Photo by Marta Bartolomei Edmonds.
Being born Puerto Rican means that I was born with an innate need to supercook meats until they are hard and dry. Us Puerto Ricans love to bite into an almost jerky-like pork chop. So, when you ask us to try a medium steak, a salmon tartare or sushi, we will probably look at you like you've just offered us live insects. Learning to enjoy a steak that is pink in the center, fish that is raw or chicken that is juicy is something I'm still learning about. At first I started trying these things with an almost irrational hesitation and now I am learning how to cook them with great willingness, thanks primarily to having enjoyed so many delightful meals here in the city. I now order my steaks medium or medium-well and about two years ago, I even indulged in raw oysters and have loved them since. Don't get me wrong, I still love pork chops cooked to a dry crisp like my grandma Mima makes them, but I am making an effort to pay more attention to meat preparation.
Last week I made a roasted chicken with an adobo garlic-oregano seasoning that is traditional to my island. The result was a juicy, moist and flavor infused chicken. In Puerto Rico a roasted chicken seasoned with adobo is often called pollochón. Why this funny name? Take a chicken (pollo) prepared like roasted pork (lechón) and you have pollo+chón.
This meal will take some thinking ahead, but overall it's a very low-maintenance dish to prepare. You will simply season the chicken (marinade time optional), place it in a hot oven, and then check for doneness in an hour. There is very little work involved with the exception of carving the chicken. For easy instructions on how to carve a chicken, watch Marc Murphy's How to Carve a Chicken Howcast video. For a more rich and intense flavor, I suggest seasoning the chicken with adobo up to six hours before cooking to allow the flavors to develop. The results are a succulent, juicy and flavorful roasted chicken.
Note: Check out my grandfather Pito's version of adobo in this pernil (roasted pork shoulder) recipe.
Pollochón
1/4 cup fresh Adobo
1 3-pound Whole Chicken, raised right
Salt and Pepper
1. Rinse the chicken and dry it very well with paper towels, inside and out. Using your hands, gently separate the skin from the chicken, while leaving the skin intact. Introduce the adobo (in small handfuls) under the skin, distributing along the breasts thigh and leg to evenly cover the chicken. Do not apply the adobo to the surface of the skin as the garlic will burn loosing its flavor while roasting. Salt and pepper the cavity. Cover the chicken with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to marinade up to 6 hours (marinade time is optional).
2. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Truss the bird by tucking the tip section of the wing under the top section of the wing and tying the legs with string.
3. Generously salt the chicken and season to taste with pepper.
4. Place the chicken in a roasting pan and roast for 50 to 60 minutes until done. When done, remove it from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes on a cutting board.
5. Remove the twine, cut the chicken and serve.
Makes 4 servings.