Quantcast

the simple joys of a properly roasted chicken

narlus

narlus

Eastcoast Softcore
Staff member
Nov 7, 2001
24,658
65
behind the viewfinder
had the leftovers from Monday's dinner for lunch yesterday, i wish there was more.

the foolproof recipe i use is from Jamie Oliver.

preheat oven to 425F w/ roasting pan in it
salt and pepper exterior of a 3-4 lb chicken

take a stick of softened butter, add in chopped herbs (sage, rosemary, thyme, etc)
add in zest of one lemon
tear 4-5 slices of proscuitto into bits and mix the above well
being careful not to tear the skin, put the butter mixture under the skin of the bird. coat exterior of bird w/ the remaning butter mix.

breast-side down, put the chicken on the hot roasting pan. cook for ~20 min.

while this is cooking, prep some root veggies (we used a couple onions, some carrots and beets, but potatoes, celeraic, etc can also be used) but peeling and cutting into small chunks.

when 20 min has elapsed, reduce to 325F, take the bird out of the roasting pan, put the veggies in, and mix 'em all up to coat. put the bird back on top of the veggies, breast-side up.

cook for another 40 min or so, but double-check w/ a meat thermometer.

remove the bird and cover w/ foil, remove the veggies, and make a pan gravy using some wine and stock.

:drool:
 
OGRipper

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,735
1,247
NORCAL is the hizzle
MMMM chicken. Proper roast chicken is so good and that is a great way to go it. I've used a similar recipe from Oliver, the one that calls for scoring the thicker parts of the bird so they cook faster. It was ok but I don't see the need and the scored parts dried out a bit. But searing breast-side up in a hot pan first is a revelation.

I've had great results with Barbara Kafka's high heat technique too, but timing is so critical.

I picked up the Zuni restaurant cookbook over the holidays, their roast chicken is legendary and I was surprised to learn that they salt the bird at least 24 hours in advance and use no additional fat on the surface, gonna try it soon and will report...
 
narlus

narlus

Eastcoast Softcore
Staff member
Nov 7, 2001
24,658
65
behind the viewfinder
SkaredShtles said:
Mmmmmmmmmm.................. roast chicken........ :drool:

What wine did you have with it? Maybe a right-bank Bordeaux?
Click to expand...
my frenchies are in the deep sleep...had an '02 Ridge Ponzo zin which was awesome. i might seek out a case.

one thing i forgot to mention is that you stuff the cavity w/ the zest-free lemons, cut into quarters. i also threw some garlic cloves in for good measure.

OG, i've never had great luck brining chickens so that they make a flavor difference, but i've had good luck w/ my stuffed pork chop recipe.
 
OGRipper

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,735
1,247
NORCAL is the hizzle
It's not a brine, just pre-seasoned. They explain the chemical process in the book but I can't find it on the web anywhere, something about how moisture is first drawn out but then drawn back in along with additional moisture. Here's the recipe:

Zuni Roast Chicken

One 2 3/4 to 3 1/2 lb. chicken
4 tender sprigs fresh thyme, marjoram, rosemary, or sage, about 1/2-inch long
Salt
About 1/4 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
A little water


Seasoning the chicken (1 to 3 days before serving; for 3 1/4 lb. to 3 1/2 pound chickens, at least 2 days): Remove and discard the lump of fat inside the chicken. Rinse the chicken and pat very dry inside and out. Be thoroughba wet chicken will spend too much time steaming before it begins to turn golden brown.

Approaching from the edge of the cavity, slide a finger under the skin of each of the breasts, making a little pocket. Now use the tip of your finger to gently loosen a pocket of skin on the outside of the thickest section of the thigh. Using your finger, shove an herb sprig into each of the 4 pockets.

Season the chicken liberally all over with salt and the pepper (we use 3/4 teaspoon sea salt per pound of chicken). Season the thick sections a little more heavily than the skinny ankles and wings. Sprinkle a little of the salt just inside the cavity, on the backbone, but donbt otherwise worry about seasoning the inside. Twist and tuck the wing tips behind the shoulders. Cover loosely and refrigerate.

