This recipe starts with salt. A lot of salt. If you’re new to cooking, I would highly, highly, HIGHLY recommend that you take a look at Samin Nosrat’s book, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. She talks a lot (obviously) about salt, and the wonders it does for our food. It doesn’t just make things “salty.” It enhances the flavor of food--it makes food taste more like itself. And for our purposes on this recipe, it won’t just enhance the flavor of the chicken, but if you give it enough time, and have a little bit of patience and you can think a little bit ahead, it will make this chicken so freakin tender and juicy, you won’t know what to do with yourself.
I know that for a lot of folks, a whole chicken can be daunting. How do you season it? It’s not Thanksgiving, why am I buying a whole bird?? I’m more than happy to give you those answers. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: chicken on the bone is superior to boneless chicken. When it comes to ease and convenience, I understand going the boneless route. But do me (and yourself, and everyone who will have a plate in front of them at your table) a favor, and try this out.
This is a really great, hearty meal that you can pair with a salad for a truly impressive plate. Maybe you want to impress your friends, your mom, or your girlfriend’s parents. Maybe you want to impress yourself. It doesn’t matter-this one will do the trick.
Ingredients:
1 5-8 pound whole chicken
Kosher salt, about ¼-½ cup
2 medium carrots
2 Russet potatoes
1 sweet onion
1 head garlic
1 lemon
1 bunch thyme
1 tbsp rosemary
2 tbsp olive oil
Pepper
Salt. That. Chicken. You can salt the chicken up to three (!!!) days in advance. The salt will tenderize the meat, while drying out the skin for a beautiful juicy bite with that crispy skin we all love. Start by removing the giblets from the cavity so it’s empty. Pat the chicken completely dry with paper towels. Once it’s dry, rub kosher salt all over the bird, inside and out. It should be covered completely in salt. Don’t be afraid of the salt. Like I mentioned above, the salt is not going to make the chicken “salty” at this point. It’s going to tenderize the eff out of it.
Once it’s completely salted, place it on a wire rack and let it sit in the fridge for at least 8 hours, or up to three days. If you grabbed a chicken on the way home from work when you saw this recipe and didn’t realize there was brining involved--that’s okay. Just give it at LEAST an hour for the salt to do a little magic. And if you don’t have an hour, then salt it now and have that chicken tomorrow night. And if neither of those are possible, then just cook the chicken without brining it. But I take no responsibility for the tenderness levels of your bird.
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
Cut your veggies. Chop the carrots, potatoes, and onions into good sized chunks, and quarter the head of garlic. Cut the lemon in half.
Place the carrots, potatoes, and onion in the bottom of the cast iron pan. Drizzle with olive oil, lightly season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Set aside.
Time to prep the chicken. Mix the olive oil with the rosemary and pepper in a small bowl, and brush all over the chicken. Stuff the thyme, lemons, and garlic inside the cavity.
Place the chicken on top of the vegetables, and roast for about 75-90 minutes depending on the size of your chicken, or until a thermometer reads 165 degrees when placed between the thigh and leg. If you don’t have a thermometer, it should be done when the juices run clear.
Cut up that bad boy and serve it with the roasted vegetables.
Ingredients:
1 5-8 pound whole chicken
Kosher salt, about ¼-½ cup
2 medium carrots
2 Russet potatoes
1 sweet onion
1 head garlic
1 lemon
1 bunch thyme
1 tbsp rosemary
2 tbsp olive oil
Pepper
Start by removing the giblets from the cavity so it’s empty. Pat the chicken completely dry with paper towels. Once it’s dry, rub kosher salt all over the bird, inside and out. It should be covered completely in salt.
Once it’s completely salted, place it on a wire rack and let it sit in the fridge for at least 8 hours, or up to three days.
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
Cut your veggies. Chop the carrots, potatoes, and onions into good sized chunks, and quarter the head of garlic. Cut the lemon in half.
Place the carrots, potatoes, and onion in the bottom of the cast iron pan. Drizzle with olive oil, lightly season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Set aside.
Mix the olive oil with the rosemary and pepper in a small bowl, and brush all over the chicken. Stuff the thyme, lemons, and garlic inside the cavity.
Place the chicken on top of the vegetables, and roast for about 75-90 minutes depending on the size of your chicken, or until a thermometer reads 165 degrees when placed between the thigh and leg. If you don’t have a thermometer, it should be done when the juices run clear.
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