Oceania Cruises Cooking Challenge: Jacques Pépin’s Roasted Chicken Recipe

During times like these, I strap on an apron, turn on some Puccini and head to the kitchen – and so should you. That’s why I’m inviting all of you to join The Culinary Center team in an Oceania Cruises Cooking Challenge. The Culinary Center Chef Instructors and I recently started sharing recipes via email and phone – challenging each other as we all look for new and different recipes to try out during this period when we’re spending more time at home. We thought it would be a great idea to share this fun, new challenge with all of you so you can cook along with us at home, try your hand at some favorite Oceania Cruises recipes, and best of all – relieve some stress in the kitchen.

The first recipe for our Oceania Cruises Cooking Challenge is one of my all-time favorites – Jacques Pépin’s Roasted Chicken. Talk about comfort food! This Jacques Pépin recipe is also versatile because you can pair it with any grain or veggie that you have on hand. So pour yourself a glass of wine and get cooking – we can’t wait to see all of your results and continue this cooking adventure together during the next several weeks.

JACQUES PÉPIN’S ROASTED CHICKEN RECIPE
SERVES 6

SEASONING BLEND

• 2 bay leaves, minced
• 2 tablespoons each dried rosemary, thyme, sage and sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ¾ teaspoon ground mace
• ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

CHICKEN
Substitute ingredients as needed.

• ¼ cup butter, melted
• 1 (4- to 6-pound) chicken or chicken cuts
• Fleur de sel or Maldon salt, for finishing

MAKE THE SEASONING BLEND
In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Store unused seasoning blend in a sealed sterilized jar for up to 3 months.

ROAST THE CHICKEN
Preheat the oven to 400°F/204°C. In a small bowl, combine the butter and 2 heaping tablespoons of the seasoning blend and brush the spiced butter generously over the chicken. Place the chicken on a roasting rack, breast side up. Roast the chicken, brushing every 15 minutes with spiced butter, until the meatiest part reaches an internal temperature of 160°F/71°C, about 15 minutes per pound. Remove from the oven and let rest 15 minutes. Carve the chicken and finish the pieces with salt.

Don’t forget to share photos of your results on our Facebook page’s recipe post by using the hashtag #OLifeCookingChallenge and stay tuned for more of our favorite Oceania Cruises and Jacques Pépin recipes! Take care and be well.

About Executive Chef & Director of Culinary Enrichment Kathryn Kelly
Celebrating nearly a decade with Oceania Cruises, Chef Kelly’s passion for adult learning has been the driving force behind The Culinary Center since first developing it with Oceania Cruises co-founder Bob Binder in 2011. While overseeing a faculty of dedicated Chef Instructors, she is the chief architect of more than 100 unique culinary classes as well as our popular Culinary Discovery Tours™, which are immersive chef-led excursions offered in more than 40 destinations worldwide. In close collaboration with Oceania Cruises’ Executive Culinary Director, Master Chef Jacques Pépin, Chef Kelly ensures that the first hands-on cooking school at sea balances enrichment and culinary technique with the joy of learning about the world through food and wine.

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