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Finally, Hamersley and his sous chef had an idea. They made a parsley paste, rubbed it on the birds and set them aside to marinate overnight. The next day, they broiled the chicken until the skin was crisp and brown so that when it arrived at the table, the herby paste was transformed into a delectable crust.
Two months after Hamersley’s Bistro opened, a restaurant critic ordered the Roast Chicken with Garlic, Lemon and Parsley and was so carried away he telephoned Hamersley to prepare him for the response to his rave review. “Go and buy more chickens,” he told Hamersley. The rest, as they say, is history.
Over the last 20 years, Hamersley figures he’s served more than 280,000 roast chickens. Some customers order it every time they eat at the restaurant. Occasionally Hamersley talks about taking it off the menu, but whenever he does, people complain. “All hell breaks loose,” he says.
Roast Chicken with Garlic, Lemon and Parsley
Ingredients
1 cup flat-leaf parsley
2 garlic cloves
2 shallots
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons dried herbes de Provence
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
Chicken:
1 (3-pound) chicken
1/2 teaspoon salt
Coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 head garlic (unpeeled)
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2. To prepare chicken, coat chicken with marinade. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 350F.
4. Season chicken with salt and pepper; place on rack in roasting pan. Wrap garlic in foil and place alongside chicken. Roast 1 1/2 hours or until a meat thermometer inserted in thigh registers 170F. Remove from oven and let rest 20 minutes.
5. Reserve pan juices in the roasting pan. Add broth and lemon juice. Squeeze roasted garlic cloves into broth mixture. Whisk, stirring to loose brown bits, and simmer until slightly thickened. Serve with chicken. Serves 4.
Relish a classic Dish, October 2008. Recipe adapted from Bistro Cooking at Home by Gordon Hamersley (Broadway Books, 2003).
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