Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (56 page)

Ever try to prepare a whole chicken in the slow cooker? With most recipes, the bird winds up overcooked, stringy, and dry. Super icky—but not with this recipe. This preparation will yield a moist, tender chicken and a thick, savory gravy. Serve it for supper, and everyone will lick their plates clean. Plus, you’ll finally get to show off that awesome gravy boat that your mom gave you.

By the way, the fish sauce is optional, but trust me: it adds a ton of umami to this dish. Omit it at your peril!

1. M
   elt the ghee in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the fat starts to shimmer, add the leeks and garlic and cook for a few minutes or until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and stir to incorporate. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
   
2. C
   ook until the aromatics are softened and lightly browned,
   8
   to
   10
   minutes. Deglaze the pan with chicken stock and transfer the cooked vegetables to a slow cooker.
   
3. P
   at the chicken dry, and season well—both inside and out—with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Place the chicken breast-down in the slow cooker, and if desired, add the fish sauce. Place the cover on the slow cooker, and cook on low for
   4
   to
   6
   hours, depending on the size of the bird. The smaller the chicken, the less time is required.
   
4. W
   hen the chicken’s done cooking, transfer it to a platter and tent it with a piece of foil. Rest it for
   20
   minutes.
   
5. I
   n the meantime, defat the cooking liquid. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Transfer the liquid and vegetables to a large measuring cup, and use an immersion blender to purée the contents. The result? A thick, rich gravy.
   
6. O
   nce the chicken’s rested, place it on a cutting board and break it down. (Better yet, just rip it all up with your hands like a true caveperson.) Pile all the juicy, tender chicken pieces on a platter and serve it with the gravy.
   

• D
  on’t leave the bird in the slow cooker for more than
  6
  hours unless you enjoy eating powdery, dessicated chicken. And don’t set the slow cooker to “high” in an effort to save time, either.
  
• S
  ave some gravy and store it in a sealed container in the fridge for a week (or in the freezer for a few months). It’ll come in handy for everything from
  Loco Moco
  to Thanksgiving dinner.
  

My childhood best friend, Evelyn, was born in Peru—but as kids, we were much more interested in the craptacular contents of our school’s vending machines than the South American dishes her mom would make. So it wasn’t until decades later that I finally had a taste of Peruvian-style roast chicken at a San Francisco restaurant. A paste of garlic and spices had been rubbed both under and over the crisp, golden-brown skin of the chicken, giving the tender meat a hint of tartness and smoke. I was hooked.

Making authentic Peruvian chicken at home, however, posed a few challenges. First of all, I don’t have a rotisserie. (My kitchen’s already overflowing with gadgets; one more appliance and my neat-freak husband will keel over.) Secondly, I don’t have easy access to the Peruvian black mint known as
huacatay
—a distinctively flavored Andean herb used to make the luscious green aji verde chili sauce that traditionally accompanies the roast chicken.

But I can never resist a challenge.

The solution to the rotisserie problem was simple: I’d spatchcock the bird before oven-roasting it. Spatchcocking sounds dirty, but it simply means removing the backbone and butterflying the bird to ensure that the breasts and thighs will cook to juicy perfection at the same time.

Finding common ingredients to replace the
huacatay
was tougher, but after some research and taste-testing, I found that a mix of fresh basil, cilantro, and mint produces a remarkably similar perfume and herby notes.

My recipe for homemade Peruvian chicken takes a bit of pre-planning and patience, but it’s a cinch to prepare and yields a juicy and intensely flavorful meal. Paired with the cool, tangy contrast of the aji verde chili sauce, this dish will be one that you’ll want to make—and devour—again and again.

Besides, it sure beats soda and chips from my high school’s vending machines.

1. T
   o make the aji verde chili sauce, gently heat the olive oil and garlic in a small cast-iron skillet over low heat for
   2
   to
   3
   minutes. Once the garlic is fragrant and the oil bubbles, take the skillet off the heat and turn off the stove.
   
2. B
   litz the remaining aji verde chili sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender until well combined, scraping down the sides as necessary. Then, add the garlicky oil and blend until smooth. The sauce can be made ahead of time and kept in a covered container in the refrigerator for a few days.
   
3. T
   o make the marinade for the chicken, mix together all the marinade ingredients in a small bowl. (This probably goes without saying, but always zest before you juice.) As the ghee in the mixture cools, the marinade will firm up and form a thick paste (unless you’re cooking someplace really warm, where ghee never solidifies—in which case I hope you have something cool to drink.)
   
4. N
   ext, spatchcock the bird. Using kitchen shears, cut out the backbone of the chicken by making parallel cuts along each side of the spine. (Save the backbone to make Bone Broth later.) Open up the bird like a book, and lay it breast-side down. With a sharp knife, make a ½-inch incision in the cartilage of the breast bone, and firmly press down with your hands to flatten the chicken. The splayed-open chicken should now look like the facehugger from
   Aliens
   .
   
5. F
   lip the bird (tee hee!) over, and use your fingers to gently separate the skin of the chicken from the breast and thigh meat to create pockets, making sure not to tear any holes. Spread the marinade under the skin, and rub it all over the outside of the chicken, too.
   
6. M
   arinate the chicken in a covered container in the refrigerator for
   6
   to
   24
   hours.
   
7. A
   bout an hour before you cook the bird, take it out of the refrigerator and bring it up to room temperature. Preheat your oven to
   400
   °F and place the rack in the upper-middle position. Set a wire rack on top of a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet, and place the chicken skin-side up on the wire rack. Tuck the wing tips behind the breasts.
   
8. R
   oast the chicken for
   45
   minutes or until the breast meat reaches
   150
   °F and the thigh meat hits
   170
   °F as measured by an instant-read thermometer. Take the chicken out of the oven and rest it for
   10
   minutes before carving.
   
9. S
   erve with the aji verde chili sauce on the side.