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Roast capon with orange and root veggies

6
Points®
Total Time
3 hr
Prep
20 min
Cook
2 hr 40 min
Serves
12
Difficulty
Easy
This delicious capon is first rubbed with a mixture of butter, shallots, and orange zest before roasting, while orange wedges and bay leaves are placed inside the cavity too. The capon is also complemented by a medley of carrots, parsnips, and red onions. Never heard of capon before? It's a large male chicken and is prized for its exceptional taste and generous amount of extra-moist white meat. Most capons are sold frozen, so it pays to plan ahead (allow at least 2 days to thaw the bird in the refrigerator). If capon is not available at your butcher or specialty store, you can order online at www.roastcapon.com.

Ingredients

Cooking spray

5 spray(s)

Orange

2 medium, navel

Unsalted butter

2 Tbsp, softened

Shallot

2 medium, minced

Table salt

2 tsp

Black pepper

1 tsp

Raw skinless boneless light and dark meat chicken

4 pound(s), 1 (8-pound) capon, giblets removed

Bay leaf

6 leaf/leaves

Carrots

3 pound(s), cut into 2 x 1-inch chunks

Uncooked parsnip

2 pound(s), cut into 2 x 1-inch chunks

Red onion

2 large, cut through root end into 12 wedges

Fresh parsley

¼ cup(s), chopped

Shallot

2 medium, minced

All-purpose flour

2 Tbsp

Chicken broth

¾ cup(s)

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven racks to upper and lower thirds of oven. Preheat oven to 375°F. Set rack in medium roasting pan. Spray rack and pan with nonstick spray.
  2. From oranges, grate 2 teaspoons zest. Cut oranges in half and squeeze enough juice from 1 to equal 1/2 cup (reserve juice for sauce). Cut remaining orange into quarters. Stir together butter, shallots, orange zest, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in small bowl. With your fingers, loosen skin on capon breasts, legs, and thighs. Rub shallot mixture on meat under skin. Place 1 bay leaf under skin of each breast half and 1 bay leaf under skin of each thigh and press skin back into place. Place orange wedges and remaining 2 bay leaves inside chicken cavity.
  3. Tuck wings under capon and tie legs together with kitchen string. Place capon on roasting rack, breast side up. Place capon on lower oven rack and roast 1 1/2 hours.
  4. Transfer 2 tablespoons pan drippings from capon to large rimmed baking sheet. Add carrots, parsnips, onion, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper; toss to coat. Place vegetables on upper oven rack and roast until instant-read thermometer inserted into thigh registers 165°F and vegetables are tender, about 1 hour, stirring vegetables once.
  5. Carefully tilt capon upright to allow juices inside cavity to pour into pan. Transfer capon to cutting board and let stand about 15 minutes. Transfer vegetables to bowl, sprinkle with parsley and keep warm.
  6. Meanwhile, remove rack from roasting pan. Strain pan juices into measuring cup and discard solids. Skim off visible fat. Set pan over 2 burners over medium heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until shallots are softened, about 2 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add broth, reserved orange juice, and pan juices and bring to boil over high heat, stirring with wooden spoon to scrape up browned bits from bottom of pan. Carve capon into 12 pieces and serve with pan sauce. Remove skin before eating.
  7. Serving size: 1/12 of capon, about 2/3 cup vegetables, and 2 tablespoons sauce

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