The Bakehouse Brunch: Butter Roasted Chicken + Fresh Corn Johnny Cakes

I want to be known for two things in life.  I want to be known as the girl who has the dad who makes the best Sweet Potato Pie… and I want to be known as the girl who lives in the house that always smells like roasted chicken and sweets.  What would be better?  Little else, I’m sure of it.

I think I get this instinct from my grandmother, whose house always smelled like Cornish game hens and some sort of buttery pound cake.  If you could separate the smell of boiling broccoli from the equation, you were in for a delight.  It was all just odd enough to be perfectly homey.

Today we’re continuing in our 4-part series with KitchenAid with a continuation of the best meal of the week: Brunch!

It’s been such a pleasure to partner with KitchenAid to bring you this series.  They make products that have made my kitchen life even better!  This, their Dual Fuel Double Oven Convection Range is like having a fire-breathing work house in my kitchen. Yea… it’s really incredible. It has two ovens which means I can roast and bake, bake and warm, roast and roast in whatever combination my recipes require.  And the Even-Heat™ True Convection means the oven is super even and reliable, so I never have to guess at secret hot-spots in the oven.  Today I’m also using the griddle top to fry fresh corn pancakes!  It’s all just a dream.

I say all of this to say that KitchenAid products have elevated my joy in the kitchen AND I get to share that with you!

At the end of our 4-part series, KitchenAid is giving away a full suite of KitchenAid® major appliances!*  It’s epic, and you can enter by participating in all 3 of the small appliance giveaways I’m hosting. See post #1 here. Speaking of giveaways, here are the details for the second one: We’re giving away the two awesome KitchenAid® small appliances I used to create the chicken and johnny cake recipes: the KitchenAid® 2-speed Hand Blender and the KitchenAid® 9-Speed Hand Mixer. Two more of my kitchen favorites!

To enter this giveaway, share a photo on Instagram that shows your favorite Brunch recipe using #MadeWithKitchenAid and #JtBBakehouse. Don’t forget to tag @KitchenAidUSA and @joythebaker! The winner will get to add these amazing tools to their kitchen to help them continue to be inspired by KitchenAid every day.

Brunch is really coming together!

This chicken starts very simply.  Roasted chicken doesn’t need to be fussy at all.  It’s glorious with a simple seasoning and a good amount of heat.

Here’s what we’re using:

Butter + Olive Oil  // a mix of fats to withstand high cooking temperatures

Salt + Fresh Cracked Black Pepper + Smoky Paprika // a perfectly simple blend of spices

Garlic  // roasted to soft, spicy, and sweet

Chicken pieces are seasoned generously with salt, fresh cracked black pepper, and smoky paprika on both sides.  I like to let the meat rest at room temperature for about 15 minutes, to get the chill off and let the meat relax a bit before seasoning both sides.  I find that cooking the meat closer to room temperature helps it not seize up as it cooks.

The chicken is seared in butter and olive oil, skin side down over medium-high heat on the stovetop.

This is when patience is essential.  Let the chicken brown, undisturbed for several minutes before checking on it.  We want the chicken to really crisp as it cooks in this part of the process.

Chicken pieces are flipped and browned on both sides.

As the chicken is nearly done browning on both sides, I peel whole garlic cloves and add them to the chicken and fat.

The browned and spicy chicken, along with the whole garlic cloves are places in this KitchenAid® Ceramic 1.9 Qt Casserole Baking Dish.  I love that this dish can withstand some quality oven time and emerge ready for the serving table.

We’ll bake the chicken with the lid off keeping the skin crisp and browning it to perfection.

While the chicken roasts, it’s time to make fresh corn cakes!

Sweet corn is sliced fresh from the cob and combined with cornmeal, grits, and buttermilk making lightly sweetened corn pancake.  A sweet brunch-y balance to our roasted chicken.

Fresh corn is sliced from the cob and half of the corn kernels are added to a large mixing bowl with a pat of softened butter.

