Sous Vide Chicken Crown Roast

A bone-in chicken crown roasts to perfection after a sous vide of one hour and 45 minutes. Succulent and tender, it carves wonderfully into delectable slices. Serve with onions, carrots and/or parsnips for a complete meal.

I know that science is still trying to nail down whether meat cooked on the bone is tastier, but as for me, I am a believer. I have been known to butterfly and marinate legs of lamb to put them on a charcoal grill but that’s about the only time I willingly take a bone out before cooking.

If you’ve never searched, you might not be aware that sous vide recipes for poultry with bones still in are few and far between. Frankly, I couldn’t find one for a whole bird. Most poultry roast recipes call for removing the bones or at the very least butterflying the bird. I’m sure the reason is that it’s hard to keep a whole bird submerged, because of the air inside.

I solved that problem a couple of years ago when I wanted to roast two guinea fowl for Christmas. I stuffed them! It was a risky experiment that could have meant a terrible Christmas dinner but they turned out beautifully! I was so impressed that I’ve even used sous vide to cook a whole stuffed turkey. I cannot tell you how moist and tender the meat was, even the breast.

That’s why I was so excited when I found a chicken crown roast to further experiment on. It’s not a very common cut for chicken although many shops do sell turkey crowns around the holidays. Basically the crown is the whole breast, both sides, with the bones that support it underneath, sometimes with the ribs as well, sometimes without. It's a good place to start if you are scared of sous vide-ing a whole bird.

Sous Vide Bone-in Chicken Crown

Partially cooking the crown roast first by sous vide before roasting ensures that the meat is tender and juicy, yet covered by golden brown skin that people will fight over. To make a full meal of this beauty, you can add onions, carrots, parsnips and/or potatoes to the roasting pan. Or roast it alone if you have other side dishes in mind. It's one of our favorite family meals.

Ingredients
For sous vide:
1 chicken crown, bone in, skin on (about 1 1/2 lbs or 700g)
1 small lemon, sliced in thin wedges
Flakey sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Leaves from 1 large sprig rosemary
2-3 tablespoons butter

Optional for roasting:
2 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 small onions, peeled and quartered
1.1 lbs or 500g Chantenay carrots, topped, tailed and scrubbed clean
2-3 parsnips, peeled and cut into sticks
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Method 
Set up your sous vide machine to 145ºF / 62.8ºC in a large vessel filled with water up to the MAX line. Set the time for 1 hour and 45 minutes. (I use this Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker. <Amazon affiliate link)

Liberally salt and pepper the chicken crown. Okay, this guy hasn't been salted and peppered yet but I wanted to show you what he looks like out of the bag.

Put it in a large sealable bag with the lemon wedges, rosemary and butter. Carefully submerge the bag in the heating water until all of the air inside has been pressed out to create a vacuum. Seal the bag.

Sous vide at 145°F/62.8ºC for 1 hour 45 minutes.

Remove the whole bag from the sous vide vessel and leave to cool still in the bag.

If you aren't roasting until later, refrigerate and increase the roasting time to compensate. You will be looking for an internal temperature of about 165°F or 75°C.

To finish, roast on 375°F or 190°C, fan assist, for about 40-45 minutes, accompanied by onions, carrots and/or parsnips drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper, if desired. Turn pan occasionally so the chicken crown browns evenly.

Cover with foil and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Carve to serve with pan juices.

Enjoy!

It’s Multicooker Monday again, that monthly post when we attempt to make more use of our slow cookers, Instant Pots, sous vide machines and air fryers and hopefully inspire you to use yours as well. Many thanks to our group founder and host, Sue of Palatable Pastime. Check out the other recipes we are sharing:

• Breakfast for Dinner Hash Brown & Sausage Soup from Faith, Hope, Luck & Love Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Instant Pot Beef Short Ribs from Palatable Pastime
• Instant Pot Chili from Making Miracles
• Instant Pot Turkey Meatloaf with Potato Wedges from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs in the Instant Pot from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Perfectly Baked Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes from Sneha's Recipe
• Sous Vide Chicken Crown Roast from Food Lust People Love



Multicooker Monday is a blogger group created by Sue of Palatable Pastime for all of us who need encouragement to make better use of our small appliances like slow cookers, Instant Pots, Air Fryers, rice cookers and sous vide machines. We get together every third Monday of the month to share our recipes. If you are a food blogger who would like to post with us, please request to join our Facebook group. 



