Perfecting chicken, piece by piece

Roasted chicken. Chef Thomas Keller waxed poetic about it on a recent episode of "Charlie Rose." It has "reference points," he noted. A big browned bird signals the arrival of the holidays, or a relaxed supper after a lazy Sunday. A whole roasted chicken, crisp-skinned and juicy and aromatic, resonates with deliciousness.

But even when it is deconstructed to its humble parts, they too can hit all the same notes. Achieve them with a pan or in the oven, with a few easy techniques -- the right ones for the right cut.

The chicken breast's reputation precedes it; it's at once adored by the health-conscious and derided by dark-meat loyalists. It's routinely mishandled and overcooked, but it can also be tender, and redolent with warm chicken flavor.

The challenge of the breast is that it's large and uneven, fat on one end and narrowly pointed on the other. The trick is to even it out -- pound it into an elegant paillard. Give them a three-minute pan fry until they're nearly done, and then in the same pan make a quick Basque-style sauce -- tomatoes and olives and herbs, slightly smoky pancetta. It's all fantastic with the perfectly cooked chicken breasts that are so tender the meat is almost silky.

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And chicken legs -- there's something about chicken legs with the thighs attached that makes such a great display on the plate. They're quickly seared before roasting so that they get an extra-crisp golden-brown skin.

Chicken legs, fattier and thus moister, lend themselves to longer periods of cooking. The juices and browned bits in the pan make a rich sauce with chicken broth, white wine and butter. Deep-fried slices of baby artichokes and Meyer lemons serve as garnish. They puff up with a tempura-like crust made with heavy whipping cream and flour.

Espelette pepper is available at specialty stores. You can substitute canned San Marzano tomatoes for fresh.

Basque-style Chicken

Makes 2 servings

Time: 35 minutes

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 7 ounces each

½ teaspoon salt

-- Freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

2 tablespoons minced shallot

1 clove garlic, crushed

½ cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio

½ cup chicken broth

¥ teaspoon Espelette pepper

3 sprigs thyme

½ cup diced tomato, cut into ¾-inch dice

¼ cup nicoise olives

Place each chicken breast between two large pieces of plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a meat mallet or heavy skillet, pound each breast until it is uniformly about one-quarter-inch thick.

Season each piece with one-fourth teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper. Place each breast on top of a large piece of plastic wrap or wax paper.

In a large skillet, heat the butter and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the chicken, one piece at a time, and saute until golden-brown, about 2½ minutes on the first side and 30 seconds on the other. Remove the chicken to a plate. Set aside in a warm place.

Drain the excess fat from the pan and add the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium heat.

Add the pancetta and saute until browned, about 2 minutes. Add the shallot and saute for 1 minute, until tender, then add the garlic and saute just until aromatic, a few seconds, being careful not to brown. Add the wine, stirring to scrape up the browned bits at the bottom of the pan.

Stir in the chicken broth, the Espelette pepper, thyme and tomatoes. Allow the sauce to come to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes so that the flavors develop. Stir in the olives.

Add the chicken back to the pan, spooning the sauce over it. Cook for 1 minute, then remove the chicken to a plate. Spoon the sauce evenly over each piece, and serve immediately. Servings: 2

Roast Chicken

with Fried Artichokes and Lemons

Makes 4 servings

Time: 1 hour

¼ cup olive oil, divided

2 tablespoons butter, plus 1 teaspoon cold butter cut into small pieces, divided

2 cloves garlic, mashed or pressed through a garlic press

4 chicken legs with thighs attached (about 12 ounces each)

-- Salt

3 Meyer lemons, divided 8 baby artichokes

½ cup heavy whipping cream

½ cup flour

« cup chicken broth

3 tablespoons white wine

-- Chervil leaves for garnish

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Place 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter with the garlic in a small saucepan. Heat over low heat until the butter is melted. Cook for about a minute more until the garlic is fragrant, then remove from the heat.

Wash the chicken under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Brush the chicken with the garlic mixture. Season each chicken leg with one-fourth teaspoon salt and allow to stand at room temperature while you prepare the lemons and artichokes for frying.

Fill a large bowl with cold water and halve one of the lemons, squeezing the juice from one half into the water. Trim the artichokes down to the hearts: Using a sharp knife, cut away the tough outer leaves until you see only light green at the base. Cut away about the top half-inch of the artichoke tip. Trim the end of the stem, then peel the stem and base of the artichoke; there should be no dark green tough spots left, only pale green and ivory. Place the peeled artichokes into the bowl of lemon water.

When all of the artichokes are trimmed, slice them lengthwise, no thicker than one-fourth inch, using a mandoline or by hand with a sharp knife. As you slice them, return them to the bowl of lemon water.

Using a mandoline or a sharp knife, slice two of the lemons crosswise into slices no thicker than one-fourth of an inch. Set aside.

Drain the artichokes well and pat dry. Place the cream and flour into separate medium bowls, and one by one dip the artichoke and lemon slices into the cream. Let any excess cream drain off, then dip the slices into the flour to coat, shaking off any excess flour. Set them on a wire rack until you are ready to fry them.

Heat a large heavy skillet with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat until hot. Add the chicken pieces in batches and cook until browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Adjust the heat as necessary. Put the browned chicken in a large shallow baking pan. Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel and set aside.

Roast the chicken until tender and a thermometer inserted into the meatiest part of the thigh (not touching the bone) reaches 165 to 170 degrees, about 30 to 35 minutes.

While the chicken is roasting, fill a large, heavy stock pot with enough oil for deep-frying (the oil should come about 3 inches up the sides of the pan). Heat the oil until a thermometer inserted reads 350 degrees. Add the lemon slices in batches to the deep fryer and cook until the slices are golden brown and puffed on both sides, about 1 ½ minutes total. Fry the artichokes until lightly browned on both sides, about 1 minute total. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle lightly with salt. Set aside in a warm place until ready to serve.

Remove the cooked chicken from the oven and drizzle the pieces with the juice from the remaining half of the lemon. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside in a warm place. Pour the chicken broth over the baking pan to loosen the juices and browned bits. Stir in the wine, then pour all of the liquid back into the saute pan. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, until slightly reduced. Swirl the remaining teaspoon of butter into the sauce, bit by bit, to thicken. Remove from the heat and strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer. Set aside in a warm place.

To serve, place one chicken leg on each of four plates and spoon some sauce over it. Divide the lemons and artichokes evenly among the servings. Sprinkle each chicken piece with a few chervil leaves and serve immediately.