This weekend, I was tasked with preparing a roasted chicken for Easter dinner, and I'm pleased to say that it was a huge success!! The recipe is super-simple, too. Note that I cooked an average sized chicken (5.75 pounds), and the cooking time listed below is for a bird of that size.
BRINE
You should always brine chicken. This simple brine is the one that I used.
1/2 cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Teriyaki sauce
1 gallon water
3/4 cup kosher salt
2/3 cup sugar
Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix together until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Also, don't worry that it's going to taste too "teriyaki-y"; this is all just to add a little complexity to the flavor, and it's not going to overpower the natural chicken yumminess!
Throw a handful of ice into the bowl to cool it down, then drop the entire whole chicken into the bowl. Cover and chill overnight in the fridge (or cover with another bowl full of ice, keeping it iced down and chilled for the duration of the brining).
RUB
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/8 cup ground pepper
1/4 cup poultry seasoning
Mix all of these ingredients together. I crushed it all up using a mortar and pestle.
MIREPOIX
1 large onion
2 ribs celery
2 carrots
Dice all of these, and toss them into your roasting pan.
ROAST
1 lemon
1/2 stick of unsalted butter
Olive oil
Drain the chicken, and remove the gizzards (save these for stock and/or gravy). Dry the whole thing down. Rub the interior cavity with olive oil and a handful of the Rub. Drizzle the juice of one lemon generously over the outside, then stuff the lemon along with the butter into the cavity. This is going to keep the interior flavorful and aromatic! Drizzle the outside of the chicken with oil, and then apply the remainder of the rub generously. This is going to give you delicious crispy skin. Mmmmm...
Drizzle oil over the mirepoix, and then place the chicken directly on top, breasts up. Tuck the tips of the wings under the legs. You should really truss the legs with butcher's twine, but I did not, and the chicken was still awesome.
Cook at 350 for 2 hours and 15 minutes. Every 30 minutes, baste with the drippings in the pan.
Let this cool after removing it from the oven, then carve it up and eat it in your face.
I hope you enjoy it as much as we all did!
Happy Easter, everybody!
Tomorrow, ADVENTURE!! :)
BRINE
You should always brine chicken. This simple brine is the one that I used.
1/2 cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Teriyaki sauce
1 gallon water
3/4 cup kosher salt
2/3 cup sugar
Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix together until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Also, don't worry that it's going to taste too "teriyaki-y"; this is all just to add a little complexity to the flavor, and it's not going to overpower the natural chicken yumminess!
Throw a handful of ice into the bowl to cool it down, then drop the entire whole chicken into the bowl. Cover and chill overnight in the fridge (or cover with another bowl full of ice, keeping it iced down and chilled for the duration of the brining).
RUB
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/8 cup ground pepper
1/4 cup poultry seasoning
Mix all of these ingredients together. I crushed it all up using a mortar and pestle.
MIREPOIX
1 large onion
2 ribs celery
2 carrots
Dice all of these, and toss them into your roasting pan.
ROAST
1 lemon
1/2 stick of unsalted butter
Olive oil
Drain the chicken, and remove the gizzards (save these for stock and/or gravy). Dry the whole thing down. Rub the interior cavity with olive oil and a handful of the Rub. Drizzle the juice of one lemon generously over the outside, then stuff the lemon along with the butter into the cavity. This is going to keep the interior flavorful and aromatic! Drizzle the outside of the chicken with oil, and then apply the remainder of the rub generously. This is going to give you delicious crispy skin. Mmmmm...
Drizzle oil over the mirepoix, and then place the chicken directly on top, breasts up. Tuck the tips of the wings under the legs. You should really truss the legs with butcher's twine, but I did not, and the chicken was still awesome.
Cook at 350 for 2 hours and 15 minutes. Every 30 minutes, baste with the drippings in the pan.
Let this cool after removing it from the oven, then carve it up and eat it in your face.
I hope you enjoy it as much as we all did!
Happy Easter, everybody!
Tomorrow, ADVENTURE!! :)
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