I was watching Giada De Laurentis last Friday afternoon on the Food Network Channel.   Among other dishes, she prepared one recipe that stood out as a must-cook dish:  Rosemary and Mustard Chicken with Vegetable Bolognese Sauce.  Oh, boy!   My mouth was watering from beginning to end.

When this happens, there is only one thing for me to do: cook the dish!

Since my husband is a big fan of chicken, I said to myself that not only must I cook this dish for us enjoy together, but I should also share it with my readers, too.

But here’s the thing: the recipe ingredients sounded very French to me.  “No problem,” I said to myself, “I am going to Brazilianize this chicken (Sorry Giada!!!).   I have replaced most of the ingredients from that recipe, besides adding new ones.  In fact, from Giada’s original recipe, the only things that remained unaltered were, of course, the chicken, and the Dijon mustard.

To accompany the chicken, I chose a wonderful sauce very popular in Argentina, Uruguay, and Southern Brazil: ah, yes, Chimichurri Sauce!   Although it is classically made with parsley, I instead used cilantro, a herb commonly utilized in Brazilian Cuisine (even more than parsley).  I also added a few extra ingredients as you can see below.   After all, this is my kitchen!

Well, I hope that you approve of my changes to Giada’s great recipe as much as we did here.  Just the incredibly enticing aroma alone of Miss Hot Chicken as she bakes golden brown in the oven will be enough to make you say: ” YES, I do!” :):)

See ya soon and enjoy this hot chicken.

XX

Hot Chicken with Chimichurri Sauce

( Frango Assado com Molho Chimichurri)

Serves 4

Segment: Brazilian Cuisine/ Inspired

For the Chicken

Ingredients:

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons Knorr chicken bouillon (powder)**

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

1 teaspoon dried cilantro

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

Juice of 1/2 lime, freshly squeezed

4 whole Amazon red peppers or malagueta peppers in vinegar**

One 4-1/2 to 5-pound chicken, rinsed and patted dry

** Both the Knorr Chicken Bouillon Powder and The Amazon Red Pepper in Vinegar are available in Wal-Mart Supermarkets as well as at Latin Supermarkets and online.  Tabasco peppers can be substituted for the Amazon red pepper, although the Tabasco peppers are slightly milder.

** Malagueta pepper is a very popular ingredient in Bahian cuisine.

Directions:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 º F (About 205 ºC).

In the food processor, process all the ingredients together well (except the chicken, of course) until obtaining a homogeneous, pasty mixture.

Place the chicken (breast-side up) on a rack in a large roasting pan.  Using your fingers, spread half of the butter mixture under the chicken skin, and the other half over the exterior of the chicken and in the cavity (this way, we maintain our chicken moist while it cooks and also add flavor). After that, tie the chicken legs together with kitchen twine and tuck the chicken wings a bit under the back.

Roast the chicken for about 75 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers a safe 160 degrees F (About 71º C).  Let the chicken rest for 15 minutes before slicing and serve with chimichurri sauce.  Enjoy!

Note: A whole, non-stuffed chicken baked/roasted at 400 degrees F (ours) takes about 15 minutes per pound to be cooked.

Any leftover chicken and sauce can be used to make delicious sandwiches.   Add cheese!

For the Cilantro Chimichurri Sauce

(Chimichurri is a very popular sauce in Rio Grande do Sul state – Brazil)

Yield: About 1 cup

Ingredients:

1 bunch of fresh cilantro*

1/4 cup green olives*

1/2 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 garlic clove, peeled

1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar*

* These ingredients are not part of the traditional recipe.

Directions:

Puree all ingredients together well in a food processor.  Serve with the Roasted Hot Chicken.  Any leftovers can be transferred to an airtight container and refrigerated.  It’s great in sandwiches.

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Receita em Português:

Frango Assado com Molho Chimichurri

Serve 4 a 6 pessoas

Para o Frango

Ingredientes:

1/2 xícara de chá de manteiga sem sal, à temperatura ambiente

1 colher de sopa de alho picado

1 colher de sopa de mostarda de Dijon

2 colheres de chá de caldo de galinha Knorr em pó

1/2 colher de chá de cuminho

1 colher de chá de sal

Pimenta moída a gosto

1 colher de chá de coentro seco

1/2 colher de chá de coriandro em pó

Suco fresco de 1/2 limão

4 pimentas malaguetas em vidro

1 frango inteiro ( 2 kg), lavado e enxuto (enxugue todo o excesso de água com uma toalha de papel)

Modo de Preparo:

Pré-aqueça o forno a 205º C.

No processador, processe bem todos os ingredientes, exceto o frango (é claro!) até obter uma mistura pastosa.

Ponha o frango com o peito virado pra cima sobre uma grade (a qual deverá ficar dentro de uma forma grande funda).  Com a mão, passe metade da mistura pastosa embaixo da pele do frango e a outra metade na cavidade do frango e no seu exterior, conforme fotos acima. Depois amarre as pernas do frango com um cordão culinário.

Asse o frango por 75 minutos ou até que um termômetro inserido na parte mais grossa da coxa registre a temperatura de 71 º C . Depois de assado, deixe o frango esfriar por 15 minutos antes de fatiar e sirva com o molho chimichurri.

Para o Molho Chimichurri

Rendimento: 1 xícara

Ingredientes:

1 molho de coentro*

1/4 xícara de chá de azeitona verde*

1/2 xícara de chá de azeite de oliva

3 colheres de sopa de vinagre de vinho tinto

1 dente de alho, sem pele

1/4 colher de chá de pimenta seca vermelha (opcional)

1/4 colher de chá de cuminho

1/2 colher de chá de sal

1/2 colher de chá de açúcar*

* Estes ingredientes não fazem parte da receita original de Chimichurri.

Modo de Preparo:

Bata todos os ingredientes no processador ou no liquidificador.  Sirva com o Frango Assado. Qualquer sobra poderá ser refrigerada num depósito fechado. É excelente para usar em sanduíches.

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