Recipe: German Volksfest Chicken - 8

I think you're looking for Wiesnhendl or Brathendl, commonly found at Oktoberfest and other volksfest (also might be called Brat-hendl, Brath hnchen, Grillh hnchen), which is just rotisserie chicken. Part of the magic is the type of chicken, and the method of cooking which unless you have a rotisserie at home is difficult to duplicate -as the chickens roast, they're continuously basted with butter. The first recipe is from a German chef who has a stall at Oktoberfest. The recipes that follow are volksfest-style chicken copycats, using the grill and oven.

CRISPY OKTOBERFEST CHICKEN
with tips from kitchen director Andreas Geitl

1 roast chicken 1100 to 1200 g, fresh (very important), if possible from a so-called dry slaughter (see below)
salt and pepper
plenty of fresh leaf parsley with stems
approx. 50 g fresh unsalted butter

About an hour before roasting the roast chicken, season it vigorously inside and out (yes, strong, it can and should make you a little thirsty). Fill the belly with roughly chopped, washed and still moist parsley (because if you bring additional moisture into the belly, the chicken will stay juicier and the parsley can give off more flavor). If you have a rotary grill, skewer the chicken and grill it at around 220 degrees C for about an hour. If not, the Oktoberfest chicken can also be prepared very conventionally in a suitable roaster, which you spread out with a little fat beforehand. First place the chicken with the breast side down and slide it into the oven preheated to 200 degrees C (please do not use hot air, the constant air circulation makes the chicken more evenly brown, but also dry!). Turn after about 30 minutes and finish cooking with the breast side up. Calculate a guideline time of one hour per kg (this also applies to other poultry) . For the last 15 minutes of the cooking time, the chicken is brushed with fresh, soft, creamy, but not runny butter, approx. 4-5 times. The chicken is done when the juice that runs out of the abdomen is clear and no longer bloody. Please test it.

A word about the so-called dry slaughter: The chicken comes into contact with less and, above all, not so hot (below 60 degrees C) water, which means a significant quality advantage. The skin is treated more gently and this means that it becomes crispier when frying. In addition, no water penetrates the meat, which means that it loses much less weight during cooking. The best thing to do is to ask your dealer whether his chickens come from dry slaughter.

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BRATH NCHEN / BRATHENDL
GERMAN ROAST CHICKEN
(using the oven)

1 whole Fryer Chicken around 4 lbs
Brine:
1 gallon water
1/2 cup Kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar or honey
Seasoning:
1 recipe Br thanchengew rtz (roast chicken spice)
For Adhesion:
1 teaspoon flour or cornstarch
1/4 cup olive oil
Suppengr n
1 cup leeks cut in strips
1 cup celery root cut in strips
1 cup carrots cut in strips

Brine the chicken first:
Make the brine by bringing half a gallon of water to a boil then add the salt and sugar and dissolve. Add the remaining 2 quarts and let it cool. Put in a bowl and add the chicken. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and place in fridge for 24 hours. Even if you only have a few hours it is worth it to brine the chicken.

Make your Brathanchengewurtz:
Add the flour and oil and mix. The flour helps to give it body and adhear to the chicken. Take the chicken from the brine and dry it well. Brush this on the inside of the chicken with the spice mix and then on the chicken.

Follow the guide below and roast the chicken till the temperature is about 170 degrees F, taking the temperature in the thickest part of the thigh area which is the last to get cooked. Add Suppengr n (soup greens) to the pan.

