Food
Recipe
Chicken, Centerpiece of a Jewish Table
Many a Friday I have a certain kind of Shabbat dinner in mind, the one with the dazzling menu hatched in an overly optimistic imagination, its many courses cycling through my head like some sort of culinary flipbook.
But then the errands, the housecleaning, the deadlines, the unexpected phone conversations, the doctor’s appointment, the business trip—in short, life—get in the way. Since friends have been invited, there’s no turning back, but a plan forward seems out of reach.
That is, until I roast a chicken.
It’s not just because at this point I’ve committed the recipe to memory, or that people ask for it more than anything else I make, or that it’s been the centerpiece of Jewish Friday night dinners for centuries. In my case, I make it because it’s dead simple and because once in the oven the plan for a meal seems to magically arise, ushering in the kind of Friday night I had envisioned from the get-go.
I can prepare the chicken in 15 minutes or less, slide it into the oven, then use the roasting time as a countdown for preparing the rest of the meal. How much can I get done in the 90 minutes it takes for the chicken to turn a deep golden shade and perfume my kitchen with the aromas of garlic, lemon and herbs? A lot, it turns out. A salad, a side, a fruit salad—dinner is served.
While it’s true that kosher chickens are fed an all-vegetable diet, they are no more hormone free, free range or better for you than a conventional bird unless they are specially raised. The primary taste benefit of a kosher chicken is its salinity. In recent years, many chefs have become enthralled by brining—the process of soaking raw chicken in a heavily salted solution to break down its cellular structure, add an extra layer of flavor and encourage juiciness. Since kosher laws dictate that all meat and poultry be salted to remove any excess blood, using a kosher chicken means you’re essentially starting with a brined bird.
Always use a whole chicken; here, the unadulterated sum is truly greater than its parts, since an unbutchered bird stays moister and retains more of its natural juices. If you can’t always find a fresh whole chicken, stock up when you do: Defrosting a frozen one is a perfectly good option, though you will have to build in extra time for defrosting the bird.
A simple paste of olive oil and fresh herbs—my recipe calls for oregano, thyme and rosemary combined with fresh garlic, lemon zest and chili flakes—makes quick work of flavoring the bird, which is stuffed with the zested lemon plus whole garlic cloves and herb sprigs.
Trussing the chicken isn’t necessary, but it does keep the lemons and garlic inside; if you want to learn how, Google the procedure—otherwise just tie the legs together with a piece of kitchen twine.
Initially roasting at a high temperature then lowering the oven’s heat encourages juiciness. Roasting in a pan that’s not too large and not too small allows the juices to run out, but not evaporate, and the chicken to roast in just the right amount of its own liquid.
After Shabbat, combine the leftover chicken with your day-old, toasted halla, add a few ripe tomatoes and a simple vinaigrette and, behold, you have a salad.
1, 4-pound kosher chicken, rinsed and patted dry
2 TBs olive oil
1 lemon, zested and halved
2 TBs chopped fresh oregano, plus 2 sprigs
2 TBs chopped fresh thyme, plus 2 sprigs
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary, plus 1 sprig
3 cloves garlic, minced, plus 3 whole cloves
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp chili flakes
1. Preheat oven to 450°F. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, lemon zest, chopped herbs, minced garlic, salt, pepper and chili flakes.
2. Place the zested lemon halves, whole garlic cloves and herb sprigs inside the chicken. Tie the legs of the chicken with kitchen twine and place chicken, breast side down, in a 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish.
3. Rub the herb mixture all over the chicken and roast for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F and roast an additional 70-75 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thigh reads 165°F.
4. Remove from oven, let rest for 15 minutes, then drain liquid from pan into a gravy skimmer or pitcher; skim off fat and discard (to easily get rid of all fat, freeze drippings for 2 hours or until fat solidifies). Cut chicken into 8 pieces and serve with drippings.
