Roast chicken needs no fancy write up or explanation, it is what it is: quite possibly the most comforting meal we can cook and eat. Imagine those first few moments when it comes out of the oven, all glistening and golden brown, the crisp skin encrusted with a few specks of salt, almost crackling as you tear it from the breast or leg. Roast chicken has that deeply savoury aroma, enough to make your mouth water and the few moments you have to let it rest can be torture, best to busy yourself with making the gravy while the promise of the succulent flesh is tantalizing. I imagine that anyone who roasts a chicken on a regular basis has they own idea of what works and so do I. An accumulation of different ideas tried and tested has resulted in my own little routine when preparing the bird: Here are some things I think help roast chicken become fabulous:
1. Buy organic or at least free range. Yes, it costs a fortune. This is why I now only cook chicken about once a month.
2. I always place half a lemon, slightly squeezed, inside the cavity. Usually 2 whole garlic cloves also and a few sprigs of woody herbs like thyme, rosemary or savoury. Once the chicken has cooked, I squeeze the lemon into the pan juices to give the gravy a little tang and the garlic can also be squeezed from their papery skins and stirred into the gravy to give a deeply savoury and silky finish. I usually discard the herbs once cooked.
3. A good smear of butter, either plain or flavoured, spread under the breast skin really keeps the flesh moist and succulent. Use your fingers to gently create a pocket between the breast flesh and skin and push some butter into the space. With the skin stretched back over the breasts, use your hands to distribute the butter evenly.
4. A bay leaf, especially a Turkish one, gives the most incredible herbal, floral scent and taste if also placed in the pocket between the skin and flesh of the breast.
5. It's a good idea to slash some deep cuts into the chicken thighs to ensure they are fully cooked when the chicken seems ready. This enables the heat to penetrate further as often the thighs are still dangerously undercooked while the breast is drying up.
6. I've never really been a fan of the rashers of bacon on the breast camp because I value the crispy skin too much. However, if the rashers are removed once brown and crispy, there is usually sufficient time to crisp the skin. Sometimes I blast the chicken under the grill for a few moments at the end if the skin is looking a little anaemic. Neil once used a rasher of bacon as an improvised tie to keep the legs together. It soon fell off but successfully did it's job and provided us with a little cook's treat.
7. I always drizzle olive oil over the chicken and season with salt, pepper, lemon seasoning and a little paprika. Variations on this could include Chinese 5 spice powder, curry powder or garam masala, Cajun seasoning, Old Bay, smoked paprika or a dried herb such as oregano or rosemary. Be careful if there is any sugar present in any seasoning, baste, glaze or sauce as it may very likely burn and create a bitter taste.
8. It's a good idea to let the chicken rest once cooked, covered loosely in foil for at least 15 minutes. The chicken will be more succulent as the juices relax. I used to carve the chicken into long, thin slices working with the breast, now I remove the whole breast and cut across into thick chunks. I also remove the legs and wings whole.
9. I always roast my chickens at 375oF for 20 minutes per pound plus 20 minutes. In the UK, we don't rely on thermometers as much as cooks here do and so the 'juices run clear' test has always been my reliable standard. Pierce the flesh of the thigh at the thickest part and look closely at the juice that will gush forth. Any red or pink whatsoever and the chicken will need a further 10 minutes or so. The legs should also feel loose when you tug them.
What to serve with roast chicken? Roast potatoes, stuffing and some kind of vegetable are the usual accompaniments where I come from, but of course the possibilities are endless. Sometimes I thickly slice a few potatoes and other robust vegetables and lay them underneath the chicken while it cooks. They catch all the juices while roasting and become meltingly soft with sticky, caramelized edges that have been exposed to the heat. A glass full of white wine or dry Vermouth can also be poured into the baking tray before cooking, which will mellow, sweeten and provide you with the most delicious juices for gravy at the end.
And the gravy? These days I have a gravy separator to remove the fat from the flavourful juices. I then use one tbsp of the fat, poured back into the tray and mixed with 1 tbsp of flour, stirred well and cooked over medium heat to remove the raw taste for a few minutes. The juice can then be added along with a few splashes of anything you fancy such as cider, wine, sherry, vermouth, cream, water or stock. Allow the gravy to bubble and thicken, adding as much liquid as you like to achieve your desired consistency, but remember, it will thicken a little more after cooking for a while.
Here are a few other whole chicken ideas I have experimented with over the course of this blog: Click on the title to view the post
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