I made this with a whole chicken since the only Cornish Hens I could find were already seasoned - and the package didn't indicate what seasonings! The recipe worked just fine with a chicken and it was good, but we didn't like the flavor combination of chicken with the Black Olive Tapenade. I've never liked black olives in cooked pasta sauces and I found with this dish that I don't like them with chicken, either. I think I'd personally prefer this recipe much more if it was made with a green olive tapenade.
One of my very favorite recipes is Chicken With Green Olives (Every Night Italian by Giuliano Hazan) and the ingredients are similar to Olive-Olive Cornish Hens. I am definitely going to try this recipe again since it was so easy, but I'll substitute green olive tapenade the next time.
The Black Olive Tapenade I used was from AMFT and it was terrific by itself - my usual tapenade recipe is the same as this one but without the herbs. I prefer Dorie's version now so I'm glad I made it!
I also made Lemon Spinach from AMFT...super-easy! I made it even easier by mixing all the ingredients in an 8-quart pot and just cooking it all over medium-low heat - no steamer. This is the second time I've made this and it is really delicious. Also, the potatoes I made were sauteed in duck fat and garlic so, of course, they were really good!
I made Dorie's tapenade, too. I loved it on its own, but mine didn't taste like much once it was cooked. Oh well. I like a good roast chicken, no matter what's slathered on it. :-)
ReplyDeleteI actually used green olive tapenade (I can't seem to follow directions sometimes - ok all of the time...) and found that the green olives added a nice zing to the chicken.
ReplyDeletePotatoes in duck fat. Sigh.
Yes, it's my first week with FFWD and I "SPATCHCOCKED" a hen!! What an initiation! Yours looks great!
ReplyDeleteI used the black olive tapenade which was great on crackers, but
ReplyDeleteit really lost its flavor in the chicken. I would like to try to make some
green tapenade and see how good that is. Your chicken looks so good,
and those potatoes sound delicious.
The potatoes cooked in duck fat sound dreamy!!
ReplyDeleteWow...looks delish ! I must try the lemon spinach too :) I love this and shall be making this again :)
ReplyDeleteI was thinking about making this recipe with a pre-cut-up chicken, but after reading the recipe I was so grossed out that nothing in the "bird" department interested me at all. But it is fun to see what everyone else did. And I appreciate reading all your comments...I wondered about a few of them with the chicken tastes.
ReplyDeletehow odd that they would come pre-seasoned?? We would all be in outrage if turkeys came like that! Glad you enjoyed it nonetheless!!
ReplyDeleteI love her tapenade, too. The anchovy adds just the right saltiness to it. The technique was wonderful for this dish. I've got to try the lemon spinach, too. Especially now that fall's arrived.
ReplyDelete