Roasting the chicken: Preheat the oven to 475B0. (Depending on the size, efficiency, and accuracy of your oven, and the size of your bird, you may need to adjust the heat to as high as 500B0 or as low as 450B0 during the coarse of roasting the chicken to get it to brown properly. If that proves to be the case, begin at that temperature the next time you roast a chicken. If you have a convection function on your oven, use it for the first 30 minutes; it will enhance browning, and may reduce overall cooking time by 5 to 10 minutes.)

Choose a shallow flameproof roasting pan or dish barely larger than the chicken, or use a 10-inch skillet with an all-metal handle, a good and convenient option. Preheat the pan over medium heat. Wipe the chicken dry and set it breast side up in the pan. It should sizzle.

Place in the center of the oven and listen and watch for it to start sizzling and browning within 20 minutes. If it doesnbt, raise the temperature progressively until it does. On the other hand, blistering is great, but if the chicken begins to char, or the fat is smoking aggressively, reduce the temperature by 25 degrees. After about 30 minutes, turn the bird over (drying the bird and preheating the pan should keep the skin from sticking). Roast the bird for another 10 to 20 minutes, depending on size, then flip back over to recrisp the breast skin, another 5 to 10 minutes. Total oven time will be 45 minutes to an hour.

Finishing and serving the chicken: Remove the chicken from the oven and turn off the heat. Lift the chicken from the roasting pan and set on a plate. Carefully pour the clear fat from the roasting pan, leaving the lean drippings behind. Add about a tablespoon of water to the hot pan and swirl it.

Slash the stretched skin between the thighs and breasts of the chicken, then tilt the bird and plate over the roasting pan to drain the juice into the drippings. Set the chicken in a warm spot (which may be your stovetop). The meat will become more tender and uniformly succulent as it cools. Set a platter in the oven to warm for a minute or two.

Tilt the roasting pan and skim the last of the fat. Place over medium-low heat, add any juice that has collected under the chicken, and bring to a simmer. Stir and scrape to soften any hard golden drippings. Taste—the juices will be extremely flavorful.

Cut the chicken into pieces and serve on the platter with the pan juices.
 
Silver

Silver

find me a tampon
Jul 20, 2002
10,840
1
Orange County, CA
It's great. Quick too, with very little prep.

I take a 4.25lb bird, cut off the wingtips, clean out the cavity, shove some fresh thyme and rosemary sprigs in there, along with half a head of garlic cloves that I have broken up. You can leave the skins on the cloves.

I put about a teaspoon of olive oil under the skin on each breast, rub the bird down with some more olive oil, and then brown it quickly (used to use a cast iron fry pan, I used my new dutch oven yesterday with nice results and much less mess in the oven) and toss it into a 450 degree oven for an hour. Let it rest for 10 minutes when it comes out, pour out the fat in the pan, deglaze with a little vermouth and add in some chicken stock and a cube of demi-glace. Reduce until you have your desired thickness of jus, and hitting it with a little white pepper is nice too.

Mmmm.

I don't bother to truss the bird, either. I've done it both ways, and my wife and I can't tell the difference. Same thing for brining. I've done it, but with the fat chickens you get here, it doesn't seem to help that much.

Now, if you have a breast left over, chopping that up on a freshly baked baguette the next day is really good too...
 
OGRipper

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,735
1,247
NORCAL is the hizzle
Just an update, I made a roast chicken last night following the Zuni recipe I posted above and it was the most delicious, flavorful chicken I've ever made. I seasoned it two days in advance. It was evenly browned and crispy, with rich moist meat throughout. It was the same "brand" of chicken and the method isn't that different from what I've done before - the main difference is the advance seasoning, and not using any fat during cooking. I am converted. :drool: :drool:
 
H8R

H8R

Cranky Pants
Nov 10, 2004
13,959
35
I sauted some chicken last night and then finished with about 15 minutes of pan roasting.

The recipe included pumpkin pie spice. It rocked.

I'll add details later.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom