Molly Ringwald's Whole Roasted Chicken Recipe
Adapted from Molly Ringwald
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This Go-To Dish by Brat Pack good girl Molly Ringwald, now grown-up author of Getting the Pretty Back, is a no-frills roasted chicken. Cooked in a scorching 500°F oven, Molly’s chicken was adapted from microwave queen Barbara Kafka’s simple recipe. Here Molly adds some lemons and onions to deepen the flavors of the pan sauce. Serve with a potato gratin or simple root vegetables.
Game plan: Molly recommends making sure your oven is clean. At such high temperatures, a greasy oven can smoke out your kitchen.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 medium yellow onion, halved and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
- 2 medium lemons
- 1 (4-1/2-pound) chicken, rinsed and patted dry
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Fresh thyme or other herbs (optional)
- 3/4 cup dry vermouth or dry white wine
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat the oven to 500°F and arrange a rack in the lower third.
- Mound the onions in the center of a roasting pan. Slice one of the lemons into thin rounds and place on top of the onions. Slice the remaining lemon in half; set aside.
- Rub the chicken all over with salt and pepper. Season inside the cavity with salt and pepper, then place the reserved lemon halves and herbs, if using, inside. Place the chicken, breast side up, on top of the onions and lemon slices and tuck the wings back and underneath.
- Roast until the chicken is golden brown all over and the juices run clear from the legs when cut with a knife, about 45 minutes (or 10 minutes per pound).
- Insert the handle of a wooden spoon inside the cavity of the chicken, then lift and tilt it slightly to let the juices run back into the roasting pan. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board or serving platter and let it rest for at least 10 minutes before carving. Meanwhile, transfer the sliced lemon rounds from the roasting pan to a serving plate; set aside.
- Place the roasting pan across two burners over medium heat, add the vermouth, and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Simmer until reduced by half. Remove from heat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the onions to the plate with the lemon slices. Taste and season the sauce with salt and pepper as needed. Serve the chicken with the lemon rounds, onions, and sauce.
I'm a vegetarian - but Molly looks so fab, I would almost make this! (Maybe with a tofurkey? LOL)
Molly looks great and the recipe is scrumptious. Just had it last night. Here is hoping she takes this to the next level with a online, cooking show. Think that would be fun to see her in her home and family life with a new show. Go girl...
I'm cooking two 4.5 lb birds, I'm debating because I've never cooked multiple birds. 45 minutes or 90. I would think 45 but I always get that kind of thing wrong so I'll split the difference. looks like some of you didn't have enough cooking time anyway.
Cleaned my oven meticulously yesterday and tried this adding garlic to the onions and was blessed with wonderful aromas...at 45 minutes the juices began to squirt out of the bird and a LOT of smoke began to collect in the oven! I turned oven off, let the smoke dissipate, took out the bird and then removed to let rest. For my 4.5 lb. bird the cook time was not enough ! Next time I'll reduce the heat to 350 at about 40 minutes and let it go another 20 or 25 minutes...
I make something almost the same, except instead of onion I use garlic and lots of it, and after degalzing the pan with wine, make a gravy with the drippings.
Used a three pound chicken and still had to cook for 40-45 minutes, 10 pounds a minute is not an accurate rule of thumb it seems. It was delicious though!
I've been doing chicken this way from a newspaper article featuring Barbara Kafka's recipe for years! The Sacramento Bee and I believe Molly is a home town girl. Great results and that clean oven is a must must must.!