Make classic roast chicken even better by starting with seasonings under the skin and finishing with a delicious sauce from the pan juices...
"Good roast chicken will never let you down," says my grandmother, and Lucia and I definitely agree with her. With its crisp, salty skin, moist breast meat, and dense, meaty dark meat, a whole roast chicken appeals to everyone from a sophisticated diner to a finicky kid. Which is why it makes the perfect Sunday dinner.
We tried several methods to really explore what worked best, and while we acknowledge that there are indeed many ways to make good roast chicken, we've developed a method that we think is simple, yet which gives us delicious results.
We start with an initial blast of heat, followed by roasting at a moderate temperature; we don't truss, and we don't baste (except for small birds). We do pay careful attention to the first and last steps of the process—we season the bird to make it even more flavorful, and we always like to go one step further than just plain roast chicken by transforming the flavorful pan juices into a simple but delicious sauce.
Chickens labeled "roasters" are generally older and larger (up to 5 pounds) than "broilers" or "fryers." We think roasters make the best choice because they've developed more muscle tissue and they carry a thicker layer of fat (which cooks off). Put simply, they're more flavorful.
We usually choose organic, free-range chicken when we can, and while making generalizations about them is tricky, we've noticed that the free-range chickens tend to have bigger thighs and slightly smaller breasts than regular mass-produced chickens. They also tend to be slaughtered later and so they've developed a fine layer of fat and muscle tone, all of which enrich flavor when roasting. We've found that free-range chickens tend to have a firm, not mushy, texture, and they taste more like, well, chicken.
We usually choose organic, free-range chicken when we can, and while making generalizations about them is tricky, we've noticed that the free-range chickens tend to have bigger thighs and slightly smaller breasts than regular mass-produced chickens. They also tend to be slaughtered later and so they've developed a fine layer of fat and muscle tone, all of which enrich flavor when roasting. We've found that free-range chickens tend to have a firm, not mushy, texture, and they taste more like, well, chicken.
Use butter for browning, seasonings for a flavor boost.
The simplicity of roast chicken is part of its appeal, so we don't like to clutter it up with lots of ingredients and fussy steps, but we do like to give the bird a nice flavor boost before roasting. Usually we'll just use butter and seasonings, but for a change we might marinate the whole bird.
For a basic approach, we rub the outside of the bird with softened unsalted butter, which encourages browning, and we work some butter and other seasonings under the skin of the breast to help keep it moist and to add some flavor notes to the mild meat. A generous dose of salt and pepper both outside and inside the bird's cavity is important so that the seasonings can be absorbed into the meat during roasting—more effective than trying to season the surface later. 
Five essential tips to roasting a perfect chicken:
1. Use high-quality chicken.
Starting with the best bird is the first step to tasty results. Read here for more on how to buy the best chicken.
 |  |
3. Use high heat.
Heat is roast chicken’s best friend. A 450°F oven browns the skin quickly and keeps it nice and crisp.
4. Don’t overcook.
An overcooked chicken is a dry chicken. To prevent overcooking, use an instant-read thermometer as your most reliable indicator of doneness (see the tip below for how to use it). It should read 165° to 170°F.
5. Let it rest.Don’t be tempted to cut into the chicken as soon as it’s out of the oven. Resting for at least 15 minutes on the cutting board allows the juices to redistribute into the meat, making it moist and tender.
No comments:
Post a Comment