Keri’s Easy Roast Chicken

Description

Many years ago, my mom and dad were out for a visit and my dad caught a bad cold.  As they were driving, and had a flexible schedule, they stayed on with us for a few days longer than planned so my dad could recuperate.  Mom decided that she would make roast chicken for dinner so we could simmer the chicken bones the next day for chicken soup.  She put together a marinade of garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice and olive oil and stuffed the chicken with wild rice.  The chicken was delicious and juicy and the chicken soup the next day was just what dad needed to build up his strength, and they were off the next day.

I had made many turkeys for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but I had always roasted Cornish game hens for just the two of us for a weeknight dinner. And, true confessions time--I had tried and epically failed to make a roast chicken when I was a junior in college--damned thing would never get done.  To this day, I have no idea what I did wrong, but it was a bitter blow to my fledgling cooking career.

Anyway, after my parents went on their way, I began to experiment with roasting whole chickens with different herbs and spices and then finding new ways to use the leftover meat.  My mom refers to this as "coasting in the kitchen," or cooking a large amount of something and then finding ways to use the leftovers for meals for 2-3 days afterwards.  The French are very keene on this and also very good at it, with each meal being entirely distinct from the others, while using the same basic ingredient.

Because chicken is a rather bland meat, it not only needs the additional flavors, but it embraces them and takes them on well, which makes it a perfect base for many different dishes.

Like any good, basic recipe, over the years, my roast chicken has evolved.  While my mom's roast chicken is delicious, it is labor intensive and as I experimented, I began to play with spice blends and condiments that would provide the same punch of flavor and still allow me to put together a chicken and have it on the table in an hour--yes, an hour.

First thing I did was look at roast chicken recipes, which most frequently call for a 3-4 lb chicken.  I had always gotten 5-6 lb chickens because I figured bigger was better, especially if I was trying to make sure I had lots of leftovers.  Folks--a small chicken roasts more quickly and if you really need more chicken, roast 2 small ones--doesn't take any longer and they cook up very quickly.

So, I got the smaller chickens.  What I have found pretty universally with smaller chickens is that they are little more tender and a little more juicy, so win-win.

Next I looked at the temperature.  I had always roasted my chickens at 350*.  Standard, right?  I found a recipe that had you roast your chicken at 500*!!  That sounded kinda crazy, but it did tell me that I could roast at a higher temperature.  I now roast my chickens at 400*, which is sort of a Goldilocks situation: cooks the chicken a little faster, but results in a nice, juicy bird.  Ha!  Win-win-win! 

Hands down, though--the game-changer flavor-wise has been the addition of a little condiment called "preserved lemon paste:"

 Wow.  This super-fragrant, super-flavorful condiment adds a brightness and a pleasant hit of salt to foods, and especially to roast chicken, to which nothing else can compare.  The first time I used it, I was blown away.  Wow!  Win-win-win-win.  Ok...I think I've pounded that corporate cheer into the ground.

The final thing that I think makes a difference is that I always roast my chickens uncovered in a cast iron skillet.  The even heating of the skillet, along with the open heat of the oven allows the bird to cook evenly and get a lovely, crispy brown skin.

As you will see in the recipe, I use herb de provence, lemon-pepper, Penzey's sandwich sprinkle, seasoned salt, butter, pecan oil and preserved lemon paste to make my marinade.  I grind up the dry ingredients in my mortar and pestle, I put all the ingredients into a bowl, zap it in the microwave, for a minute and then roast it at 400* in a cast iron skillet.

I have also learned to leave the chicken at room temperature for 20-30 minutes, just to take the chill off the bird.  This helps it cook more evenly, also.

There are those who like to spatchcock their chickens--the chicken will perhaps cook a little faster and perhaps a little more evenly.  To those people, I say go for it.  But--I am not one of them.  Spatchcocking a chicken is extra time and work that I don't really want to do on a weeknight; and if you're using a small chicken, I frankly don't think it makes a whole lot of difference.