Scottish Highland Chicken with Whisky and Cream

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 F. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and rub all over with salt, pepper and half the olive oil. Combine the remaining oil and butter in a lidded roasting pan and place over medium heat. When butter is foaming, place the chicken, breast side down, in the pan and brown for about 4-5 minutes, then turn and brown on the other side for the same length of time. Drain off most of the fat. Return the pan with the chicken to the heat and, working quickly, pour the whisky over it and then set alight. Let the flame die down and then add the broth. Cover the chicken with the roasting pan lid (or tuck foil all the way around) and transfer to the oven to bake for about 45-50 minutes.

When the chicken is cooked, transfer it to a cutting board to rest. Drain off some of the accumulated fat and then set the pan on a medium high heat. Add a spoonful of water to loosen bits clinging to the bottom of the pan, and then add the cream, stirring as you do so. Bring to a boil and let cook for about 2-3 minutes. Add the parsley to the sauce and keep warm. Section the chicken and serve the sauce at table with the chicken. Serves 4-6.

Speyside Whisky Festival: Held each year at the beginning of May, the Speyside Whisky Festival provides opportunities to tour some of Scotland’s most esteemed distilleries, meet the experts in the whisky industry and, the best part, taste some stellar malts. There is great fun to be had during the evenings, fuelled by malt and music and the company of fellow whisky lovers from around Scotland and the world. Visit http://www.spiritofspeyside.com for more information.

NOTE: The Famous Grouse blended whisky, which, by the way, includes these three whiskies in the blend: Glenrothes (for fragrance), Highland Park (for a light smokiness) and Macallan (for unmistakable richness and backbone).

New Celtic Cooking

Author's Comments

The Scottish tradition of cooking chicken in an enclosed pot is known as stoved or stovies, a word that derives from the French etouffee that describes cooking in a covered or closed vessel When you make this recipe cut the chicken up the back, remove the backbone (keep it for stocks) and spread the two halves out, flattening the bird. This helps to cook the chicken quickly and more evenly. If you don’t have a roasting pan with a lid, enclose the pan with foil. Serve this comforting dish with Brussels sprouts and mashed potatoes.

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