Troy Wheeler is the butcher behind the upmarket Melbourne providore, co-owned with leading chef-restaurateur Andrew McConnell.
In a special Broadsheetseries, Meatsmith Masterclass, Wheeler reveals how to break down your own cuts of meat at home – including chicken, lamb and rabbit – to mimimise waste and maximise flavour. Importantly, it requires only basic butchery that’s more achievable than you think.
This hearty roast chicken dish uses the Maryland, a skin-on cut including both the drumstick and the thigh. Teamed with a chorizo and buckwheat salad and rich gravy, it’s a deliciously hearty meal.
Learn how to break down a chicken at home here.
Meatsmith’s roast chicken with buckwheat and chorizo salad and chicken sauce
Serves 2
Ingredients
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 chicken Marylands
3 cups chicken stock
2 tbsp unsalted butter
150g buckwheat
1 chorizo sausage, skin removed, broken into small pieces
2 golden shallots, peeled and finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/4 bunch flat leaf parsley, leaves picked, washed and finely chopped
1/2 lemon
Salt to season
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Pour 1 tbsp of the olive oil into a medium sized roasting pan. Place the chicken into the roasting pan skin side down and put a heavy weight on top of each leg (if you don’t have a kitchen press or weight, a saucepan lid is a good alternative).
Place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes, then remove the weights, turn the legs over, place the weights back and cook for a further 15 minutes. The weights will help the skin to become crisp all over. Set aside in a warm place to rest for 15 minutes.
While the chicken legs are cooking, make the chicken sauce. Add 2 cups of the chicken stock to a small saucepan. Cook over a medium-high heat until the liquid has reduced by ¾ (this should take about 20 minutes). Once reduced, whisk in 1 tbsp of the butter and season to taste with salt.
To cook the buckwheat, in a medium saucepan, bring the remaining 1 cup of stock to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Add the buckwheat, the remaining tbsp of butter and a pinch of salt then cover with a lid. Bring back to a gentle simmer then turn down the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. Once the liquid has absorbed into the buckwheat, remove from the heat and set aside to rest for 15 minutes.
Heat a medium frying pan over medium heat, add the remaining olive oil and chorizo, cook for 2–3 minutes or until the chorizo starts to caramelise. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for a further 3 minutes, moving the contents of the pan around frequently. Add the paprika and cook for a further minute, stirring to combine. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Once the buckwheat has rested, use a fork to fluff it up then turn the buckwheat into the pan with the cooked chorizo and mix until combined. Fold the parsley through and season with a squeeze of lemon juice and salt to taste.
To serve, divide the buckwheat mixture onto 2 warmed plates. Top each with a roast chicken leg and finish with the chicken sauce.
