Is your oven roasted chicken the best?

[kiara7]

If so, please tell me all about it

[carmel23]

this is really good and super easy:

take a chicken and basically stuff the cavity with a lemon (stab the lemon a few times) and a few big sprigs of rosemary (big old stick and all) place breast down in tha roasting pan, and roast until done... you don't even have to baste it!

Oh, you can also cut little slits in the skin on the breast/thigh and put salt pepper and some more rosemary...

[lil_earthmomma]

I brine my chicken, then rub it all over with butter, salt and pepper and thyme. In the cavity I stuff half an onion and as many half cloves of garlic as I can fit. (We love garlic). Then I roast it at 450 for the first 15 min, and then 350 for 20min/lbs.

Then I make grain free gravy by putting equal amounts of drippings and heavy cream and letting it reduce by half, adding some pepper and salt if nec. I may try whisking in some clotted cream next time, if I make the clotted cream and don't eat it all!

[Magelet]

Rinse chicken, and pat it dry. butter or olive oil the chicken, under or over the skin (either way works, butter under the skin between the meat and the skin is great. I cut a little slit in the skin, work a single finger in and loosen the skin, then shove some butter in. the slit is small enough it doesn't loose juices but adds extra num.) Squeeze half an orange's juice all over the chicken, while its over the pan. Squeeze part the other half's juices into the cavity, and then stuff the partially juicy orange in the cavity (both halves may be added if they fit). Add a little salt and pepper, place in roasting pan breast side up, roast at oh 450ish until done. (varies by size of chicken). make gravy and devour.

[CageFreeFamily]

We use the Zuni method:

Rub the chicken with lots of salt (and whatever herbs we like) and place in the fridge for 24 hours so that the salt pulls the juices out and mixes them with the seasonings, and then has time to pull them back in all together.
Then we rub off the excess before applying butter and oil and roasting at 400 degrees in a cast iron skillet.

Makes the moistest, tastiest meat and a beautiful crunchy crust.

Yum!

[lil_earthmomma]

Originally Posted by CageFreeFamily

We use the Zuni method:

Rub the chicken with lots of salt (and whatever herbs we like) and place in the fridge for 24 hours so that the salt pulls the juices out and mixes them with the seasonings, and then has time to pull them back in all together.
Then we rub off the excess before applying butter and oil and roasting at 400 degrees in a cast iron skillet.

Makes the moistest, tastiest meat and a beautiful crunchy crust.

Yum!

I'm so going to try this with my next bird, this sounds way better than brining!!!

[mamakah]

Subbing
Keep them coming!

[kiara7]

Thanks guys! And keep them coming too.
I got a beautiful pastured chicken and I want to put it to good use.
I can make stock with the carcass, right?

[tifpaul]

Last time I made this, my spouse said: Wow, you have really got this chicken thing down. It's also very easy.

Roast Chicken
Paul Bertolli
Chez Panisse Cooking

1 roasting hen, 4 lbs. at room temp.
1 teas fennel seed
1/4 teas cayenne pepper flakes
1 1/2 teas salt
1/2 teas black pepper
bunch of fresh thyme

Oven to 400.
Crack fennel with mortar and pestle. Add rest of spices. Salt cavity and stuff thyme inside. Tuck in wings. Sprinkle remaining seasonings on rest of bird. In pan with no rack, cook for 1 hour, let rest for 5 minutes.

[zinemama]

Originally Posted by CageFreeFamily

We use the Zuni method:

Rub the chicken with lots of salt (and whatever herbs we like) and place in the fridge for 24 hours so that the salt pulls the juices out and mixes them with the seasonings, and then has time to pull them back in all together.
Then we rub off the excess before applying butter and oil and roasting at 400 degrees in a cast iron skillet.

Makes the moistest, tastiest meat and a beautiful crunchy crust.

Yum!

This sounds interesting. I'm curious about the skillet part, though. How is this different from using a regular roasting pan? And is it a pain to clean afterwards?

[Dandelionkid]

Originally Posted by CageFreeFamily

We use the Zuni method:

Rub the chicken with lots of salt (and whatever herbs we like) and place in the fridge for 24 hours so that the salt pulls the juices out and mixes them with the seasonings, and then has time to pull them back in all together.
Then we rub off the excess before applying butter and oil and roasting at 400 degrees in a cast iron skillet.

Makes the moistest, tastiest meat and a beautiful crunchy crust.

Yum!

Rub salt on skin or under??

[russsk]

I either stuff the cavity with citrus and herbs, or butterfly and roast at high heat. (Butter under the skin with both). I like butterflying because even a good-sized chicken is done in about 45 min. Sometimes I'll rub the skin with a mixture of olive oil and mustard, instead of butter under the skin.

[CageFreeFamily]

Sorry, I forgot about this thread...

You could use a preheated roasting pan, but I prefer how it cooks in the heavy cast iron.

As for the salt, you rub it on the skin... 3/4tsp per pound of bird.

Here's a more complete, step by step:

Ingredients

One small chicken, 2 3/4 to 3 1/2 pounds
4 tender sprigs fresh thyme, marjoram, rosemary, or sage, about 1/2 inch long
Salt
About 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
A little water
Procedure

1. Seasoning the chicken (1 to 3 days before serving; for 3 1/4 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 thorough--a wet chicken will spend too much time steaming before it begins to turn golden brown.

2. Approaching from the edge of the cavity, slide a finger under the skin of each of the breasts, making 2 little pockets. Now use the tip of your finger to gently loosen a pocket of skin on the outside of the thickest section of each thigh. Using your finger, shove an herb sprig into each of the 4 pockets.

3. 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 don't otherwise worry about seasoning the inside. Twist and tuck the wing tips behind the shoulders. Cover loosely and refrigerate.

4. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. 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 500 degrees or as low as 450 degrees during the course 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.

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

6. Place in the center of the oven and listen and watch for it to start sizzling and browning within 20 minutes. If it doesn't, raise the temperature progressively until it does. The skin should blister, but if the chicken begins to char, or the fat is smoiking, 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 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.

7. 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), and leave to rest. The meat will become more tender and uniformly succulent as it cools. 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.

8. Cut the chicken into pieces and pour the pan drippings over the chicken.

[Pinoikoi]

My oven roasted chicken is the best. I soak my clay pot roaster in water while I use an organic adobo spice rub on the chicken. Plop the chicken in the roaster with a pat of butter and bake. Comes out beautifully golden and juicy.

[Rosehip]

I just made Julia Child's recipe this past weekend. It. was. fabulous. SO moist.

[tifpaul]

From which cookbook, Rosehip?

[maggiemae]

This is actually for bone in pieces, but delicious especially the info about deglazing the pan.


http://www.chow.com/stories/10899?page=8
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