While we patiently await the arrival of Spring (although it may not feel like it’s coming so soon) let’s indulge in a little more comfort food, shall we? Few dishes are as beloved as a golden roast chicken. It’s hard to go wrong with the basic method, but there are some recipes that rise above the rest, yielding a delicious bird that is crisp-skinned and tender-fleshed without any more work. Here we’ve made roast chicken with mushroom risotto and asparagus are an easy green to add to your plate that cook up quite fast.
Ingredients
- Suggested 2- to 3-pound chicken
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons minced thyme (optional)
- Unsalted butter
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Rinse the chicken, then dry it very well with paper towels, inside and out. (the less it steams, the drier the heat, the better)
- Salt and pepper the cavity, then truss the bird. Trussing is not difficult, and if you roast chicken often, it’s a good technique to feel comfortable with. When you truss a bird, the wings and legs stay close to the body; the ends of the drumsticks cover the top of the breast and keep it from drying out. Trussing helps the chicken to cook evenly, and it also makes for a more beautiful roasted bird. **For a shortcut trussing method, simply tie the chicken’s legs together at the ankles with one piece of twine, and then use another piece of twine to tie the wings to the breast.If you’re planning to stuff your chicken, you may want to truss it in the traditional style. Or you can get away with just tying the legs together to keep the stuffing mix from falling out.
- Now, salt the chicken—rain the salt over the bird (think some “Salt Bae” action) so that it has a nice uniform coating that will result in a crisp, salty, flavorful skin (about 1 tablespoon). When it’s cooked, you should still be able to make out the salt baked onto the crisp skin. Season to taste with pepper.
- Place the chicken in a sauté pan or roasting pan and, when the oven is up to temperature, put the chicken in the oven. Leave it alone—don’t baste it, don’t add butter; you can if you wish, but we don’t.
- Roast it until it’s done (50 – 60 minutes). Remove it from the oven and add the thyme, if using, to the pan.
- Baste the chicken with the juices and thyme and let it rest for 15 minutes on a cutting board.
- Remove the twine. Separate the middle wing joint and eat that immediately. Remove the legs and thighs.
- Cut the breast down the middle and serve it on the bone, with one wing joint still attached to each. The preparation is not meant to be superelegant. Slather the meat with fresh butter.
Recipe from Epicurious.com
philmytummy.com 