For fans of Ridley Scott’s Alien facing a holiday at home alone this year, there’s no better time to try a recipe that might not be so at home during a traditional family get-together this holiday season. While the roasted chicken is a fairly traditional choice for Christmas and other winter holidays, why not put a xenomorph-style spin on the old classic?
Thankfully, Helen Die, researcher, chef, food stylist, photographer, and writer for The Necro-Nom-Nom-Nomicon, lives the Halloween life 365 days a year, crafting all sorts of horror movie themed recipes that are both delicious and visually striking. Die has the perfect recipe for Alien fans looking to get wickedly creative this holiday season: The Facehugger Feast Roasted Chicken.
While the assembly process is a bit involved, crafting a facehugger roast chicken this year isn’t that much different than just making a spatchcocked roast chicken, just with a few extra steps, so why not go through a bit of extra trouble to bring some festive 2020 horror cheer to your holiday table this year?
How To Create A Facehugger Chicken
Ingredients:
- 1 whole chicken
- Desired spice rub & glaze
- 3 feet of sausage casing
- Butcher’s twine
- 1 additional boneless chicken breast
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 0.5 oz (roughly 1/2 teaspoon) transglutaminase powder
- 8 crab legs, 4 left and 4 right (precooked)
First, start out by spatchcocking the chicken. Using a strong pair of kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the spine to remove it from the bird and effectively divide the chicken in half from tip to tail.
Next, remove the wings and legs, leaving the breasts and thighs intact with the skeleton of the bird. But, this needs to be done so that as much of the skin remains intact as possible. To do this, from the inside of the chicken, carefully locate the top joints of the legs or drumsticks and slice through those. Pull the legs up through the skin, basically turning it inside out and then cut the skin off at the base of the leg bone closest to where the feet would be.
Next, flip the bird over, breast side up, and carefully remove the wings, trying to ensure that the cuts are as small and close to the skin as possible. Now, press the bird flat into the board, placing gentle pressure on breasts with the palm of your hands. There will be some crunches, but don’t worry, that’s normal.
Next, to create the tail combine the additional boneless chicken breast and transglutaminase powder in the bowl of a food processor along with whatever spices are being used on the chicken. Pulse until the mixture resembles a thick paste. Drizzle in just enough chicken broth to form a thick, milkshake-like slurry. The goal is for the mixture to be able to be forced through a funnel into the sausage casing. This will be the filling for the chicken sausage tail.
To stuff the sausage casing, tie a knot at one end of the casing and pull the open end over the nozzle end of a funnel. Pull up the rest of your casing up to meet the open end of the casing, bunching it up over the end of the nozzle so that the meat filling will fill the knotted end first and the casing will extend out as the sausage is filled. Scoop the meat slurry into your funnel, and using the blunt end of a wooden spoon handle, jam the slurry through your funnel and into the casing. Don’t worry if it’s not evenly distributed yet, just fill the casing up until all the slurry is used up.
When all the filling is inside the casing, knot the open end of the casing at about the two and a half foot mark. Gently squeeze the casing, evenly distributing the meat slurry through the whole thing. Then, wrap the casing with the butcher’s twin, creating a candy cane-like swirl starting at one end and stopping about six inches below the other end. This will be the crest of the facehugger’s body and also its tail.
Assembling The Facehugger
Returning to the body of the chicken, loosen the skin of the chicken by gently sliding your hand between the chicken meat and skin. Don’t completely separate the skin from the edges or on the leg section, just create a large pocket in the back for the crest tube (sausage) and the crab legs.
Stuff the unwrapped end of the chicken sausage between the skin and the meat on the back of the chicken, pulling the knotted end all the way through so it sticks out the neck area of the bird. The rest should be sticking out the bottom as a tail. Take two toothpicks and use them to pinch the chicken skin closed over the back of the chicken on either side of the tail. Then, curve the tail back and forth so it fits on the baking sheet. Next, take another toothpick and give the entire tail a few pokes through the casing every few inches or so to allow the steam to escape during cooking.
Now, prepare the facehugger so the legs can be attached once both components are cooked. For this, there will be eight holes for the crab legs, four on each side. Using a sharp knife, slit the chicken along the outer edges of the breasts in three slices on both sides and two in the front. Using some aluminum foil, twist up eight tubes approximately the same size as the crab legs, going from larger legs for the back spaces to the smallest legs in the front. Then, take the aluminum tubes and jam them in the holes you’ve just created - these will serve as place-holders so the meat will have space for the crab legs once it's cooked.
Finally, place your creation into a 350℉ (175℃) oven for forty minutes, or until the thickest part of the chicken registers 165℉, basting every 15 minutes with butter or glaze. When the chicken is fully cooked, remove the tray from the oven and allow the whole thing to rest for about ten minutes. Gently pull out your aluminum foil place holders and swap in the crab legs. Then, snip the butcher’s twine off the sausage tail and transfer to the desired serving tray. Carve, and enjoy for a wonderfully festive Alien xenomorph treat this holiday season.