This is a simplified version of the famous Zuni Roast Chicken recipe. Notice that she also suggests roasting crouton and drizzling the chicken fat over greens -- right out of the Zuni cookbook.
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I want to roast this on a bed of potatoes will that add moisture and lose the crispiness of the skin ? Don't want to miss out on the best part!
Parboil the potatoes ahead of time, to not quite done. Dry them out a bit over low heat in a heavy pan, then put them in around the chicken. They will get crisp from the chicken juices (roll the potatoes around to coat them). this works best with a waxy potato, not a baking potato. I think in Europe you have a lot more choice of wonderful ones. Try the ratte, if you can get it, or those yellow fingerlings.
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I just finished powering down a good bit of the salt and pepper chicken prepared exactly as Melissa recommends. I was worried my cast iron skillet was so small that my oven would end up covered in grease, but no. It worked and I think it is the best roast chicken I've ever had.
Roasted chicken can be made by marinating chicken in yougart and salt and black pepper . Steam chicken and eat it with boiled rice. sprinkle some garam masala before serving.
I read this online last week and got the urge for real roast chicken rather than Costco rotisserie but being lazy I just got my beer can chicken rack and put it in the oven for an hour at 400 and had the easiest best chicken ever.
The chicken should be marinated for 24 hours to prevent a dry roast chicken. My favorite marinades are either one part water and one part orange juice or one part water and one part white wine. This is the method chef Julian Alonzo uses. Also, the wings and drumsticks should be wrapped in tinfoil to prevent burning. The tinfoil should be removed from the drumsticks after 30 minutes and from the wings after 45 minutes.
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My favorite part of roasting a chicken is the vegetables that I put in the pan that then roast in deliciously salty chicken fat. A few bulbs of fennel and some carrots. Also, some chunks of baguette that then make amazing croutons. It tastes like a heart attack, but I mean that in the best possible way.
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I imagine there are as many ways to roast a chicken as there are people who are roasting them. I think it's so helpful to revisit the familiar, and I really enjoyed the article, all the comments, and just my general reflection on the process. My mom never roasted her chickens; my dad would chop off their heads and my mom would either pressure cook them or make them into soup. I learned how to roast a chicken when I was a grown woman, and I must say it was surely an easy way to make a beautiful and delicious meal. I doubt there is a way to ruin a roast chicken! That would be interesting to me - is there anyone who has roasted a chicken and found it to be inedible?
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Oh Yes! When you overcook it and end up with the equivalent of chicken jerky.
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This piece reminds me of Judy Rodgers who owned Zuni Cafe in California, and who died at the age of 57 a couple of years ago. She was renowned for her "roast chicken with bread salad." The 24 hour brining with fresh herbs slipped under the skin and then roasted at a high heat mirror this "simple" recipe. It would have been gracious to mention Judy Rodgers even in passing, wouldn't it?
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Tie the legs together to make it look nice! Why not call this recipe "Puritan Roast Chicken"
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For my money, the best way to cook a chicken is on a rotisserie, constantly bathed in its own fat as it spins around with its heavily herbed skin crisped to a mahogany hue.
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The best roast chicken is also the quickest. Have the butcher butterfly the bird up the breastbone. Remove fat and tail. Lay it flat, breasts down. Flatten it without pounding. Salt it. Put it in a terracotta roasting pan. Juice four lemons. Pour the juice over the chicken. Place the lemons under the wings, thighs and front and back. Chop a garlic clove and spread it over the bird. Do the same for a bit of crushed chili pepper. Cover with saran wrap, let it marinate for anywhere from an hour or just a few minutes. Heat the oven to 400. Roast for 45 minutes(3.5 lb bird). Its self-basting. Once seen and tasted, this juicy, easily and quickly made chicken will be everyone's favorite and a visual delight. You can find the recipe in Giuliano Bugialli's "Foods of Italy" (1984), p201.
LOL! No temperature info? No covered/uncovered info? Oil in pan info? Actually ZERO information given here. I am a guy. I don't cook. This absurd video article is fluff. Useless x10!
The actual recipe can be found by clicking on the link at the bottom of the article.
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We always get whole Empire Kosher chickens for roasting. They taste the best because they have been brined before in order to get any traces of blood out (one of the criteria for kosher, which we don't keep but the flavor of this chicken is amazing).
We do a longer roast on a lower temperature - the skin does not crisp as much, but the chicken comes out very tender.
We do a longer roast on a lower temperature - the skin does not crisp as much, but the chicken comes out very tender.