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Pönnukökur aka Swedish Pancakes #BreadBakers

Thin, soft and golden, these lightly cardamom scented pönnukökur are a traditional teatime treat in Sweden. In their homeland, they are served simply: sprinkled with sugar then rolled up individually by each person around the table. You can push the boat out by adding lemon slices, fresh berries, jam and hazelnut spread to the add-on offerings.

I made these for the first time a few years back when we had an overnight guest and Swedish pancakes sounded like a great Sunday brunch dish. As I followed the instructions, it occurred to me that pönnukökur – literal translation: pancakes - were just Swedish crêpes. (For you language buffs, the singular “pancake” is pönnukaka.) The British also call crêpes pancakes so I don’t know why I was surprised.

The funny thing is, as I searched for the Swedish recipe again recently, pönnukökur amerískar kept popping up. You know, the fluffy kind we also call pancakes and serve in a stack with butter and syrup. It’s a mad, mad world.

Near as I can figure, the difference between the British pancakes/French crêpes and Swedish pönnukökur is the addition of ground cardamom and baking powder.

Pönnukökur aka Swedish Pancakes

This recipe has been adapted from several I found on various websites. Some call for melted butter, margarine or vegetable oil in place of the cream but I liked the richness of using cream. I lightly crushed cardamom pods, discarded the husks and ground the tiny seeds with a mortar and pestle. The fragrance and taste is fresher that store-bought ground cardamom. That said, use what you have. It’s all good.

Ingredients - for about 18 (6 in or 15cm) pancakes
1 3/4 cups or milk
1/2 cup or 120ml heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup or 125g all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 large eggs

Method
Combine the milk, cream and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and eggs.

Whisk until a smooth batter is created. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours. When the foam subsided, I ended up with a little more than 4 1/2 cups of batter.

Heat a frying pan and thinly grease it, or use a non-stick skillet. Ladle about 3-4 tablespoons of batter into the hot pan. Swirl the batter around until the whole bottom of the pan is covered with a thin layer of the batter. Cook on that side until the edges begin to brown slightly.

Loosen the sides and turn the pancake with a spatula. Cook the other side briefly, until you can shake the pan and the pancake slips around easily.

Slide the pancake on to a warm plate.

Continue the process until all of the pancakes are cooked, stacking them on top of each other, lightly covered with a bit of foil to keep them warm. Or if the hungry hordes are standing by waiting, employ two small pans on your stove and serve the pancakes directly.

You can also cover the stack with cling film and rewarm the pancakes in a microwave.

The most traditional Swedish way to eat these is with just a sprinkle of sugar but we like a squeeze of lemon too. (Some Swedish sites also suggested one alternative is a spoonful of rhubarb jam.)

These can also be enjoyed with hazelnut spread, jam or fruit and whipped cream, which means they make a great dessert as well as a good breakfast or teatime snack.

Enjoy!

This month my Bread Baker friends are sharing Scandinavian recipes from the countries of Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Many thanks to our host, Felice of All That's Left Are The Crumbs for this fun theme! Check out the recipes below:

• Danish Rye Bread (Rugbrød) from A Messy Kitchen
• Epcot Norway School Bread from Simply Inspired Meals
• Kanellangd from Amandie Bakes
• Lussekatter from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Pannekaker from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Pönnukökur aka Swedish Pancakes from Food Lust People Love
• Scandinavian Cardamon Cinnamon Rolls from All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Scandinavian Carrot Bread Rolls from Ambrosia
• Swedish St. Lucia Saffron Buns from Sneha's Recipe
• Vörtbröd (Swedish Wort Bread) from Karen's Kitchen Stories

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

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Apricot Pistachio Cake #BakingBloggers

Sweet chewy dried apricots and flavorful roasted pistachios combine with lots of creamy yogurt and butter to create one of the richness cakes you can imagine. A hint of cardamom in the batter is echoed again in the orange-cardamom syrup to finish the cake with a Middle Eastern flair.

