roast chicken is easier than it appears

Reading: roast chicken is easier than it appears

roast chicken is easier than it appears

As the hubby and I work through the last of our rations (i.e., the food that my parents so diligently made and froze for us while they were visiting last month), I’m returning to our regularly scheduled programming with such meals as this amazingly easy and delicious roast chicken.

I used to shy away from roasting a chicken on a weeknight because I believed it to be too much of a production, between roasting at a low oven temperature (around 350 degrees Fahrenheit, 175 degrees Celsius) for a couple of hours and chopping up all the aromatics (onion, celery, apple, lemon) to stuff inside the bird. Then, one day a few years ago, completely by chance, I stumbled upon this too-good-to-be-true recipe for roast chicken by Thomas Keller, of French Laundry fame. I roasted two this way for a friend’s birthday/winery tour picnic, the skin stayed crispy, and the chicken wss nice and juicy while hanging out in the cooler for 3 hours before we actually sat down to eat.

From that point on, I was a convert. Now, I make this chicken every few weeks, and the hubby thinks I’m some sort of culinary genius every time I pull this perfectly golden-brown bird from the oven. The jig is up now, I guess, although I do have a couple of additional tips that aren’t included in the recipe:

1. Trussing. Just in case you don’t know how or it makes you nervous, here’s a good video I like to refer to.

2. Leave it alone. Either before or after you truss the bird, leave it for about a half-hour so that the bird’s temperature rises just a little bit (but not too warm, or it gets nice and bacteria-ridden). The main reason to do this is to make sure that the skin is really dry before you put it in the oven, which makes it crispier because there’s less moisture to steam the bird.

2. Oven thermometer. Thomas Keller’s recipe just says to roast the chicken “until it’s done.” Yeah, okay. I tried it his way for awhile, and sometimes, depending on the oven I was using and the size of the bird, I’d either end up with a slightly overcooked bird or a grossly undercooked one. Inserting an oven thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh until it measures 160 degrees Fahrenheit takes the guesswork out of the equation. I take the chicken out of the oven and leave it in the pan; it will continue to cook a little while it rests. Bonus: I don’t have to worry about poisoning my dinner companion(s) with bloody chicken anymore.

3. Serving suggestion. Quarter a handful of potatoes, season them with salt and pepper, and sprinkle them around before sliding the chicken in the oven. The potatoes roast while the chicken does, and get all tender and chicken-y from the juices. Oh molly, is it ever good.

How do you roast your chicken? What tips have you picked up along the way?

Categories:

main courses

Tags:

Join the newsletter to receive the latest updates in your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms.

Amy

Have you ever brined a chicken? You have to be careful not to overbrine, but it’s still amazing. Hey, what about beer can chicken?

I use Keler’s recipe from Ad Hoc all the time. I cut up root vegetables and roast the chicken over the root vegetables.

Dan

We still talk about the chicken from that picnic all the time! And we’ve made it many, many times since. So easy and delicious! I always get a little concerned because it seems that the 500-degree temperature never fails to create a little bit of smoke, but we stick to our guns and wait for the ensuing perfection 🙂

PS – we love your blog 🙂

biscuitwheels

Amy: I actually thought about posting about beer can chicken, but that’s not my wheelhouse. You can guest post about it.

Ty: sounds good — is his ad hoc recipe different from the F&W one I linked to?

Dan: so glad you guys make that chicken! Glad you enjoy the blog and I hope you both are doing well!

Amy

So we made beer can chicken this past weekend with a fresh, free range chicken from the farmer’s market. At the same time, I was making my butter almond Christmas cookies. Fain asked me what to put on the chicken, and I yelled, “Salt, pepper, rub!” Unfortunately, I forgot to mention oil as well. Do you know what happens to chicken skin in a hot grill after 2 hours? Yes, that’s correct. You get leather. You could’ve peeled that skin off in one piece.