Well Done “Bird”

Roasting a chicken is NOT something new; many of us have probably roasted one at some time for dinner.

But here’s a couple of new ways to prepare the chicken – brining in salt water first and then jacking the heat up high for the last part of roasting.

Brining in salt water is supposed to make the cooked bird more tender and is best done about an hour before roasting.Per an article in Cook’s Illustrated, kosher salt is preferable  as the large airy crystals dissolve more readily.

Raising the cooking temperature at the end of cooking came from an article in Cooking Light magazine which recommended cooking at the usual temp, then raising it 100 degrees for the last  15 minutes. The result was a very browned chicken; the high temp finished the cooking nicely.

F&P Note: The magazine recipe used a 4 lb. chicken; ours weighed in at 6 lbs. I adjusted the time and used a cooking thermometer to check the done temp.

Roast Chicken

This spice mixture was a new one to try after previously using bottled poultry seasoning, placing cut up citrus fruit in the cavity, or seasoning with salt & pepper and putting cut up onion in the cavity.

• 1 (4 lb.) whole roasting chicken
• 2 tsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1 ½ tsp minced fresh thyme
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• ¾ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 garlic gloves minced

Optional: These next items were in the recipe, but there was none on hand; the chicken was still delicious. You can either add them or not.

• 3 shallots peeled and halved
• 3 fresh thyme sprigs
• 1 lemon quartered

Preheat oven to 350°

1. Starting at neck cavity, use your fingers to push between skin and meat and loosen skin from breasts and drumsticks. 
2. Combine butter and next 7 ingredients (through garlic) into a small bowl. Rub mixture under loosened skin, over flesh and rub over top of skin. F&P Note: this is a messy procedure.
   If using, put shallots, thyme and lemon in cavity of chicken.
3. Tie ends of legs together with twine; lift wing tips up and over back and tuck under chicken.
4. Place breast side up on a rack in roasting pan. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 450° and bake an added 15 minutes, until a thermometer inserted in meaty part of leg registers 180°.
5. Remove chicken from pan; let stand 10 minutes before cutting.
6. Carve chicken and discard skin, but be sure to sample first.

Our was served with sides of sautéed green beans and butternut squash – veggies from Grenville’s produce output last season.