Apricots and pistachios are two of my favorite ingredients both singly and together. If you feel the same, you will like my Apricot Upside Down butter Bundt and my pomegranate pistachio muffins. My favorite joint venture of the two (before this cake!) is a gorgeous baked Camembert topped with pistachios and dried apricots. It's the easiest, tastiest appetizer you'll ever make.

Besides making me do the happy dance, since apricots and pistachios are popular in Middle Eastern desserts this cake fits our Blogging Bakers theme for this month. Make sure you scroll to the bottom to see the other sweet and savory recipes we are sharing.

Apricot Pistachio Cake

This recipe is adapted from one by the talented Anita Schecter on The Spruce Eats. If you love Middle Eastern recipes of all kinds, you should visit Anita, who I am pleased to call my friend. She also shares wonderful recipes of all sorts (so many great cocktails!) on her personal website.

Ingredients
For the Cake:
1 1/2 cups or 190g all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 1/2 cups or 300g sugar
1 cup or 226g unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup or 245g Greek yogurt
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 oz or 170g roasted, unsalted pistachios
6 oz or 170g dried apricots

For the syrup:
1/2 cup or 50g sugar
2 tablespoons orange juice (or water)
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
Pinch of salt

Optional for serving:
Greek-style plain, unsweetened yogurt

Method
Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare a 11x15 inch or 28x38cm pan by buttering and flouring it or lining it with baking parchment. If you are lining it, put a couple of dabs of butter on the pan to help the parchment stay in place.

Roughly chop about 1/4 of the pistachios and set aside a couple of spoonsful for sprinkling on the cake when it’s done. Put the rest into a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground, occasionally scraping the sides with a rubber spatula. Do not over process. We don’t want pistachio butter.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together your flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Add in the ground and chopped pistachios and whisk again.

Chop the apricots into small pieces and set aside a couple of spoonsful for decoration. Add the balance of the apricots to the dry ingredients. Use your hands to separate the sticky pieces and make sure they are completely coated in the flour mixture.

Using a hand or stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until they become fluffy and light yellow. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then beat in the yogurt and vanilla.

Add the dry ingredients into the wet and beat until well combined. Spoon the thick batter into your prepared pan and spread it evenly to the side and into the corners with a spatula.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Meanwhile make the syrup by warming the sugar, juice and salt in a small pot over a low flame. Spoon it over the cake while it is still warm.

Sprinkle on the reserved chopped pistachios and apricots.

Leave to cool. If you have lined the pan with baking parchment, you can use the sides to remove the cake from the pan. If not, cut into squares to serve directly from the pan.

Serve with a dollop of yogurt, if desired.

Enjoy!

This month my Baking Bloggers are sharing Middle Eastern recipes. Many thanks to our doyenne and host, Sue of Palatable Pastime. Check out the other recipes below:

• Apricot Pistachio Cake from Food Lust People Love
• Basbousa Cake from Pandemonium Noshery
• Cottage Cheese and Veggies Borek from Sneha's Recipe
• Easy Middle Eastern Puff Pastry Cheese Bourekas by Fatih, Hope, Love & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Laffa Bread from Making Miracles
• Lebanese Sesame Cookies from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Mana'eesh (Palestinian Flatbread) from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Parda Pulao - Iraqi Parda Plau from The Schizo Chef
• Roast Chicken Shwarma from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Umm Ali from Caroline's Cooking

Baking Bloggers is a friendly group of food bloggers who vote on a shared theme and then post recipes to fit that theme one the second Monday of each month. If you are a food blogger interested in joining in, inquire at our Baking Bloggers Facebook group. We'd be honored if you would join us in our baking adventures.

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