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Lemon-Garlic Roasted Chicken, with Braised Apple-Caraway Cabbage

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An eastern European staple in the Christmas markets, this steaming mug of mulled spices, wine and brandy will put you in the most festive of moods. The bonus: the house acquires the most delicious of scents. Dimity and I first discovered this in Prague during our first Christmas away from home. Luckily, Bobby’s step-sister Laura just spent a semester in Germany; our hosts were also familiar with drink!

Double this recipe for two birds. We adapted this from a recipe we found on youtube. I would suggest watchingthis recipe first, and then scanning our ingredients for the additions. I will bold anything new!

Ingredients

Scale

Gluhwein

  • 2 bottles red wine
  • 6 cinnamon sticks
  • 10 cloves
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 orange, thinly slivered into wheels
  • 1/2 cup brandy
  • 1/2 cup Cointreau liquor

Roasted Chicken

  • 1 free-range chicken, cleaned and ready to stuff
  • 12 potatoes
  • 23 carrots
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 23 cloves garlic
  • 1 1/2 lemons
  • 23 sprigs each thyme & rosemary
  • salt & ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/2 cup white wine

Instructions

Gluhwein:

  1. Add all of the ingredients, except the brandy and cointreau, to a pot and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce to a simmer, and continue to simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Add the brandy and cointreau before serving.

Roasted Chicken:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400.
  2. Coarsely chop the onions, potatoes, and carrots and line the bottom of a baking dish.
  3. Follow the directions in the video for preparing the bird: peel and smash the garlic and add to a big bowl. Squeeze the lemons and add to the juice and peels to the bowl along with the spices.
  4. Bath the bird liberally in the bowl. Stuff the bird with the garlic and lemon peels – tuck in as many spices as you can. Place the bird on top of the vegetables.
  5. Tie the legs together with butchers string. Tuck the nubbins under (see video). Drizzle with olive oil and cover with slivers of butter.
  6. Roast in the oven for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes. Use a thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken (about 165 degrees), or slice to check for the right color (not pink!).
  7. Remove the vegetables while the gravy is still hot and transfer to a separate bowl. Pour the gravy into a small pan and add the white wine. Simmer for about 10 minutes until slightly reduced. Transfer to a bowl for serving over chicken.
  8. Carve the chicken, and voila! Serve with Apple-Caraway Cabbage. Incredible!