Simple Roasted Chicken

Probably one of my favorite dishes to make is a simple roasted chicken. It is the ultimate comfort food. But there are a few things that you need to do in order to insure that you have chicken that is flavorful and moist. Roasting a chicken provides such wonderful smells for the house - it is warm and inviting. 

There are many ways to roast a chicken - most involve using the whole chicken and stuffing the cavity with ingredients while trussing the bird. I find this method to be easier, and faster, and give better results.  This involves butchering the chicken, so you have the chicken flat in the pan while cooking. 

Ingredients:

1 3-4 pound whole chicken

Kosher Salt

Fresh Thyme

Pepper

Grape Seed Oil

1. Rinse the chicken off and then pat the chicken dry.
2. Rain Kosher salt down on the chicken
3. At this point you can leave the chicken in your refrigerator, uncovered for up to three days
4. You can see the steps to butcher the chicken.
5. Pre-heat the oven to 475 degrees
6. Season the chicken with grape seed oil, salt, and pepper
7. Use fresh thyme to put between the skin and the meat
8. Bake in an oven proof pan for 30 minutes (internal temp 145 degrees)
9. Take it out, and let it rest on the counter top for at least 20 minutes

Pat the chicken dry after a cold rinse. Make sure to rinse the cavity out well

Rain the salt down from about a foot above the chicken- you want a nice coat

Separate the skin from both the breast then turn the chicken over and separate the skin from the thighs

Be sure to salt the cavity of the chicken

Some call this the Pope's nose - a fleshy part at the tail of the chicken. This marks where you will cut

You can use kitchen scissors, but I like poultry scissors to cut along one side of the spine

One side of the spine has been cut

To the other side of the Pope's nose, cut the chicken along the spine. You can use the spine for making chicken stock or you can toss it

Turn the chicken over- and flatten the chicken on the board

Using your weight, press down on the chicken til you hear it separate

Using a chef's knife, cut along the breast bone separating the chicken in half

Gently slide the knife along the breast bone to separate it

Place the chicken in an oven-proof pan

Add grape seed oil to cover the bottom of the pan

This provides the moisture for the chicken

Add pepper

Place in the pre-heated oven for 30 minutes at 475 degrees

Beautiful crisp skin, and moist chicken