Perfect Roast Chicken
But first, Shirley, and a glimpse into Big Chicken...
It’s always a good idea to pick up a chicken at the grocery store. On Sunday I did just that when I saw a Mary’s Chicken in the case at Whole Foods. I’ve been a fan of Mary’s Chicken for over twenty years, but the “slow growth, heirloom” option was new to me. I will never forget my experience raising a fast growing chicken, so I bought it.
We called her, Shirley, and she must have jumped from the meat-bird bin at Murdock’s to be with the egg-laying chicks which is how we ended up tending baby Shirley with the rest of the brood in our bathroom. Let’s just say, it soon became obvious that she was not like the others. She lived a happy life in our backyard coop, laid double-yolk eggs, which was neat, and had a much longer life than we expected given her outsized breasts. Mercifully her death was quick; she suffered a heart attack while I was out in the yard with her. The experience made me think more about the lives of chickens, especially those we raise for meat. They don’t ask to be made into Dolly Partons. Big Chicken knows we like chicken breasts more than the other parts and so, that’s what we get. But we can choose not to buy them.
So, onward, to chicken dinner!
How to Roast a Chicken
Allow the chicken to come to room temperature before you put it in the oven, a few minutes or up to a couple hours. Use the time you have, even if it is only a few minutes. This takes the chill off which helps the cooking happen more evenly and has the added bonus of drying the skin which helps it crisp in the oven.
Remove the chicken from packaging, dry it with paper towels inside and out, and set it on a plate. Remove any giblets in the cavity (save the neck for stock.)
Preheat oven to 425ºF. I like potatoes in the roasting pan, chopped or thinly sliced on a mandoline. Salt the bird, put a sprig of thyme in the cavity and pop it in the oven for 60–90 minutes, 15 minutes/pound is a good target; done at 165ºF. Here’s a link to my recipe if you’d like, on my site, Ripe Food & Wine.
Things you can do with leftover chicken:
make the best chicken salad, Sonoma Chicken Salad
add chicken to a caesar salad, or vegan caesar (I know…but the dressing is really good and this is the way I roll…)
make chicken broth with the remaining chicken frame
That’s all for now. Hope you’re having a great week. Happy Thursday.