Chicken Cooking Timetable:
Whole Chicken - 3-4 lbs, 350F, 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours
Whole Chicken - 4-6 lbs, 350F, 1 3/4 to 2 hours
Slow Roasting:
Whole Chicken - 3-4 lbs, 300F. 2 1/2 to 3 hours
Whole Chicken - 4-6 lbs, 300F, 3 1/2 to 4 hours

Brathanchengew rz Roast Chicken Seasoning

Basic Recipe:
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon red pepper
For more flavor add:
1-2 teaspoons savory herbs
1-2 teaspoons pungent herbs
Savory herbs:
Marjoram
Savory
Basil
Rosemary
Thyme
you can also use a blend like Poultry Seasoning, Fine Herbs or Herbs de Provence
Pungent:
Caraway
Cumin
Mustard seed
Curry powder
Coriander
Dill
ginger
Optional though not traditional, sweet additions:
Brown sugar
Cinnamon
For Adhesion:
1 teaspoon flour or cornstarch
1/4 cup olive oil

Mix all seasoning ingredients together for the basic recipe. Add 1-2 tsp savory herbs, 1-2 tsp pungent spices, some sweet additions if you want and the flour. Add extra herbs or spice as you see fit. When you are ready to brush a chicken with this add the oil and mix. Brush it on the chicken.

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HOMEMADE VOLKSFEST GRILLED CHICKEN
(translated from German, uses the grill)

Marinade:
2 tablespoons of salt,
3 tablespoons noble sweet paprika powder
1 tablespoon smoked paprika powder
1 tablespoon curry spice
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon marjoram
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
1 pinch cinnamon
1 pinch cumin
1 pinch cayenne pepper
2 cl tasteless oil (sunflower oil or rapeseed oil),
3 cl festival beer
1 chicken

Mix spices and beer for marinade. Massage it into the chicken well (rub all over). The marinade should soak in for about one to three hours before the chicken is grilled.

Place chicken in grilling pan / basket sitting up, so it gets heat from all sides. Heat grill to between 180 and 200 degrees Celsius.

Important: grill should have a cover so that the grill can temporarily become an "oven". Depending on the size of the chicken, the cooking time is between 45 and 60 minutes, maintaining heat in the grill between 180 and 200 degrees Celsius throughout cooking.

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OKTOBERFEST ROAST CHICKEN 'WIESNHENDL'
(using the oven)
Serves 2

1.2kg chicken
1 stock cube, chicken or vegetable
3 Tbsp neutral oil
2 tsp sweet paprika powder
1 tsp garlic powder
pinch of chilli flakes
sea salt and black pepper
TO SERVE:
lemon wedges
potato salad, french fries or coleslaw

Remove any giblets or organs from the chicken, truss the legs together and set aside.

Fill a saucepan large enough to hold the chicken two-thirds of the way with water, crumble in the stock cube and bring to the boil. Gently slide the chicken into the hot stock, then turn the heat to low and simmer very, very gently for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oven to 180 degrees C / 350F / Gas 4 and place a roasting rack onto an oven tray.

In a small bowl stir together the oil paprika, garlic, chilli flakes and a few grinds of black pepper.

After half an hour, use two forks to lift the chicken out of the poaching water, tilting it to drain any liquid. Place on a paper towel-lined plate, pat dry and allow to cool for a minute or two.

Cut the string trussing the legs together, then use a pair of kitchen shears or a sharp knife to cut through the breast bone of the chicken. Cut along both sides of the spine and discard it. Gently lay the chicken halves on the prepared rack season generously with salt, then brush the paprika mixture evenly over the chicken, making sure to get right under the drumsticks and wings.

Roast the chicken in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden, basting once with any oil that has dripped from the chicken. For crispy skin either turn the oven right up for an extra 5 minutes of cooking time or turn the grill/broiler on until the skin is crisped to your liking.
Allow to rest on a warm plate for 5-10 minutes before serving with potato salad, French fries or coleslaw and a slice of lemon.

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OKTOBERFEST BRATHENDL

1 whole chicken, (3-5 lbs is ideal)
1 quart water, for brine
3/4 cup salt (coarse), for brine
1 cup brown sugar, for brine
4 bay leaves, for brine
1 tsp mustard seeds, for brine
1 tsp peppercorns, for brine
4 cloves, whole, for brine
6 sprigs thyme, to stuff chicken
6 sprigs parsley, to stuff chicken
3 cloves garlic, to stuff chicken
1/2 stick butter, to brush over chicken
1/4 cup olive oil, to brush over chicken
1 tsp each of paprika, oregano, garlic powder, salt (coarse), to brush over chicken

First brine the whole chicken. Heat the water with the salt and sugar until they dissolve. Add ice to cool the solution down.

