- 2
Ingredients
- 1995) from Roasting: A Simple Art (William Morrow, 1995)
- 2 to 4 4
- 5 5- to 6-pound 6-pound chicken at room temperature, wing tips removed
- 1 1 1 lemon, halved
- 4 4 4 whole garlic cloves
- 4 4 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional
- to salt, to taste
- to ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 1 1 cup chicken stock, water, fruit juice, or wine for optional deglazing
- 1 1. to 500°F to 450°F). second level from bottom of oven. Heat oven to 500°F (or for convection, reduce to 450°F).
- 2 2. 2. Remove the fat from the tail and crop end of the chicken. Freeze the neck and giblets for stock. Reserve chicken livers for another use.
- 3 3. 3. Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the lemon, garlic, and butter, if using. Season the cavity and skin with salt and pepper.
Preparation
Step 1
-- the ones that make us rethink cooking myths, get us talking, and change the way we cook.
With Thomas Keller, I added almost nothing at all, on the premise that any ingredient, even butter, would introduce steam and wilt the skin. Indeed its skin was crackly as wrapping paper. But I had to grumble: this recipe simply told me: "Roast it until it's done -- 50-60 minutes." No internal temperature, no advice to check the juices or wiggle the legs, nothing. Next.
There's no basting, and no trussing. You needn't remember to turn the heat up or down after so many minutes; nor flip the creature awkwardly halfway through. No snipping of spines or slashing of limbs; no stuffing butter deep into loose corners of skin.
The method is as no-nonsense and fearless as Barbara Kafka herself (her second most famous recipe is microwave risotto). Kafka famously developed her ultra-high heat technique in
Some naysayers have complained about the wild heat, that there's too much spattering or smoke. To them, Kafka just calmly advises (temporarily) unplugging their smoke detectors and setting their ovens to self-clean before they go to bed. I've never had these issues, though I do enjoy the sounds and smells of a sputtering chicken roasting its little heart out.
1. Place rack on second level from bottom of oven. Heat oven to 500°F (or for convection, reduce to 450°F).
4. Place the chicken in a 12 x 8 x 1 1/2-inch roasting pan breast side up. Put in the oven legs first and roast 50 to 60 minutes, or until the juices run clear. After the first 10 minutes, move the chicken with a wooden spoon or spatula to keep it from sticking.
6. Optional: Pour off or spoon out excess fat from the roasting pan and put the roasting pan on top of the stove. Add the stock or other liquid and bring the contents of the pan to a boil, while scraping the bottom vigorously with a wooden spoon. Let reduce by half. Serve the sauce over the chicken or, for crisp skin, in a sauceboat.
yum! Add some grapes and good cheese wedges as sides and you have a luscious meal!!
It's a simple recipe but the results are delicious. I'd recommend adding some fresh sprigs of thyme as well.
The REAL "secret" to a good roast chicken is the selection of a good chicken in the first place....and I don't mean Tyson or some such.