Roast Chicken with Winter Squash and Oyster Mushrooms

Photo by Sergio SalvadorWe’ve been enjoying delicious local chicken this year from Keller’s Farm Store and Pollo Real. The Keller family raises their hormone and antibiotic-free poultry near Moriarty. Tom and Tracey of Pollo Real raise their certified organic pastured chickens near Socorro, and sell them at La Montanita Co-Op and Santa Fe Farmers’ Market. They also have a CSA, and now is the time to sign up – memberships start in February!

Fresh, delicately-flavored oyster mushrooms are a tasty treat available year-round from local producers. Gael and Scott of Exotic Edibles, based in Edgewood, have been selling their mushrooms at the farmers’ markets in downtown Albuquerque and Los Ranchos for about ten years now. Los Poblanos Organics has also started producing oyster mushrooms in the last couple years, available through their CSA.

1 free range chicken, about 3 pounds

1 head of garlic

Olive oil

1 pound winter squash, sliced ½ inch thick

2 shallots, sliced thinly

¼ pound oyster mushrooms, sliced ½ inch thick

¾ C. white wine

¼ t. fresh rosemary, finely chopped

¼ t. each dried marjoram and thyme

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss the squash, shallots and mushrooms with ¼ cup wine, herbs, pepper, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Set aside to marinate while you prepare the chicken.

Rinse the chicken, pat it dry, and sprinkle salt all over the skin. Set it breast-side up on a rack, either the folding kind set in a 9×13-inch baking pan, or the flat kind set over the pan so there is room underneath. Trim roots off the head of garlic, and slice off the top to expose the cloves. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon olive oil over the top. Set cut side down in the pan under the rack. Roast 30 minutes.

Add the vegetables to the baking dish and turn the garlic heads cut side up. Don’t be tempted to pile in more squash, as I tend to do, because it may throw off the cooking time. Roast for 30 to 45 minutes more, until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is done (be sure to check the bottom side). Allow the chicken to rest for 5 to 10 minutes.

Transfer the chicken and vegetables from the baking dish to a platter. Deglaze the baking pan with ½ cup of white wine and simmer in a small skillet or saucepan until reduced slightly. Cut the chicken into quarters, and serve with vegetables and wine sauce. Serves 4.

Blogger Amy White is totally obsessed with vegetables and  fruits. Amy can be found every Friday right here, and on her blog, www.veggieobsession.blogspot.com.