We’ll add buttermilk and use the KitchenAid® 2-Speed Hand Blender to bring the mixture together. I like using the hand blender because it blends the corn but keeps some of the gritty fresh texture. It’s also really easy to clean which is always a plus in my book!

And egg to bind the wet ingredients with the dry!

From here we’ll whip the mixture together with the KitchenAid® 9-Speed Hand Mixer–  Even speed. Quick mixing. Easy clean-up. It’s my go-to in the kitchen.

Flour and cornmeal are added to the wet ingredients.

Brown sugar for a sweetness that compliments the fresh corn, and coarse cornmeal (grits!) to add a toothsome texture to the pancakes.

After a few minutes under the mixer, we’ll add the remaining fresh corn.

The batter will be spoonable thick and studded with fresh corn.

The Double Oven Convection Range is doing its J.O.B!

We’ve got chicken roasting on high in the bottom oven, the top oven is heated to warm and ready for our cooked Johnny Cakes, and the griddle top is coated in butter and ready to sizzle!

Look at our success!

Chicken is roasted to a buttery crisp.  Johnny Cakes are tender and browned, warm and sweet.  It’s the most wonderful balance of sweet and savory and paired with our Sweet Potato Frittata and Herby Butter Lettuce Salad … we’ve got a very hearty brunch on our hands.

Crisp Butter Roasted Chicken

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• Author: Joy the Baker
• Prep Time: 15
• Cook Time: 25
• Total Time: 40 minutes

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Ingredients

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• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 (3-4 lb) whole chicken, broken down into pieces
• coarse sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper, smoky paprika
• 10 garlic cloves, whole and peeled

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Instructions

1. Place a rack in the upper third of the Dual Fuel Double Oven Convection Range and preheat oven to 375 degree F.
2. Generously season all sides of the chicken pieces with salt, pepper, and paprika. Allow to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.
3. Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil and butter, heating until butter is melted. Add as many chicken pieces as will fit in the pan, skin side down. Sear until chicken is golden brown, then flip.
4. Add garlic to the pan as the second side of chicken cooks. We’re not cooking the chicken through, we’re searing and crisping the skin, sealing in the moisture.
5. Remove from heat and transfer chicken pieces, garlic and juice to a roasting pan.
6. Roast, uncovered for 25 minutes or until cooked through.
7. Serve warm with Fresh Corn Johnnycakes.

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 4

Fresh Corn Johnny Cakes

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• Author: Joy the Baker

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Ingredients

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• Kernels from 2 ears of corn
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature, plus more for frying
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 2 tablespoons coarse corn grits
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 scant teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
• maple syrup for serving

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Instructions

1. In a medium bowl combine half of the corn, the buttermilk, and butter. Use a KitchenAid® 2-Speed Hand Blender to coarsely puree and combine the mixture. If you don’t have a hand blender, you can coarsely chop the mixture in a food processor, transferring to a medium bowl after pureeing.
2. Add the egg. Beat in using an electric hand mixer (or whisk if you don’t have a hand mixer).
3. Add the flour, cornmeal, corn grits, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and pepper to the bowl. Use a KitchenAid® 9-Speed Hand Mixer on low speed to bring together all of the ingredients. Add the remaining corn and fold to combine.
4. Heat a griddle pan over medium heat. Brush with butter to grease. Heat oven to 175 degrees F. Place a cooling rack over a rimmed baking sheet and set aside. Dollop batter by the two tablespoonful onto the hot griddle. Cook until golden brown and bubbling slightly, about 1 minute and 30 seconds, and flip, cooking to golden on the other side.
5. When done frying, place the johnny cakes on the prepared cooling rack and into the warm oven to rest while you cook the rest of the cakes, adding more butter to the griddle as necessary.
6. Serve warm with maple syrup.

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KitchenAid provided the appliances shown. I have been compensated for creating this content, but all opinions are my own.