Roast Chicken, Perfected
Roast chicken is one of those things that can change your life in a bite or be a chore to finish even one bite. So, when you find a way to roast a bird that works for you, you'll want to share it with everyone you know. This recipe yields a PERFECT roast chicken, so I must share it with you!
Gets even BETTER with the leftovers. I love to turn the carcass into a giggly bone broth, and turn the extra pieces into a herby pot pie, a rich soup, or even stuffed into a fresh pasta dough! The gift that keeps on giving.
Serves 4-6 | Level: Beginner
Ingredients
Brine:
2 whole chickens (without giblets)
1/3 cup coarse salt
2 lemons / oranges / limes, sliced into rounds
Three handfuls of herbs (parsley, thyme, rosemary, sage, etc, as you wish!)
4 bay leaves
1/3 c honey or pure maple syrup
2 tbs peppercorn whole
5-10 garlic cloves smashed
Compound Butter:
1 cup butter
1.5 large lemons AND OR oranges zested (slice to roast w bird after zesting, also use whatever citrus here that you want)
4-6 tablespoons herbs if fresh (3tbs if dry) (I used fresh sage and thyme here but literally anything is good)
4-8 garlic cloves (or more, depends on size and how spicy)
2 tablespoons flake salt (3-4tsp or less if regular)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
Black pepper + salt to taste
The Roast Chicken:
Compound butter
1-2 sliced lemons that you zested
The brined birds
Method
For the Brine: Start with four cups of water, the honey, bay leaves, and the salt in a small saucepan and simmer until dissolved. I used two brine buckets but you can use a large pot as well. Mix the rest of the ingredients along with the hot water into whatever you’re brining the birds in, then add a few scoops of ice and stir it until the ice melts. Alternatively, put the mixture in the fridge until chilled. This needs to be BELOW 40 degrees F to be safe, don't put the bird in warm water unless you want to be sick. Add the birds to the cooled liquid and add a few cups of cold water until they are covered. Stir and place covered in fridge for 24-48 hours.
For the Butter: Crush garlic and salt into a paste using a mortar and pestle or by dragging the blade of your knife across chopped garlic covered in the salt, then mix everything together. The purpose of crushing the garlic with the salt is to create a paste that will mix more evenly throughout the butter.
For the Roast Chicken: Remove birds from brine and pat dry. To spatchcock- score the skin on either side of the spine then cut the spine out with either a knife (VERY carefully) or kitchen sheers. Then flip over and crack the sternum (between the breasts) if it's not already cracked. Save the spine for broth- it’s easier for later if you just roast it at the same time as the bird, so stick it at the bottom of the roasting pan.
Pat dry with paper towels then place on roasting rack in the roasting pan and lay them to dry uncovered in the fridge for 2-8 hours so the butter sticks and the skin isn’t soggy. The time range on that is wide, because you should work around your own schedule that day.
When dry, Preheat oven to 425F. Spread the butter under the skin of the breast and the thigh, as well as all over the outside, adorn with lemon slices and bake for 45 mins or until thickest part registers 165F. Wait 10-20mins before cutting to serve for it to cool and retain more juices Save drippings, bones, and spine (freeze to do this later if needed) to make bone broth.
Happy Eating! Did you make this? Tell me how it went below!
xoxo Slone's Kitchen
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