For a lovely subtle herbal flavor, lightly stuff the cavity with a chopped bunch of cilantro, 8 or so small sprigs of rosemary, and a cup of chopped celery with leaves. Salt and pepper, of course. Then drench inside and out with sake. Baste a couple of times with more sake. You'll get a very fragrant chicken.
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I do roast chicken every Friday for may family, mixing softened butter with herbs (good thing we're not kosher!) and smearing it on the breast under the skin, then squeezing a lemon over and stuffing the lemon inside. Liberal salt and pepper on top. I don't seek out organic or free range, but a lot of meat in general, including chicken, is sold to a better animal welfare standard in the UK than in the US.
I usually roast 2 chickens at a time - we eat one on the Friday evening and then have the other one to something with over the weekend: curry, pot pie, noodle soup, risotto, the list is endless. I have started using the carcasses to boil up stock, which has been saving me loads on cartons of the stuff.
As the cook but not carver I don't usually get the oysters, but I do strip off the crisped up skin between the thighs and breast as it comes out of the oven. I've burned the roof of my mouth more than I care to admit but it's so worth it.
I usually roast 2 chickens at a time - we eat one on the Friday evening and then have the other one to something with over the weekend: curry, pot pie, noodle soup, risotto, the list is endless. I have started using the carcasses to boil up stock, which has been saving me loads on cartons of the stuff.
As the cook but not carver I don't usually get the oysters, but I do strip off the crisped up skin between the thighs and breast as it comes out of the oven. I've burned the roof of my mouth more than I care to admit but it's so worth it.
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Thanks for the tip about saving bones for broth!
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My go-to method is spatchcock. It has the added benefit of giving you a backbone you can freeze for stock. But its major draw is more crispy skin done more quickly. Its drawback is presentation. But I'm no Norman Rockewell: I don't carve at the table.
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If you use a kosher chicken, it will be already salted and really delicious.
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How to cook a chicken: 1. salt and pepper the chicken. 2. cut up a few thin skin potatoes, carrots, a couple onions, (optional) bulb of garlic arrange around the chicken.
Oven temp=500 degrees.
After about 25 minutes, open the oven door briefly to let steam out, close oven again.
After 50 min the chicken should be done, crispy with tasty vegetables to go with it. Cooking time varies with the size of the chicken.
Oven temp=500 degrees.
After about 25 minutes, open the oven door briefly to let steam out, close oven again.
After 50 min the chicken should be done, crispy with tasty vegetables to go with it. Cooking time varies with the size of the chicken.
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I'm a big fan of Barbara Kafka's method: high heat -- 500 degrees. Yes, your oven will smoke, no matter how clean it is. Open the windows and turn on the fans. You will have the most spectacular bird.
And, of course, agree with everyone who says you should get a true, free-range chicken, not one of those horrible things from a factory farm. Oh, and never, ever cover it in foil. You'll be steaming it, not roasting.
And, of course, agree with everyone who says you should get a true, free-range chicken, not one of those horrible things from a factory farm. Oh, and never, ever cover it in foil. You'll be steaming it, not roasting.
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Since the chicken is already styled in a cast iron skillet, let me suggest a variation. Heat the skillet on the stove top until hot, then put the chicken in breast side up. Cook on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes before putting the whole thing in the 450 degree oven.
The jump start on the thighs and back will not only help ensure crisping, it will give the dark meat the extra cooking time it needs without drying out the breast meat. And, this step eliminates the need for the extra 10 minutes or so of oven time called for in the recipe.
The jump start on the thighs and back will not only help ensure crisping, it will give the dark meat the extra cooking time it needs without drying out the breast meat. And, this step eliminates the need for the extra 10 minutes or so of oven time called for in the recipe.
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An instant read thermometer is a must for perfectly roasted chicken. You don't want to over cook your bird. 165 in the thigh does it. Then let it rest.
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Skin is flabby on the Costco birds, though. But it's amazing that the cooked chicken at $4.99 is cheaper than a raw whole chicken.
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The last time I roasted a chicken it took me hours to clean my gas oven. I haven't roasted a whole chicken in over a year because of it.
I thought.... what would a little butter hurt on the skin at 450?
If the recipe says a dry bird.... at high temp.... it means it.
I thought.... what would a little butter hurt on the skin at 450?
If the recipe says a dry bird.... at high temp.... it means it.
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If you've got a Costco nearby you will never bake another chicken. There's is the best (what's their secret? anyone?) - and only a few dollars to boot.
