A Bird in the Oven and Then Some: 20 Ways to Roast the Perfect Chicken Plus 80 Delectable Recipes [Hardcover]

Mindy Fox (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 16, 2010

Fox takes a time-honored classic and reinvigorates it by showing just how much variety and enjoyment you can spin from a simple roast. Classic and modern takes on roasting the bird include Greek Roast Chicken with Caper Butter, Roast Lemons, and Skordalia; and Roast Jerk Chicken with Pineapple Mint Salad. To use the surplus, there are healthful and delicious recipes, such as Winter Roast Chicken Salad with Fennel, Blood Orange, and Pistachio; and Lemon Chicken Soup.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

For home cooks who consider roasted chicken the go-to meat for many meals, this focused book is a helpful guide. It opens with 20 appealing recipes for roast chicken, from simple--like roast chicken with basil, scallion, lemon butter, and potatoes--to more advanced, such as salami-barded, salt-roasted chicken with fennel slaw, and roast chicken with morcilla sausage and pimentón de la Vera. Then there are sides: an assortment of potato recipes, plus such veggies as roasted cauliflower with dry-cured black olives and parsley leaves. Answering the question "What else can I do with roast chicken?" are recipes for roast chicken salads (including chicory salad with roast chicken, crispy croutons, and toasted garlic vinaigrette) and soups (black bean and ancho chile soup with roasted chicken, cilantro, and lime). This cookbook's homespun quality resonates with the subject matter--and the recipes are inspiring and varied enough to make eating chicken often an interesting proposition. (Oct.) (c)
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Review

There is nothing more satisfying than the perfect roast chicken, and no one more capable of teaching you how to perfect it than cookbook author, food stylist and editor Mindy Fox. A BIRD IN THE OVEN AND THEM SOME proves, time and again, that with the right amount of knowledge and a hint creativity, flavor possibilities for even the most ubiquitous bird are endless and divine. Each recipe is unique, inspired and as approachable as the main ingredient itself. --Gail Simmons

This is literally the first time in my whole life (and I've been reading cookbooks since age 4) that I want to taste, grab, devour and manhandle every single recipe in a cookbook. Mindy is a genius, taking something as comforting and approachable as a chicken and making it in so many delectable ways. Not only are the recipes done in very good taste, they are intelligent, easy to read and understand, and most of all bring out the best part of the chicken, its versatility. Mindy answers questions most people have about cooking, handling and serving chicken. She truly embraces the ins and outs of chicken and beyond. I can honestly say this book should be a staple in every beginner to advanced cook's home. I'm going out right now to buy one for my mother and sister! --Michelle Bernstein

Mindy Fox's chicken recipes are mouthwateringly delicious and her instructions clear and concise. Best of all, the pleasure continues in the myriad of ways she shows you to use any leftovers. --Giuliano Hazan

A BIRD IN THE OVEN AND THEN SOME guides readers to the crispy-skinned bird of their dreams in dozens of variations perfect for sophisticated city palates: one take roasts the bird in a salami cloak, another is redolent with green olives and fennel seeds. Her next-day inspirations are similarly novel, from chicken pho to chicken farroto--as are killer sides like scalloped potatoes with goat Gouda and roasted parsnips with za'atar. --Edible Manhattan, November 3, 2010

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Kyle Books (November 16, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1906868336
• ISBN-13: 978-1906868338
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 8.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (66 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #520,256 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #61 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Cooking by Ingredient > Meat, Poultry & Seafood > Poultry

More About the Author

Mindy Fox is the food editor of La Cucina Italiana magazine, a cookbook author, food writer and teacher. Visit Mindy online at www.mindyfox.net.

Formerly on staff at Saveur, she has written for Saveur, La Cucina Italiana, Every Day with Rachel Ray, Prevention, Time Out New York and Edible Manhattan magazines. Her recipes and freelance work have appeared in The London Times, Food & Wine, Martha Stewart Living, Real Simple, Gourmet, Country Living and Parenting magazines, and on BonAppetit.com. Mindy appears regularly on the Martha Stewart Living Radio program, Everyday Food. Her first book, A Bird in the Oven and Then Some, was included in The New York Times' 2010 Best Cookbooks of the Year and Food & Wine magazine's Best of the Best.

