Sunday Supper Simple Roast Chicken
Simple Roast Chicken
Most Sunday evenings we roast a chicken for our family meal. I must say that after doing this literally 100’s of times I think we really have it down. A simple roast chicken is a lost art in these days of grab and go rotisserie fare from big box stores. For us, simple, rustic, full flavored food is our preference. This recipe is no exception. The key here is the brine that makes the chicken juicy and flavorful. By getting the bird a bit closer to room temperature than refrigerator chilled before roasting will also help keep the breast from drying out.
Ingredients:
From the Garden:
5 garlic cloves crushed
1 bunch of thyme
2 sprigs rosemary
1 bunch italian parsley
2 Lemons, Quartered
From the Kitchen:
1 Raw Whole Chicken (Costco has good raw organic chickens, even better than their rotisserie chicken once roasted)
1/2 Cup Kosher Salt
3 Bay Leaves
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon black peppercorns whole
2 Quarts Water
1/4 cup Olive Oil
3 Tablespoons Butter
Salt and Ground Pepper to taste
Making the Brine:
In a gallon or larger zip top bag or bowl, Mix Salt, 1 Quart water, Garlic, 3 Bay Leaves, Brown Sugar, Peppercorns. Try and get as much salt dissolved as possible by shaking vigorously. Some recipes call for boiling this mix then cooling it but I find this an unnecessary and lengthy step.
Open bag and squeeze 6 of the lemon quarters into brine, tossing squeezed lemon into mix. Add 3/4 of the parsley, thyme and 1 spring of the rosemary all roughly torn by hand.
Add chicken (remove and discard giblets if any were packed in cavity) with drumsticks facing up. Pack cavity with remaining herbs and lemon. Add water from remaining quart to cover chicken. Depending on the size of your bird and bag, you may use 1/2 to the full quart. Squeeze out air and move seasoning around. Place chicken in refrigerator for a few hours. This recipe works well if you make this part in the morning and cook for supper.
Cooking:
Remove chicken from refrigerator 45 minutes before cooking. Remove from brine leaving cavity full of herbs and lemon and pat dry. Don’t worry if some parsley and herbs are stuck to the skin. Let sit on paper towel at room temperature out of the sun for the full 45 minutes.
After 30-40 minutes goes by, preheat oven to 425. If you have a convection oven, use that feature. Truss the chicken tying legs and wings close to the body. The skin should be dry at this point but if not pat dry one more time. We roast ours on a 1/4 sheet pan, nothing too deep. Coat the dry skin with a little olive oil, and butter. Sprinkle very conservatively with salt and pepper.
Roast at 425 for 15 minutes and then turn oven down to 350. Continue roasting for another 40-50 minutes until juices just run clear and internal temperature between leg and thigh reads 160 degrees. Remove from oven and let rest for at least 10 minutes for carryover temperature to rise to 165. Carve and enjoy…. Keep the carcass for stock, recipe coming soon!
