I had a dream. No, not that kind of dream. This was a dream about chicken and truffle butter. For the past year, every time I bought a chicken from Key Foods I’d see D’Artagnan truffle butter sitting higher up on the shelf. The price didn’t intimidate me–it was only $7–but its use did: what could I do with it? How does one use truffle butter? And then the other day it came to me: I could rub it all over a chicken (a D’Artagnan chicken, as a matter of fact), put some under the skin, and roast it. And that’s exactly what I did.
Here’s the raw chicken with its new truffle butter skin cream:
And here’s what truffle butter looks like when you open it:
If you’ve never smelled a truffle before, may I recommend you buy some truffle butter? It’s a good introduction. That smell is unlike any you’ve ever smelled: fungal, earthy, rich. I knew it would be good for my chicken.
My process was pretty simple. I preheated the oven to 400 and I washed the chicken thoroughly and then dried it incredibly well. I used a whole forest full of paper towels just to make sure it was dry (sorry Al Gore) and then, when it was, I put it in the roasting pan and sprinkled the inside with salt and pepper. I put a bunch of rosemary in the cavity, tied the legs, and then I got to it with the truffle butter (which, at this point, was at room temperature). I put big pats of it under the skin by the breast–making space with my finger. Then I shmeared it all over the bird and, after that, sprinkled the whole thing generously with salt and pepper.
Here’s where I made a mistake. Surrounding the chicken I put a mix of halved red potatoes (smart), onions (ok), and halved button mushrooms (you idiot!) It turns out that mushrooms are packed with liquid which, as the chicken cooked, made the oven a steamy environment–just the thing you don’t want for crisp skin. Here’s the chicken before it cooked:
I put dollops of the truffle butter on top of the potatoes and vegetables and in it all went in the oven for an hour.
Here’s my final plate:
The potatoes got nicely caramelized as did the mushrooms. The chicken was moist and good but, to be honest, the truffle flavor didn’t really come through. I later devised a new strategy, to be attempted next week.
See, Thomas Keller’s recipe for roast chicken has you roast the bird without any fat–just salt and pepper–and then, when it comes out of the oven, you put butter on it. So I’ll do his recipe except instead of plain butter when it comes out of the oven, I’ll use truffle butter. And that’ll be a triumph and you will respect me like a god.
Meanwhile, I made a pretty awesome sandwich with the leftover chicken the next day:
That’s just the chicken pieces, basil, tomato, bacon, a little vinaigrette on the bottom half and then mayo on the top. Yum! Perhaps I’m a god after all. (Don’t worry: I didn’t eat the whole thing.)
Hi Adam,
Are you planning on releasing in audiobook format? Beeeeecuuuz I love listening to books while driving – it makes me feel so much more productive than just staring at license plates and making up silly stories about people in the cars next to me.
xoxo
steamy
Try your truffle butter to finish a simple omelet… you will definitely be a god!
The potatoes look wonderful, BTW
And such fat little chickens you have…. the ones I get are typically French…svelte!
Svelte chickens are not good, juicy, tender chickens…
I second the motion on truffle butter with your omelet! I had “truffled scrambled eggs” out for brunch a couple of weeks ago and the flavor is remarkable.
Shanny in Dallas
That looks so delicious. My parents recently bought a whole chicken and we’ve had three meals out of it thus far — a great bargain at $6.
Yea, that DOES look good. I have yet to experience truffles in any form…and every time I hear them mention truffle butter on Top Chef. I want some so badly. Too bad I can’t make this recipe in my kosher kitchen (even though I don’t keep kosher outside of the kitchen.)
I may cry, I so want to try that! Now, I’ll have to look for truffle butter, it sounds like heaven!
Is this truffle butter good or bowel movements?
I’m looking for something because it is so dry down there.
Is this truffle butter good for bowel movements?
I’m looking for something because it is so dry down there.
AG, do you think white truffle oil might make a decent substitute?
aaah! i love d’artagnan’s truffle butter and use it on everything! it’s delicious on a steak, cooking herbed potatoes, on some veggies…just about anything. try tanning with it, too.
You’re going to do something with truffle butter and chicken that will make me respect you like a God?
Oh my…
I’m drooling.
I’d try schmearing the butter between the meat and the skin. You’ll get the truffle-y goodness into the meat, and the truffle’s delicate flavor will be protected from the oven’s heat.
Any ideas,, I picked up some Black Truffle Cheese today, its made by a local cheese company called Bothwell (in central Canada). I had tried it in a cream sauce with shallots, (a little simple) which was good, but am a little stumped with where I should go with this.