27.12.16

Christmas dinner in the kitchen with chef Rashad Frazier

moyi-2-christmas-dinner-rashadfrazier

Dinner is ready! Merry Christmas.

Chef Rashad Frazier shares his favorite family dishes for a soulful holiday meal.

moyi2-christmasdinner-tablesetting

The table is set…

Part of the virtue of the chef’s menu is its dedication to classic, beloved dishes that are, for many of us, a reminder of family tradition, but with new and unexpected twists. An old-fashioned brioche stuffed, roasted chicken is set on it’s classic bed of roasted vegetables – only this time the vegetables are accompanied by an assortment of citrus fruits.

moyi2-christmasdinner-02

… and so are the ingredients.

“Roast Chicken is one of my favorite dishes to make,” says Chef Frazier. “It’s usually very inexpensive and cooks quickly.” To keep the dish flavorful and juicy, Chef Frazier employs an unusual technique for stuffing the bird, eschewing the typical practice to instead place the stuffing mixture beneath the skin of the chicken, between the skin and the meat. “This technique creates big flavor all around but especially for the breast,” the chef attests. “When preparing this dish it’s really important that you do not tear the chicken’s skin while stuffing it.

moyi2-christmasdinner-03

The chicken looks – and smells – delicious!

As with the main course, the side dishes of this meal feature updates on family favorites, namely sous vide whipped sweet potatoes and french-cut beans that are crisp and fresh.

moyi2-christmasdinner-04

The sweet potatoes are perfectly cooked.

The meal’s final note, a holiday whiskey punch infused with citrus. “I love a good cocktail during the holidays, too. I came up with the idea to incorporate citrus because the fruit becomes in-season during the holidays. Plus, citrus pairs really well with bourbon.”

Brioche Stuffed Roast Chicken

Serves 4

Ingredients

Breadcrumb Stuffing

  • 1 cup dried brioche breadcrumbs
  • 2 sticks of room temperature unsalted butter
  • 2 tbsp of minced fresh rosemary
  • 2 tbsp of minced fresh thyme
  • 3 tsp freshly grated lemon zest
  • Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Chicken

  • 1 whole chicken
  • Fresh rosemary
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1 lemon
  • 3 large carrots, roughly chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
  • 2 fennel bulbs, quartered
  • 1 red onion, quartered
  • 2 oranges, quartered
  • Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
  • 1/2 cup water

Instructions

FOR  THE  CHICKEN :

Three to four hours early, prep the chicken. Using your fingers and starting at the rear, gently tunnel your fingers to separate the skin from the meat. Do not tear the skin. Using pastry piping tool, squeeze the stuffing mixture under the skin of the breast and legs. Season inside of chicken with salt. Prick the lemon with a fork and place it in the cavity along rosemary and garlic of the chicken. Using butcher twine, truss the chicken and transfer to a refrigerator to chill at least 3 to 24 hours uncovered. This step is critical because the chilled air with dry the chicken surface to allow for a crispier bird during roasting.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using a large skillet or a roasting pan, place fennel, onions, carrots, celery and oranges in and toss with two tbsp of olive oil and salt/pepper. Add half a cup of water to help prevent scorching. Set chicken on top of the bed of veggies. Transfer to oven. Roast chicken about 1 hour. Remove from oven and loosely cover with parchment paper-lined aluminum foil. Let stand 30 minutes before carving and serving.

FOR THE STUFFING :

In a medium bowl, place butter and breadcrumbs in a bowl. Add the lemon zest, rosemary and thyme. Carefully mix to combine; season with salt and pepper. Move mixture to a to a pastry bag (feel free to use your hand but it’s messy) with an opening cut from one bottom corner.

 

To read the complete article and menu, read the Winter 2016 issue of MOYI

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.