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Aging brain and wine don't mix.
Theirs is the best.
Theirs is the best.
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My go-to is Dorie Greenspan's "Chicken for les paresseux (Lazy People)" found in her Around My French Table. I lay a crosswise slice of foccacia on the bottom of the pan, resting the chicken on top. Roast at 450 for 90 mins. I toss some baby carrots into the pot at the 45 minute mark. Perfect chicken and carrots every time. The bread toasts on the bottom and soaks up the juices. Amazing. Despite this reliable perfection, I continue to try other approaches. C'est la vie.
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Most important thing is the bird itself. In the US, industrial chickens are raised indoors with each bird given the equivalent space of an 8x10 inch piece of paper. And they are slaughtered on average between 42 and 49 days.
Look for a free-range bird that was slaughtered at 13 - 15 weeks (91 to 105 days) and it will have much better flavor and texture.
Traditionally, the one carving the bird gets to eat the "oysters" right on the spot.
The French call the oysters "sot l'y laisse" which translates as: a fool leaves these." True that.
Look for a free-range bird that was slaughtered at 13 - 15 weeks (91 to 105 days) and it will have much better flavor and texture.
Traditionally, the one carving the bird gets to eat the "oysters" right on the spot.
The French call the oysters "sot l'y laisse" which translates as: a fool leaves these." True that.
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What are the oysters??
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The two little pieces of succulent pear or oyster shaped chicken found on the back very close to the thighs. They are about the size of a big thumb tip.
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the oyster-shaped morsels tucked into the thigh bone. They pop right out and are juicy and delicious. Everyone wants them, but the person who carves gets them!
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Melissa Clark should do a program on the now discontinued Farberware Open Hearth Rotisserie. I just got one off Ebay and I really love it. I have tried roasting chickens all different ways. Open roasting, with a foil wrap at beginning, low temp, high temp smoke the kitchen, breast up, breast down, stuffed, empty, small chickens, big roasters. Love them all! I have watched Julia Child's Chicken Show many times and she in fact recommended a rotisserie such as the old Faberware. Let's hear it for old tech cooking!
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I received one for my wedding shower back in the 70's, used it often but not so much now. I think I will unearth it from the basement and try it again. Thanks
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I finally broke a Farberware that was given to me by an elderly friend. I roasted too many prime ribs I suppose. I found a replacement at an estate sale for $15. I've yet to try chicken on it.
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Melissa,
If I start with a kosher chicken, how should I handle the salting in advance since the bird has already been salted?
If I start with a kosher chicken, how should I handle the salting in advance since the bird has already been salted?
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Rinse the chicken in water and change the water a few times if you want to reduce the salt effect of the original packing. Even when I do my own brining I rinse the chicken well before I do any cooking. After all one doesn't want so much salt on the surface. That should be left clear for your own blend of spices. Btw, I'm not Melissa.
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Well, it's been salted and rinsed. The salt of course, is to get the blood out. Don't salt the interior -- and just salt/pepper the skin. I haven't found that whole kashered chickens are appreciably saltier in taste -- I use Empire.
But if you're concerned about sodium, use a little less. The idea of the salt on the skin is the drying process as well as flavor, so you can use a little less.
But if you're concerned about sodium, use a little less. The idea of the salt on the skin is the drying process as well as flavor, so you can use a little less.
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You don't salt it at all since a lot of salt was already used to drain the last drop of blood out of the chicken.
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Chicken, chicken, chicken everywhere ...
Good crust on chicken can be made by keeping it in a salt brine overnight. Also, injection of dry white wine into the tissues adds flavor.
Good crust on chicken can be made by keeping it in a salt brine overnight. Also, injection of dry white wine into the tissues adds flavor.
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Yeah, but the point of the article is easy roast chicken. When you start talking about brine and injecting liquids, it's no longer that easy.
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Melissa-
Actually I heard that tying the legs does actually make a difference in the cooking process, as it raises the legs higher than the breast, thus bringing them closer to the heat source.
Since legs should be cooked to about 160 degrees, while breasts only need to be cooked to about 145 before they become too dry, this method allows both parts to reach their respective temperatures correctly, without leaving the breasts overcooked.
:-)
Actually I heard that tying the legs does actually make a difference in the cooking process, as it raises the legs higher than the breast, thus bringing them closer to the heat source.
Since legs should be cooked to about 160 degrees, while breasts only need to be cooked to about 145 before they become too dry, this method allows both parts to reach their respective temperatures correctly, without leaving the breasts overcooked.
:-)
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