In cheese cloth tie the bay leaves, cloves, mustard seeds and peppercorns. Submerge in the brine liquid and add the chicken. Cover with plastic and brine refrigerated for 12-24 hours, depending on the size of the bird.

When ready to cook, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Remove the chicken from the brine. Rinse and pat dry. Stuff the cavity with the thyme, parsley, garlic and lemons.

Melt the butter, mix in the olive oil and the spices. Place the chicken breast side up onto the rack of a roasting pan. Brush it with the spiced butter/olive oil. Place in the oven and brush with spiced butter/olive oil again in about 20 minutes. (If the chicken is browning too quickly, tent it with aluminum oil.) In 40 minutes check the temperature with a meat thermometer. Brush with more spiced butter/olive oil. Continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. If you want crisper skin, turn the heat up or broil for the final few minutes (keep an eye on it).

Placed the cooked chicken onto a cutting board with a lip of a cutting board inside a baking sheet (to contain the juices). Cut across lengthwise with a heavy knife, pressing down firmly. Remove the herbs and lemon and serve.

NOTES:
Cooking time depends on the size of the chicken and the calibration of your oven. Bigger birds will take longer to cook. Cook to internal temperature of 165 degrees F and crispy, golden brown skin.

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BRATHENDL

1 whole chicken about 3.5 pounds
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika sweet
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp oregano
1 pinch ground pepper
1/4 tsp marjoram
1 pinch ground rosemary
2 tbsp butter

Wash the whole chicken inside and out, and thoroughly towel dry. Mix the herbs and spices in a bowl. Rub the chicken inside and out with the spice mixture. Place the chicken in a baking dish filled with 1/2 in of water. Cut the butter into small pats, and place on top of the chicken.

Roast at 325 degrees F for about one hour, or until done. Baste with the pan juices several times during the roasting, every 15-20 minutes.

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OKTOBERFEST ROAST CHICKEN - WIESN HENDL
(using the oven)

1 chicken
1 bunch Italian parsley
1 stick (1/2 cup) Butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 390 degrees F.

With a paper towel tab the chicken dry. Rub the chicken intensely with salt - inside and outside. Wash the parsley and fill the chicken with it.

Melt the butter in a pot. Use 1 tbsp. of butter to fill into the chicken. Roast the chicken for about 20 minutes at 390 degrees F, then increase the temperature to 450F and cook until the meat is fully cooked.

Brown the butter and during the roasting brush the butter on the chicken every 15 minutes.

Cut the chicken in half and serve each half with a pretzel - Oktoberfest style!

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CRISPY ROAST CHICKEN LIKE OKTOBERFEST
(using the oven)

2 whole chickens
4 tbsp butter
2 teaspoons hot paprika powder
2 teaspoons noble sweet paprika powder
2 teaspoons curry powder
Salt and pepper
6 stalks of parsley
4 stalks of lovage
1 lemon
1 small onion
2 cucumbers
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
8 tablespoons rapeseed oil

It is best to have the chicken cut in half when you go shopping, otherwise you have to do it yourself at home. I find it more convenient to do this when shopping.

For the paprika marinade, melt the butter and stir in four tablespoons of oil, paprika and curry powder as well as salt and pepper.

Rinse off herbs and shake dry, wash lemon with hot water and cut into slices.

Season the inside of the half chicken with salt and pepper, brush the outside with two thirds of the prepared paprika marinade. Then place it in a large baking dish, add the herbs and lemon wedges and pour 300 ml of water (or broth for even more flavor). Cook the roast chicken at 150 degrees C for about 30 minutes. Then it is coated again with the rest of the paprika marinade and cooked for another 30 minutes or until done.