ZAPECHENA KURKA V SMETANI (SMETANA-ROASTED CHICKEN)

Jul 22

Jul 22 ZAPECHENA KURKA V SMETANI (SMETANA-ROASTED CHICKEN)

The Kitchen Scholar

Poultry

SOURCE: OLIA HERCULES. SUMMER KITCHENS: RECIPES AND REMINISCENCES FROM EVERY CORNER OF UKRAINE.

Full-blooded Ukrainians like London-based cookbook author Olia Hercules have only encountered *Chicken Kyiv* after emigration because the dish was never traditional nor ubiquitous among local households to begin with. Instead, Ukrainians braise or bake their chickens in *smetana*, an Eastern European counterpart to *crème fraîche* but richer in butterfat content. Resistant to curdling under the thermal extremities of the oven, *smetana* enriches the chicken drippings to make a marvelous sauce that is ready to serve at the same moment the chicken is fully cooked.

Ingredients

2/3 cup/160 mL smetana OR créme frâiche

1/2 cup/25 grams dill stalks, preferably picked fresh on the same day for best results

1/4 cup/30 grams garlic cloves

Salt and black pepper to taste

1 whole chicken, weighing about 3 pounds/1.4 kg

1 tablespoon/15 mL canola OR grapeseed oil

Specific Equipment

Food processor

Roasting pan lined with parchment paper

Aluminum foil

Spoon

Serves 6

Instructions

1. Combine the smetana or créme frâiche, dill, garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor and pulse quickly several times for 2 to 3 minutes or until the mixture is well blended. Correct the seasoning by adjusting the salt and pepper according to taste.

2. Pour oil into a roasting pan lined with parchment paper and place the chicken over. Spread the smetana or créme frâiche mixture all over the chicken, smearing the cavity, the skin, and underneath the skin. Marinate the chicken for several hours or chill inside a refrigerator overnight.

3. Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C.

4. Cover the chicken loosely with aluminum foil and roast inside the oven for 45 minutes, basting the chicken all over with its juices using a spoon.

5. Remove the roasting pan from the oven and discard the aluminum foil. Return the chicken into the oven and roast for another 15 to 20 minutes or until the juices from the meatiest part of the chicken run clear when pricked with a knife.

6. Remove the chicken from the oven and rest its juices for 5 to 10 minutes before carving and serving the chicken.