Roasted chicken on the boat

We would like to share our improvisation recipe of roasted chicken when you are cooking on the boat with a very limited amount of supplies.

When sailing around Mediterranean islands, we all want to eat deliciously. Fish, squids, octopus, sardines… nom nom! But when guys get really hungry, ladies roast the chicken.

So that’s what you need:

- A chicken, obviously. Choose a free range from the farmer’s market if you can;

- Garlic. The whole big bulb or even two (no kissing tonight);

- A large bunch of parsley;

- Sausage. Salami or Chorizo, pick your favorite sort. You will need some 10-12 thick slices of it;

- A nice medium-size lemon saved from gin & tonic;

- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper. If you found cumin on your boat – great!

- Few splashes of olive oil;

- Potatoes. Simple fresh potatoes.

Take a large pot and fill half of it with the water. Add a spoonful of salt and put on the stove to boil. Meanwhile, wash the chicken and dry it well with a paper towel. Splash some oil on your roasting pan (and when it comes to roasting pans, my winner is BergHOFF) and place the chicken inside. Clean and chop garlic. Rub chopped garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin all over the chicken, outside and inside. Stick washed parsley inside, no need to remove stems. Put thick slices of sausage on top of the chicken, stick a few pieces inside, too.

When the water starts boiling, carefully add washed potatoes (if you have fresh ones, no need to peel them), and the whole lemon. Boil for some 5 minutes. Take the lemon out, prick the skin all over with a tip of a knife. Careful, it’s hot! Stick it into the poor chicken. It will bring out the flavor and heat the chicken from inside. Trust me.

Put those slightly boiled potatoes into the same roasting pan with the chicken, season it with some cumin, salt, and pepper. Stick few unpeeled garlic cloves between potatoes. Drizzle everything with olive oil, place into preheated oven (200 C / 400 F), and bake uncovered for 1 hour 15 minutes or so. In the middle of the cooking process open the oven and add a splash of water to the pan to stop meat and potatoes from burning, if needed, and baste the chicken with its own juice.

When the chicken is cooked, take it out of the oven, and instantly take a picture before it’s too late! If you are not too impatient, let the whole roasting pan sit for 10 minutes. Cut the chicken into pieces, carefully (hot!) cut the lemon in half and squeeze it all over the meat. Serve with fresh salad, cold beer, or whatever you have on your boat. Don’t give bones to the cat.

Feel free to check pictures at www.tamedwinds.com/roasted-chicken-on-the-boat

Bon Appétit

bon appetit