Roasted Airline Chicken over Herbed Hash Browns

What the heck is airline chicken? Well, I didn’t know either until the other day when I was in class at the Western Reserve School of Cooking. It is a cut of chicken that includes the breast as well as the drum from the wing. Who knew, right? The idea I had was to work on breaking down some chickens to make dinner as well as have some bones left over to make chicken stock. Success in the kitchen is a satisfying feeling, let me tell you. Anyhow, this cut probably isn’t available at the grocery store, so just pick up some chicken breasts with the skin still on. Forget the boneless/skinless chicken breasts- let’s impart a ton of flavor and juice by keeping that skin on. Just don’t eat it and you’re doing fine.

For this recipe we are going to use some fresh thyme and Herbs de Provence. Now, the Herbs de Provence (HdP) that I am using are a little different than those found in the States. My in-laws have a house in Provence, so they pick us up fresh HdP when they go over there (although I am looking forward to picking it up myself again in July 2011!). This HdP has no lavender in it, so it is a little less intense than the American version. HdP has dried savory, fennel, basil and thyme. American HdP has lavender in it as well. Don’t worry about which one you have though, your meal will taste great no matter which type you are using. When you sprinkle HdP or any other dried herb onto your dish, make sure that you give it a little grind with your fingers to release the essential oils and other goodness. I promise that it will punch up the flavors.

So I had some broken down chickens on my hands and a huge pot of stock working on the stove. What to do? Well, I also made some Marbled Peanut Butter Brownies tonight for another project that I am working on, so the oven was already at 350. Time to get down the cast iron skillet and make some chicken and hash browns baby. The chicken is succulent simply because you sauté the chicken with the skin on, chock full of herbs and goodness. Then you toss it in the oven to finish off while you cook up the hash browns with HdP and thyme mixed in. The hash browns add a delicious crispness which when paired with the chicken is divine. Plus, it’s all cooked in a cast iron skillet which just exudes food love. Let’s jump into this awesome dish.

Makes enough for 4 people: hungry or not, they will finish every last bit of this recipe.

Ingredients for the Airline Chicken

4 chicken breasts, skin on

4 sprigs of thyme

1 tablespoon Herbs de Provence

3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

Salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper

Ingredients for the Herbed Hash Browns

6 potatoes, peeled (but not ahead of time)

1 tablespoon fresh Thyme, chopped fine

1 tablespoon Herbs de Provence

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil (only if needed)

Salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper

Yee haw- we’re making some good food tonight baby! Kick that oven into high gear at 375 degrees. I know, I said 350 when I mentioned those tasty brownies, but I kicked it up to 375…believe me. All right, onto those beautiful breasts. Take a sprig of thyme and slide it under the skin on each breast. If you need to slide your finger in there to make a pocket, go ahead. Be gentle though, we don’t want the skin to fall off. When you are done stuffing herbs into your breasts, coat the skin side with the Herbs de Provence. Remember to crush the HdP between your fingers as you are applying. Salt and pepper them as well.

Okay. Now is a good time to peel your potatoes. You don’t want to peel them too early because they will start to turn brown.

Let’s fire up the cast iron skillet with some oil over high heat. You’re going to want to get the pan pretty hot, just before the smoking point. If you start to see smoke, take the skillet off the heat for a little bit and let it cool off. If you don’t have cast iron, that’s cool, just use a sauté pan. I’m using a 10″ skillet, just so we are all on the same page here. When it is hot, carefully place the chicken in the pan skin side down. After it is in the pan, sprinkle the HdP, salt and pepper on the flesh side. Leave the chicken in the pan, without moving it around, for 3-4 minutes or until it gets a nice browning on the skin.

Flip it over and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Remove from the pan and set on a baking sheet. Toss in the oven. Remove the pan from the heat while we work on the taters.

Take the peeled potatoes and shred them on a box grater on the medium grate side (they should look like what you get in a diner.) When they are all grated, take a clean kitchen towel and place them all in the center of it. Now fold up the corners and make a pouch that the potatoes are sitting in. Take it over the sink and twist the pouch to drain out the liquid. You will be amazed how much liquid comes out.

Put your skillet back on medium-high heat. If there isn’t much oil left in it, add another tablespoon. Add the two tablespoons of unsalted butter. Stir around. When the butter is bubbling, add the shredded potatoes. Toss in the chopped fresh thyme and the Herbs de Provence. Mix and let it sit while it cooks, about five minutes per side. While you are waiting, check the doneness of your chicken.

Now, it’s hard to flip a cast iron skillet filled with shredded potatoes. The sane among us will quarter the potatoes in the pan to make it easier and more safe to flip. The bottom should be crispy brown and delicious looking. After you flip, wait another five or six minutes until it is all done.

If your chicken is done in the oven, remove it and let it rest on the counter. As has been said time and again in this blog, resting allows the juices to redistribute through the meat to prevent dryness. Don’t skip this step. It’s five minutes to wait for a really delicious meal. Remove the sprig of thyme before you serve the chicken. It’s ok if the leaves stay under the skin, but the stalk will be woody, so we want that out.

Combine the taters and the chicken on a plate. If you are looking for greens, make a side salad. I had Boston Bibb with some vinaigrette that was pretty good too. Maybe I’ll post up that recipe later this week if people are interested. So that’s the recipe for Roasted Airline Chicken over Herbed Hash Browns. These hash browns are good enough to make just about any day of the week with any aromatic meal. You’re gonna love them and this juicy chicken.

Crunchy hash browns with juicy chicken make a great meal. Photo by Scott Groth