The perfect, cozy fall or winter meal – crispy pasture raised roast chicken with a silky white wine herb pan sauce featuring roasted garlic and fresh herbs, served over a creamy lemon risotto. Does it get better than that? If you've never made risotto before, it may be easier than you think (I find it relaxing in fact, the stirring...the creamy, delicious result)...and it can be timed perfectly so that while the chicken is roasting, the risotto can be made.

If you've ever attempted a pan sauce before and had it fail, you've come to the right place. First, you should know if your chicken broth is homemade and very gelatinous (jiggly when cold), it'll will make for a lovely pan sauce, however, if your broth isn't quite there or store bought, we've got a secret weapon that'll guarantee a perfectly reduced silky sauce – powdered gelatin! The pan sauce takes about 20 minutes, so get it started as soon as the chicken comes out of the oven while it's resting. If needed, pop the chicken back in the oven (before carving), on a baking sheet to stay warm. This is a truly decadent meal, perfect for a holiday or special occasion. 

INGREDIENTS

For the Chicken –

• One 1915 Farm Pasture Raised Whole Chicken (or 4 Pasture Raised Chicken Thighs, or Leg Quarters)
• Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper
• 1 large shallot, quartered
• 1 head of garlic 
• 2 lemons (one cut in half, one sliced into wheels)
• 2 sprigs of thyme

For the Lemon Risotto – 

• 6-8 cups of chicken broth
• 2 cups arborio rice 
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 large shallot, finely diced
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup freshly grated parmesan (or pecorino)
• 1 small lemon (4 tsp lemon zest and 2 tbsp lemon juice)
• 2 Tbsp cold butter, for finishing

For the Pan Sauce – 

• 1 cup chicken broth 
• 1 cup dry white wine 
• 3 tsp powdered gelatin (if your broth isn't especially gelatinous or store-bought, this is your secret weapon)
• The roasted garlic and shallot from the pan with chicken, garlic squeezed from papery skins and chopped with the shallots
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 4-5 chives, finely sliced
• Small handful of parsley, finely minced
• 4 Tbsp cold butter
• 4 tsp soy sauce 

INSTRUCTIONS

For the Chicken – 

Preheat oven to 450° 

Remove chicken from packaging and pat completely dry, inside and out. Drizzle some olive oil in a cast iron skillet or dutch oven and place chicken inside. Tie legs together with butcher's twine and tuck wing tips under breasts so they don't burn. Drizzle a little olive oil over the chicken and rub to coat the skin entirely. Generously season with kosher salt & freshly ground pepper. Stuff the chicken's cavity with half a lemon and 2 sprigs of thyme. Slice the head of garlic in half, drizzling each half with a little olive oil before placing into pan cut side down, next to chicken. Place quartered shallots and lemon wheels around chicken as well. 

Place chicken into the oven and roast for 1–1.5 hours or until the temperature between leg and thigh registers 160°. Let rest for 15 minutes before carving (during this time carryover cooking will take place to get up to 165°)

For the Lemon Risotto – 

Bring broth to simmer in medium saucepan over medium-heat. Reduce heat to low and cover to keep warm and reduce evaporation.

Melt butter with oil in large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add rice and stir 1 minute, until it smells slightly toasted.

Add wine and stir until evaporated and the alcohol scent has diminished, about 30 seconds. Add two ladle fulls of hot broth (or about two cups), a couple pinches of kosher salt, and simmer until absorbed, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon. When broth is completely absorbed, add 1 ladle full of broth, simmering and stirring until absorbed. 

Continue this process until rice is creamy and tender, about 35 minutes. The final texture of a risotto should be like thick porridge that should lays flat in the pan, not sit in mounds. So it'll be a little more brothy than previous steps where you're absorbing broth completely. To test, when you run a wooden spoon through risotto the space should slowly fill back in.

Turn off the heat and stir in parmesan cheese and remaining 2 tablespoons cold butter. Stir in lemon juice and lemon zest. Taste and add more salt if needed. Season with freshly ground black pepper. If not serving immediately, keep warm with a tight fitting lid and reserve broth to add in a tiny amounts during the reheating process before serving. 

For the Pan Sauce –

While chicken roasts, combine wine and stock in a small bowl or measuring cup and sprinkle gelatin over the top. Set aside to let the gelatin bloom. 

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet the chicken cooked in and place over high heat. Add chopped roasted shallots and roasted garlic. Next, add wine/stock mixture and cook, scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Continue cooking over high heat until sauce is reduced by two thirds, about 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in cold butter and soy sauce and cook at a hard boil until emulsified, about 30 seconds. Sauce is done when you drag a wooden spoon through it and a line remains briefly before closing up. Remove from heat, strain through a fine mesh sieve if desired (I recommend it), and stir herbs into the sauce.

Taste sauce and season with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over the chicken and serve immediately (and be sure to save chicken bones for broth)!

We hope you enjoy this recipe! If you’d like to share your delicious dish on Instagram, don’t forget to tag us @1915_Farm

P.S. If you love our pasture raised whole chicken – consider subscribing to the new Grassroots Meat Club (ships free in TX, reduced in other states). Each box includes a variety of hand-selected grassfed and pasture raised meats, such as chicken breasts, chicken tenders, leg quarters, wings, thighs, drumsticks, whole chicken, ground beef, kabobs, stew meat, stir fry, cutlets, London broil (top round), beef roasts, beef ossobuco, short ribs, various sausages, pork roasts, pork chops, bacon, ground pork, fajita meat, country style ribs, spare ribs, and bacon!

Pan Sauce Recipe from Serious Eats