[recipe] Roasting a Chicken.

This weekend I discovered the cure for a hard night out. I woke up Sunday morning feeling horrible from a little too much wine on Saturday (I'm getting old) but after a blueberry Green Monster and a nice calming session of yoga at my local Lululemon store (seriously, check out what community classes your local store offers!), I felt alive and refreshed. Glorious! But today's post isn't really about my exciting new hangover cure. It's about chicken. Roasted.

[flowers from my friend Kriste for cooking today's recipe for her! gorgeous!]

 Here's a dilemma for you: there's a young couple. both have big appetites and are slightly snobbish about what food they put in their bodies. it has to taste amazing but also be healthy and nourishing. the guy burns a million calories a day swimming and then has to replenish those calories. the girl lost close to 30 pounds last year, still has about 5 to go before her big wedding day and can't eat any highly processed foods. 

What on earth does this couple make for dinner? 

Today's recipe, duh!

In my humble opinion there's nothing more comforting than having a whole chicken roasting away, getting crispy and juicy in the oven. Add in a rainy day and that's my version of heaven. I make this chicken once a week - and I save the bones for homemade chicken stock (which may very well end up being the next recipe I post). Serve with some steamed potatoes with olive oil and parsley, a big green salad and a good glass of vin rouge.

I adapted this recipe from Molly Wizenberg's recipe which she adapted from the Zuni Cafe Cookbook (Zuni cafe is known to have some of the best roast chicken ever). My version is the same basic concept but with fewer steps - and I have gotten rave reviews from everyone who has tasted it. There are a few tricks, I believe that give it an intense flavor and keep it moist and perfect. The salt rub, the high oven temperature, the ceramic or glass roasting dish, and of course having a good quality bird. I buy a free range, vegetarian fed bird from Berkeley Bowl that costs around $7-8 and it has never disappointed me. I've made this meal close to 10 times now and each time, it has blown me away with it's deliciousness.

Roasted Chicken.

{serves 2 in our house - Damir could eat one on his own}

1 whole chicken, washed and dried thoroughly

2 big teaspoons kosher salt (I usually do this by eye - this is a rough estimate)

2 sprigs of fresh thyme or 2 pinches of dried thyme (fresh is better)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

preheat the oven to 475 degrees. 

after having washed and dried the bird well (and checked the cavity for any packaged goodies a.k.a. organs) generously rub salt all over the bird - especially around the breast area. Massage the breast area a bit (that's what he said!) to incorporate the salt well. Every time someone watches me salt the bird they assume I'm putting too much, but really, it ends up going down through the muscle flavoring every bit of meat. So don't worry if you think it's too much.

place the bird breast side up in a rectangular glass (pyrex) or ceramic casserole dish.

cut a slit in each breast and use your finger to separate the skin from the meat just a little bit. in each pocket you've just created insert a sprig of thyme. 

place the bird in the hot oven and let roast for about 45 minutes. At this point I usually turn the oven down to 450 and rotate the bird (I have kind of a weird electric oven, though). The dish should be bubbling with the juices from the chicken and things should be smelling amazing. 

I don't think there's a hard and fast rule as to how long to cook a chicken. I have a few signs that tell me the bird is done. First, I check the legs and at the very bottom of the bone the marrow usually turns black.  Secondly I wiggle the leg and if it's nice and loose that tells me that things are done. Thirdly the bird should be brown and crispy by now and usually the little wingtips have darkened. It's kind of a gut feeling I go by, but I'm sure there's literature online about done-ness of poultry if you're worried about it. I've always gone by these signs and never ever had a problem. 

Once you're satisfied that the bird is done remove it from the oven and let it sit for 10 or so minutes before cutting it up and serving.

Enjoy!

ps. sorry it's taken so long for me to post this!