O’Neil’s 24-Hour Brined Slow-Roasted Chicken
The denizens of O’Neil’s 500-gallon salt-water tank have seen it all.
Excited little hands pointing and prodding at the glass. Chefs diligently working behind an exposed kitchen, putting together plate upon plate of creative cuisine. Waiters carrying inventive cocktails to spirited, chatting groups of families and friends. Columns upon columns of . . . bubbles.
It’s too bad then, that fish memories can only be measured in ephemeral seconds. Or that the best response they could hope to give would be blub, blub, blub.
Good thing O’Neil’s chef Ramiro Velazquez has a steel trap, and a mind for culinary masterpieces. Velazquez comes to O’Neil’s by way of Carlos’ Restaurant in Highland Park (now Nieto’s). Velazquez worked there for 23 years, helping restaurateur Carlos Nieto open the new restaurant before embarking for Partrick O’Neil’s flagship in Winnetka.
O’Neil’s chef Ramiro Velazquez
O’Neil’s also has undergone a recent transformation. Still casual to the core, the décor has been enlivened. The quaint, family-owned restaurant with wood paneling has turned into a contemporary, family-owned restaurant with an open concept and kid-friendly dining. And the cuisine—under the watchful eye of Velazquez—has been transformed as well.
The thing you have to know about the soft-spoken Velazquez, like most artists with a vision, he lets his artistry speak for itself. He’s very modest. But he could have an ego as in your face as the spice from his smoked paprika skirt steak, or as inflated as his slow roasted herbed chicken that he brines for 24 hours before serving. The food is that good.
“He spends his whole weekend thinking of what he’s going to do,” says a pleasantly dumbfounded Josh Keating—executive chef of O’Neil’s—smiling and shaking his head in equal parts mock-and-real disbelief. “He’s amazing like that.”
No matter the season, the slow roasted herbed chicken is one of Velazquez’s favorites. But will it be on the menu for all of fall and winter?
Thinking of the many things he’s looking forward to adding to the menu, Velazquez laughs. “We’ll see,” he says, with an air of mystery. Either way, here’s a recipe for you to enjoy at home whether Velazquez’s brined birds are on the menu or not.
TOTAL TIME: —
SERVES: 4
O’Neil’s 24-Hour Brined Slow-Roasted Chicken
2 whole chickens (place in brine and refrigerate for 24 hours)
Brine
2 cups salt
1 cup sugar
1 star anise
3 bay leaves
2 tablespoons whole black pepper corn
2 stalks rosemary
1 lemon, juiced
4 quarts water
Marinade
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon oregano, dried
1 tablespoon rosemary, dried
1 lemon, juiced
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1. Remove chicken from brine and rinse under cold water.
2. In a large bowl, place the chicken and rub with marinade allowing it to rest for 1-2 hours refrigerated.
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place chicken on sheet tray with an oven rack to collect the juices. Cook chicken for 15-20 minutes until the skin starts reaching a golden brown.
4. Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees, allowing it to cook slowly another 30-45 minutes until the chicken has reached 165 degrees. Allow to rest for 10-15 before gently slicing the chicken in half starting at the top next to the breast meat, discarding the rib and back bones.
5. Reserve liquid from cooking and strain any impurities, pouring over chicken prior to serving and enjoy.