ROUSES_JanFeb2019_Magazine

How to Roast a Chicken 1. Choose a 4- to 5-pound chicken and remove it from its packaging. Remove the giblets from inside the chicken. Discard them unless you plan to make giblet gravy, in which case, set them aside. 2. Pat the chicken dry inside and out with paper towels, making sure to absorb any liquid behind the wings or legs. 3.Tie the legs together with kitchen twine and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken.This is so that the delicate, small wings don’t overcook. 4. Liberally season the outside of the chicken with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. 5. Chill the chicken in the refrigerator, uncovered, for at least one hour.This will help dry out the skin to help make it crisp. 6. Place a rack in the upper third of the oven, and set a 12” cast-iron skillet or a large roasting pan on the rack. 7. Preheat oven to 425°. Once the oven reaches temperature, pat the chicken dry with paper towels again and lightly coat it with olive oil. 8. Place the chicken breast side up in the center of the skil- let or pan. Roast until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 165 degrees, about 60 to 90 minutes.The wings and legs should wiggle loosely, and the juices should run clear. 9. Remove chicken from oven and leave uncovered in the skillet for 20 minutes.This allows the chicken to continue to cook, redistribute its juices, and cool down enough for you to carve it. 10. Transfer to a cutting board and carve.

How to Carve a Chicken Chef’s Tip: If you remove the wishbone from a cooked chicken before you carve it, the breast meat will come off in one whole piece when you carve it. 1. Place the chicken, breast side up, on a clean cutting board, and cut any twine that’s still holding the legs together. (If the chicken is still hot, let it rest for about 20 minutes before carving.) 2. Feel for the wishbone between the neck and the breast where the meat joins the bones. 3. Using a sharp chef ’s knife, make a small cut behind the bone and then use your fingers to loosen the wishbone from the cooked chicken. 4. Run your knife along the backbone and under the breast meat to remove the breast in one piece. 5. Gently pull one leg outwards from the body until the skin is stretched taut. Cut where the leg joins the chicken. Repeat with the other leg. Separate the thigh and the drumstick by cutting through the joint between the two parts. Remove the skin if desired. 6. Hold the wing tip and gently pull it away from the body until you can fit the knife easily between the wing and the breast. Cut where the two join. 7. Once you have portioned the chicken, use your fingers or two forks to shred or pull the meat apart.

everyday JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

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