- paper towels
- a knife
- a baking sheet
- a timer
- a meat thermometer
- one whole chicken
- one onion
- one carrot
- a couple of stalks of celery
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- fresh herbs or a lemon (optional)
recipes:
The Basics
From the store to the kitchen to the table: We outline the steps that get you from something raw to something cooked using simple ingredients, free of measurements and complicated techniques. A method that you can have in your back pocket and whip out whenever you like. We call it recipe-free cooking.
Illustrations by Bill Russell
While this method certainly makes a nice enough bird, and the bed of veg is a nice touch, there is NO beating Thomas Keller's simple roast chicken:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...
My only change to Keller's recipe is to (sometimes) stuff the cavity with herbs/garlic/lemon, and (ALWAYS) put the bird on a V-rack in order to let air circulate all around (gives uniformly crunchy skin similar to spit-roasting).
It's all about getting the chicken really, REALLY dry, and blasting it at high heat.
Well this is a nice way to roast a chicken. Add some chicken stock and wine to make wonderful gravy with the pan. I am wondering though if the cooking instructions are clear. The instructions ask for “one whole chicken”, I hope all that read this understand the difference between fryers, broilers, and roasters. A roaster weight is 4 pounds and above, and a fryer or broiler weights in between 1-1/4lb and up to 3-1/2lbs.
Thought I am happy to see clear instruction on how to tell when the chicken is done. I’m wondering how someone would feel if someone try’s this recipe with a whole chicken that weight say 2lbs. Nothing worse than dry over-cooked meat.
I love your tips.. I read most but when we come to one that we don't want to watch, or have watched before, could you add a "skip" choice?
Thanks for all the great tips and the great recipes. I feel so fortunate to have stumbled across this site, when looking for a local restaurant that was recommended to me..
Sincerely, Penny Wolfsohn/ Santa Rosa, CA
I am crazy about roast chicken and generally roast it in a Weber kettle.
I like using a V-rack. Cooking on a bed of veg can be very good but is more likely to steam the bird and not achieve the crisp, mahogany colored chicken I love.
Another tip: Sprinkle skin with salt and baking powder (not soda) an hour or 2 and refrigerate before roasting for maximum crispness. Before roasting I often drizzle with olive oil and a bit more salt - the oil helps the salt stick.
I also usually have some home made garlic butter in the freezer and like to put a scant teaspoon under the skin of each of the breasts and thighs.
Okay, now I am hungry and I finally have an answer for what to serve for Father's Day dinner for my wonderful husband and the father of my two great sons. Thanks for the great ideas, Again!!!
If I wanted to do this with a small bird (cornish hen, squab, quail: I'm never sure which is best) by how much do I cut the time? Assuming I'm cooking for 2, 1 per person.