t want to
use wine, use 1 cup chicken
broth.
1. With a sharp knife, cut
fairly deeply along both sides
of the bone on the back of the
thighs. Season chicken with
salt and pepper and place
skin-side down on an unheated
skillet.
2. Place skillet on stove and
turn heat to medium-high.
Cook a few minutes until you
see rendered fat emerge from
under the meat. Cover and
cook until meat is done, 20 to
30 more minutes, depending
on the size of the thighs (cut
into meat to check; it is done
when meat at thickest point is
no longer pink).
3. Remove chicken and keep
warm. Pour out fat from skillet.
Place skillet back over high heat
and add wine, if using, broth
and herbs. With a wooden
spoon, stir up all the brown
bits on the bottom. Simmer
until liquid is reduced by half or
more. Remove pan from heat,
add butter, and swirl butter
around until it is melted and
incorporated into sauce.
4. When serving, place
chicken on plate and spoon
sauce around it, to keep the
skin crispy.
Per serving: 365 calories; 28 g
fat; 9 g saturated fat; 155 mg
cholesterol; 25 g protein; 1 g
carbohydrate; 1 g sugar; no
fi ber; 1,532 mg sodium; 15 mg
calcium
fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon table salt
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless
chicken thighs, trimmed and
cut crosswise into 1- to 1
1/2-inch strips, see notes
1 1/4 cups cornstarch
1 quart peanut or vegetable
oil, for frying
Lemon wedges
Hillary Levin/St. Louis Post-Dispatch-TNS
Note: Do not use chicken
breasts, which will dry out
during the frying.
1. Combine soy sauce,
sake, ginger, garlic, sugar and
salt in medium bowl. Add
chicken and toss to combine.
Let sit at room temperature
for 30 minutes. While chicken
is marinating, line a rimmed
baking sheet with parchment
paper. Set wire rack in second
rimmed baking sheet and line
rack with triple layer of paper
towels. Place cornstarch in
wide bowl.
2. Lift chicken from mari-
nade, 1 piece at a time, allow-
ing excess marinade to drip
back into bowl but leaving any
garlic or ginger bits on chicken.
Coat chicken with cornstarch,
shake off excess and place
on parchment-lined sheet.
Reserve marinade.
3. Add oil to large Dutch
oven until it measures about
3/4 inch deep and heat over
medium-high heat to 375
degrees. While oil heats, check
chicken pieces for white patch-
es of dry cornstarch. Dip back
of spoon in reserved marinade
and gently press onto dry
spots to lightly moisten.
4. Using tongs, add half
of chicken, 1 piece at a time,
to oil in single layer. Cook,
adjusting burner if necessary,
to maintain oil temperature
between 300 and 325 degrees,
until chicken is golden brown
and crispy, 4 to 5 minutes.
Using spider skimmer or slot-
ted spoon, transfer chicken to
paper towel-lined rack. Return
oil to 325 degrees and repeat
with remaining chicken. Serve
with lemon wedges (the lemon
adds an important fl avor note).
5. For even better results,
fry a second time at least 1
or 2 hours, and as long as 24
hours, after frying the fi rst
time. Keep refrigerated before
frying a second time.
— Crispy-skin method by
Jacques Pepin; pan sauce
recipe by Daniel Neman Per serving (based on 6): 423
calories; 23 g fat; 4 g saturated
fat; 107 mg cholesterol; 23 g
protein; 27 g carbohydrate; 1 g
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
sugar; no fi ber; 375 mg sodium;
12 mg calcium
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sake
— Adapted from “The Chicken
1 tablespoon grated
Bible” by America’s Test Chicken
Roast Chicken with Herbed Butter and Croutons.
MAPLE-BOURBON
CHICKEN WINGS
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
2/3 cup maple syrup
2/3 cup bourbon
1/4 cup dark brown
sugar, fi rmly packed
1/2 teaspoon crushed red
pepper or cayenne pepper,
or to taste, optional
3 pounds chicken wings
done (internal temperature of
165 degrees), 10 to 20 minutes,
depending on size of wings.
If wings start to get too dark,
cover with a sheet of aluminum
foil.
Per serving (based on 6): 415
calories; 8 g fat; 2 g saturated
fat; 129 mg cholesterol; 50 g
protein; 30 g carbohydrate; 29 g
sugar; no fi ber; 188 mg sodium;
65 mg calcium
or fi ne sea salt
1/2 teaspoon dried garlic fl akes
1 whole small chicken,
about 3 1/2 pounds
1 2/3 cups cubed day-old bread
Note: The chicken can be
buttered and stuffed up to a
day in advance, wrapped in
plastic wrap and refrigerated.
1. Preheat oven to 450
degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, mash
— Adapted from “Salt Sugar together the butter, herbs, salt
1. Preheat oven to 400
Smoke” by Diana Henry and garlic fl akes.
degrees.
3. Put the chicken breast-side
2. In a small saucepan, mix
up, neck end facing you, on a
together maple syrup, bourbon,
clean work surface. Slip a clean
brown sugar and pepper, if us-
hand under the skin, starting at
ing. Bring to a boil, reduce the
the base of the neck, and work
heat and simmer until it reaches
your hand further in gently,
the thickness of a syrup. You
lifting the skin over each breast
will have about 1 cup of liquid.
Yield: 4 servings
and down over each thigh,
Allow to cool and thicken.
without tearing. Once the skin
3. Season wings with salt
is loosened, slip in two-thirds of
and pepper. Spread on a baking 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick)
butter, slightly softened
the herbed butter (reserve the
sheet in a single layer. Roast for
1/2 cup chopped fresh
rest for the croutons), pushing
20 minutes. Flip and roast 15
herbs, such as fl at-leaf
it under the skin to coat the
more minutes. Place wings in
parsley, chives, chervil,
breasts and thighs evenly.
a bowl and toss with maple-
basil or cilantro
bourbon mixture.
See Chicken/Page 3B
4. Spread coated wings back 1 teaspoon table salt
on baking sheet and cook until
ROAST CHICKEN
WITH HERBED
BUTTER AND
CROUTONS
VISIT BAKER’S MOST
INTERESTING STORE
Store is open 24 hours
For All your
Meat processing
needs
Schedule Early
For our Mobile Truck!
7 am to 7 pm Take Out Only
Take out and Catering is Available.
515 Campbell Street Baker City
541-523-4318
Bring in your game scraps for
sausage, burger or jerky!
M ICHAEL
Baker County
CUSTOM MEATS
541-786-8463
M. Curtiss PN-7077A CCB# 183649
M
2390 11th Street
Baker City OR.
A C ERTIFIED M ASTER A RBORIST
Owners Del & Jana
Woodcock
KARAAGE
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