Mindy is the co-author with Chef Sara Jenkins of Olives & Oranges: Recipes and Flavor Secrets from Italy, Spain, Cyprus & Beyond, and co-author with Chef Karen DeMasso of The Craft of Baking, a 2009 New York Times Notable Book of the Year.

Early in her career, Mindy cooked professionally in Boston restaurants, training with James Beard Award nominee chef Stan Frankenthaler and others. Mindy's cooking and writing has been inspired by extensive travels in France, Italy, Mexico, Brazil and Turkey.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I thought I knew all there was to know about roasting chicken December 1, 2010

By Wade Marchand

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

And then I purchased this book after a recommendation from a friend. Boy did I have a lot to learn.

One of the most vexing issues for me was crispy skin - I could never get mine crispy enough. I learned that if I allowed the chicken to 'dry out' overnight in the refrigerator (or for at least 8 hours) the resulting roasted bird would be tender with a crispy skin.

I also learned a little more about brining. Again, I thought I knew all I needed to know, but it turns out I was over-brining my birds. With a little tutoring from this book, I scaled back the brine time and the resulting chicken was perfect.

I've served the olive and fennel-roasted bird to friends and it was a huge hit - it is surprising, delicious, and aromatic.

I really can't say enough good things about this cookbook. It is written with detailed pantry lists, so no matter how obscure the ingredient the author calls for, there's a detailed explanation and description. Recipes are easy to follow and easy to execute. The leftovers are fun and creative.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great the first, second and third time! February 2, 2011

By Tom and Kris

Format:Hardcover

With all the lousy weather in New York, we had some time to hunker down in the kitchen and make some comfort food- and what's better than roasting a few chickens on a snowy day?

Little did we know that thanks to "Bird in the Oven", we'd wind up making not one, but four fantastic meals- and all from the same two birds!

We started with the "Greek Roast Chicken with Caper Butter and Roast Lemon" along with the "Roasted Golden Beet with Basil" recipes since we already had some Meyer lemons and yellow beets in the house. We'd never even tried skordalia before, but spread on some home made pita, we found it was the perfect match for the ridiculously moist chicken, the sweet caramelized lemons (which we ate peel and all) and the tender beets. The next day, we pulled all the meat off the second bird and made the easy and delicious "Tomato-Chickpea Masala"- which had the perfect amount of sweetness, savoriness and heat, and supplied plenty of left overs for all of us to have lunch tomorrow.

While this was cooking, I made a huge batch of stock from the two roasted carcasses. Since the broth smelled so good, I had a few Meyer lemons left and my car was still covered in ice- I decided to make a batch of the "Lemon Chicken Soup with Rice" for tomorrow. I am happy to report, it is as creamy, complex and delicious as the one I always order from my local Greek diner. With the rest of the broth, I plan to make the "Black Bean and Ancho Chile Soup" for this weekend.

Thanks Mindy- we can't wait to tear through the rest of your fabulous book!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars final star will surely come after trying next recipe! May 16, 2011

By Lala K

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I just returned from a visit with my Grandmother, who prepared a roasted turkey for the weekend. Not only was it absolutely delicious, but I was struck by the seemingly bottomless helpings it provided for other dinners and snacks. Though I'd gotten into roasting chickens a few years ago out of curiosity and a sense of economy, I wasn't always excited about leftovers...so, I was particularly drawn to Bird in the Oven. I received the book in just a few days and couldn't resist immediately trying out a recipe. It was the end of a LONG work day, so I tried the simplest recipe, "sea salt roast chicken with delectably crispy skin". At first, I did a TRIPLE take when I realized the recipe calls for no oil or butter...it turned out AMAZINGLY. So good,in fact, that we had it again last night with my homemade pita and Fox's skordalia recipe (a garlic bomb of wonderfulness!), and I still can't get over the moist and tender meat!! Now to try something more complicated...