black and white

OK, you know how I am constantly talking about cleaning out my freezers? It’s not like I don’t try, I do! But this time, it is really happening. I have been cooking only from the freezer for the past 2+ weeks. Now, when I say that, it doesn’t mean I’m not using any fresh food or that I’m not grocery shopping at all, for shame! That would be impossible for me, BUT it does mean that the main dishes, the big stuff, is coming from the freezer.  Examples you ask? Let’s see, the duck, rib-eye steaks, puff pastry, more puff pastry, Kobe beef, ground turkey, shrimp… and today, this exotic chicken.

The chicken I’m talking about is a Silkie that I purchased frozen some time ago at an Asian market.  Here is was a 2007 New York Times article has to say about Silkies.

Pet a Silkie chicken and you understand how it got its name. The feathers are fine and flutter in wisps in the breeze.

… it’s a striking-looking bird that’s often raised for show. Breeders also like them because they will hatch other birds’ eggs.

 “They are such good moms,” said Frank R. Reese Jr., the founder of Good Shepherd Turkey Ranch in Lindsborg, Kan., who breeds Silkies for show. “They’ll sit on anything and hatch anything. They’ll hatch ducks, turkeys, chickens.”

…They have bluish-gray skin, pitch-black bones and dark beige flesh (they’re sometimes called black-skinned chickens). They’re a scrawny pound or two, plucked, and are usually sold with the head and feet attached (with five toes, not the usual four).

“It’s a scary-looking creature,” said Patricia Yeo, of Sapa in Chelsea. She said she has her staff describe it as a deeply flavored, lean, free-range chicken.

I agree, it is kinda scary-looking without its beautiful white feathers.  And just as described above, it comes packaged completely intact, with head and feet. That is one reason I was excited to try it, chicken feet make the richest and most gelatinous stock. And the flavor of the roasted chicken was wonderful, so much richer than your average chicken. Before you see the pictures of the naked chicken below, you absolutely have to go to THIS LINK and check out a Silkie or two in the most gorgeous and mind-blowing chicken coop you’ll ever see. (BTW, I was directed to this blog by my absolute favorite blog of all blogs, Vignette Design, of course, everything wonderful can be found at Vignette Design!) I find this coop so inspiring that I am actually tempted to raise chickens again!

Wow, right? OK, back to the chicken at hand – I took a photo of the packaged naked bird from the Asian grocery all spread out, but I’m fearful that some of you might be seriously disturbed by the image…. so if you want to see the picture, leave a comment saying so, and I’ll send the image directly to you in an email. For the rest of you, do not fear, the forthcoming photos feature the chicken after I cut off the head and the really (and I mean REALLY) ugly five-toed feet!

Pomegranate Roasted Silkie Chicken

1 Silkie chicken, rinsed and patted dry inside and out
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 large shallots, peeled and sliced in half
1 small handful of thyme sprigs
1/4 cup pomegranate molasses
1/4 cup red wine

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Season the chicken inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the shallots and thyme.  Tie chicken wings down and legs together with kitchen twine. Rub the entire outside of the chicken with pomegranate molasses.

Thin the remaining pomegranate molasses by whisking in the red wine. Set aside, this will be a basting glaze for the chicken.

Roast in the preheated oven, basting with the glaze every 15 minutes, for about 1 hour or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees and the juices run clear.  Since this is such a small bird, take special care to not hit a bone with the thermometer, otherwise you will not get an accurate reading. Remove from the oven, loosely tent with foil and let rest 10 minutes before carving.

Serves 2

(The simplest way is to carve any poultry, is to first remove the legs, thighs, and wings from the main part of the body. This can easily be done by separating the leg pieces at the joints, which connect the various pieces together. Your knife will easily cut through a joint – see photo below – the white areas are the joints.)