Leftover Chicken & Halla Salad
Serves 4
6 TBs olive oil
2 TBs lemon juice
1 1/2 tsps Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups roughly chopped leftover roasted chicken, skin and bones removed
1/2 pound (4 cups) leftover halla, cubed and lightly toasted
3 large tomatoes, cored and chopped
1/2 cup torn fresh basil leaves
In a bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper. Add the chicken, halla, tomatoes and basil, then toss; serve immediately.
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Karen says
The breast is supposed to be down the whole time?
Karen Ess says
I want to ask a question…the breast should be down the whole time?
Libby Barnea says
Yes, for this recipe, keep the bird breast-down for the entire cooking time. It keeps the chicken moist!
Richard Schwartz says
Please forgive me, but this article reminds me of the famous expression, “the banality of evil.”
In extolling the cooking and eating of chicken, are we not ignoring that the production and consumption of meat and other animal products violate basic Jewish mandates to preserve human health, treat animals with compassion, protect the environment, conserve natural resources, and help hungry people, and that animal-based diets and agriculture are causing an epidemic of diseases in Jewish and other communities, and contributing significantly to climate change and other environmental problems that threaten all of humanity. I believe it is essential that the Jewish community address these issues to help shift our imperiled planet to a sustainable path.
In addition, veganism is the diet for Judaism’s two ideal times, the Garden of Eden (See Genesis 1:29) and the Messianic Times, according to Rav Kook, based on Isaiah 11:6-9, “the wolf will dwell with the lamb, …, the lion will eat straw like the ox, …, and no one shall hurt nor destroy on all of God’s holy mountain.”
For further information about Jewish teachings on vegetarianism, please visit the JVNA website (www.JewishVeg.com), and please see our acclaimed documentary “A Sacred Duty: Applying Jewish Values to Help Heal the World” at ASacedDuty.com.
Rina Deych, RN says
In Judaism we have a concept called Tikkun Olam. It has long been my belief that we, as Jews, would be in the forefront of the environmental movement. This includes the recognition that animal agriculture is responsible for more greenhouse gas production than all the cars, trucks, planes, and all transportation combined. It is also responsible for unimaginable suffering and infractions of tsa’ar ba’alei chaim. The consumption of animal products is directly linked to many diseases, thereby violating the mandate to care for ones’ personal health. It’s time we, as Jews, really start paying attention to the teachings of the Torah and Talmud. Please go to asacredduty.com and watch the one-hour documentary about the state of our world and what we can do to improve it.
Karen Davis says
A beheaded bird with dead wings and leg stumps is the opposite of a beautiful sight. It is a scene of suffering. Look at the picture. In nature, there is no such thing as a very young chicken bloated like that. The chicken in the picture is the product of genetic engineering – genetic injuring. These birds’ blemishes and injuries are bred into them. All they ever knew when they were alive was human violence and wracking pain. We must reject this false image of “beautiful.” There is a bounty of animal-free foods to choose in the modern world. Thank you for choosing mercy over misery. http://www.upc-online.org/recipes
Susan Gordon says
What good does religion serve if not to promote compassion among its followers? The highest expression of my Judaism is my 30+ years of being vegan. The sight of a once lovely, inquisitive, intelligent, affectionate animal reduced to a corpse (after a lifetime of suffering) on a dinner table is the antithesis of what Judaism teaches. Please consider replacing chickens and other animals with the foods that not only feed the body, but feed the spirit and spare the animals and the earth such destruction.
Suzanne Yacowitz-Dragan says
As a Life member of Hadassah, former Young Judean (T.Y “67, “68 “69, Year Course “70), daughter of a poultry scientist and someone who has grown up with pet chickens, I find this article offensive. In no way should the flesh of any sentient being be the center of a Shabbat meal. Shabbat is about Peace and rekindling our connection to G-d. What better way to do so than to enjoy a plant-based meal which truly fulfills Tikkun Olam. Abstaining from all animal products is humane, healthy and environmentally-beneficial. If you really looked into the eyes of a chicken & got to know them as the sweet birds they are, you’d no sooner eat them than you would your pet dog. Hadassah, please come into the 21st century & start appealing to ALL Jewish women–many of us are vegan.
Yoav Kashiv says
I have a suggestion: let’s celebrate cruelty free Shabbat. Chicken are sentient beings, capable of feeling joy, or the fear and pain of the horrible conditions they are raised at, not to mention the slaughter. No need to to inflict pain in order to celebrate anything.
David Rosenfeld says
The fact that chicken has been a “traditional” meal doesn’t make it right. Many ancient endeavors including Roman gladiator contests may have been traditional but are far from humane and far from anything we want to emulate today. As noted in other comments, Shabbos should be a time to celebrate life, peace and tranquility. The opposite is achieved when we place a tortured bird on the table and call it “dinner”.
Miriam says
At a time when Israel is experiencing a vegan awakening, American Jews are clinging to their “right” to use, murder, and consume other sentient creatures. It’s no worse than what everyone else does, of course — the nightmare we inflict upon animals is happening all the time, all around us, everywhere we go — but that doesn’t make it right. Let go of the violence we inflict upon chickens and everyone else. It’s the only true option if we want the peace we say we do.
Sheila Schwartz says
Shabbat Dinner and Thanksgiving Solved
Please consider a Gardein “Chicken” Scaloppinni dinner instead. This substitute causes no suffering to animals and is probably lower in saturated fat and salt that the meal described in the article. This vegan dish is a great transitional food for meat-eaters. TRY IT! See http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Gardein-Chicken-Scaloppini-with-Shiitake-Sake-Sauce-Pea-Shoots-and-Udon-Noodle-Cakes-356410 for details
Aylam Orian says
Oy to all of us, Oy Vey indeed, if the flesh of a dead tortured animal is the “centerpiece of a Jewish Table”. Not my table, that is for sure, and I am not less of a Jew than you. As my fellow compassionate friends have pointed out here, there is nothing “Jewish” in the torturing, slaughtering, dismembering and then burning of a frightened animal, for the sake of some empty ritual, or for the sake of the pleasure of your taste buds. That is completely anti-Torah, anti-Jewish, anti-anything that is even remotely associated with religion, spirituality, or striving to be a good person in this world. Time to get the cruelty off the “Jewish” table, and off the Jewish lexicon of values!
Motti Lerer and Michelle Leon says
This quick and easy to make dish is the corpse of an animal that was abused in captivity and then slaughtered systematically along with millions of its relatives. Livestock animals share an experience similar to that of our own family members who were cramped in concentration camps, killed and turned into lampshades, soaps and book covers. Unfortunately, livestock animals are not as lucky as we are: their holocaust continues.
Thanks to the media we are aware of the holocaust that the meat and dairy industry inflicts upon farm animals. We humans support this holocaust each time we buy dead animals and dairy products. Our parents, and grandparents were also degraded and made into products. And the Nazis did not consider the pain that was inflicted on our grandparents to be legitimate suffering – just like the meat industry does not consider the chicken’s suffering real. Just like the meat, egg, and dairy industries, the Nazi party systematically planed the killing of our family members; removing them from their homes, cramming them into concentration camps, killing them, and using their dead bodies to create aesthetically appealing products: soaps, lamps shades, and book covers. Like the slaughter of chickens that you encourage, the massacre of our grandparents was embraced by the law, encouraged because of its economic benefits, and justified by Nazi propaganda about Jewish inferiority.
Please do not encourage other Jewish people to trick themselves into taking pride in a dish of pain and misery. This bird suffered from the moment it took its first breath to its last, simply because you enjoy tasting its flesh and because the livestock industry enjoys taking your money. According to true Jewish ethics as well as common sense, no human has the right to inflict pain and suffering on any other being when there is an alternative. As an ethical organization Hadassah should therefore advance the eating of cruelty free food. Plant based food is ethical, healthy, and eco friendly.
During the past two years, with the help of the media in exposing the horror of the livestock industry, over than a million Jewish Israelis have realized that our own torturous past is not very different from that of livestock animals. Because of this realization they have turned vegan. I encourage you to read literature and watch videos that relate to this subject, such as The China Study, Earthlings, Forks Over Knives, Veducated, and Cowspiracy.