My Roast Chicken Secrets Revealed
A year or two ago, I got rid of my roasting pan. Not because I’m anti-roasting pan, or because I needed the space, but because I realized that my roasting pan had a non-stick surface and that I’d been scratching it up with a metal spatula over the years and that there was a teensy, tiny chance I’d been exposing myself and my loved ones to carcinogens whenever I roasted a chicken and that we’re all going to die and it’s all my fault.
So these days, when I roast a chicken, I rely on my largest cast iron skillet. Frankly, I think it works better. And I riff on the beloved Thomas Keller roast chicken recipe, the one I’ve been making for the past eight years, combining assorted root vegetables and potatoes and garlic in the bottom of the pan with a splash of vegetable oil, salt, and pepper, and then topping it with a chicken that I stuff with thyme and garlic, also rub with vegetable oil, before sprinkling with lots of salt and pepper. Only, I’ve been much bolder with a certain ingredient to really make my roast chicken shine. Can you guess what it is?
Hint: it starts with the letter “b” and it rhymes with shmutter.
That’s right, butter.
You know, in addition to PBS, one of my biggest sources for cooking inspiration is Instagram. I follow lots of chefs and food people on there and not too long ago, I was looking at Ludo Lefebvre’s feed and he positively slathered a chicken in butter. Ludo’s food at Trois Mec and Petit Trois is some of the best French food in L.A., so when I saw that, I made a mental note: the next time I roast a chicken, I’m going to use more butter than usual.
And you know what? It makes a big difference. Not only does it keep your roast chicken moist, it also helps it brown up beautifully. I mean just look at last night’s bird.
The other big step I’ve been taking has to do with cooking time. In the past, I used to worry about overcooking the chicken; now I worry about undercooking it. Through my various roast chicken experiments, I’ve discovered that the longer I let it sit in the hot oven, the better it gets. Very rarely does the breast dry out (probably because of all of that butter) and the legs and dark meat get properly done, they become almost fall-off-the-bone tender. My new procedure: start at 475 for 20 to 30 minutes, until the outside is really brown, lower to 425 and then cook for an hour more. So 90 minutes total.
The other thing I do? Once the pan’s out of the oven, I lift the chicken off, put it on a plate or platter to rest, and, after tossing the vegetables around a bit with a metal spatula, I stick the pan back in the oven to get the vegetables even more caramelized.
The dirty secret about this roast chicken recipe is that it’s not about the chicken at all, it’s about the vegetables. They get infused with all of that chicken fat and butter and salt and then get super brown and sweet and I’ve had many a friend nod happily when they try my chicken, but then swoon when they try the vegetables. (See: my friend Ryan proving this point.) (Actually, it looks more like he’s finished his vegetables and he’s recoiling from Craig.)
Finally, last night, I figured out the perfect way to serve my roast chicken. Scoop all of the vegetables on to a platter, then cut the bird up with a big knife and place the pieces on top, sprinkling everything with parsley.
Who wouldn’t want to see that on their dining room table, especially as it starts to get chillier outside? Serve with Dijon mustard, a bottle of Pinot Noir, and that’s pretty much the perfect roast chicken dinner, as far as I’m concerned. You could add a salad, but after all of that butter? You’d only be kidding yourself.
Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables
My go-to roast chicken recipe that dazzles every time.
Ingredients:
One 3 1/2 to 4 pound chicken (you can even go up to 4 1/2 pounds), patted dry, giblets removed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 carrots, peeled (if large, cut into 2-inch pieces)
3 parsnips, peeled (cut into the same size as the carrots)
1 pound small, golf-ball sized potatoes (I like a mixture of red and yellow); if they’re too big to eat in one bite, cut in half
2 small turnips, peeled and cut into thick wedges
2 small rutabaga, peeled and cut into thick wedges
1 small yellow onion, peeled and cut into thick wedges
3 leeks, cleaned very well (watch a YouTube video), root end cut off, and tough, dark outer leaves cut off, then sliced in half vertically
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 head of garlic
1 bunch of thyme
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Lemon for serving
Chopped Italian parsley
Instructions:
The day before you want to roast the chicken, season all over with salt and pepper (be generous, including the cavity) and place on a rack inside your fridge, uncovered. This will both season the chicken really well and also help dry out the skin so it gets crispy. That said, I never think to do this, so skip this step if you’re like me and rarely plan ahead.
Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, toss together the carrots, parsnips, potatoes, turnips, rutabaga, onion, and leeks with the vegetable oil and lots of salt and pepper. Throw in two garlic cloves from the head of garlic (smash them first and remove the skin) and a few sprigs of thyme.
Pour the vegetable mixture into your largest cast-iron skillet or roasting pan. If there are too many vegetables to fit, put whatever doesn’t fit on to a cookie sheet and roast those separately. Create a divot to hold your chicken in the middle.
Now take the chicken and put it in the bowl that the vegetables were in, using the residual oil to coat the chicken all over. If you haven’t done so already, season the chicken on the inside and outside with lots of salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with the remaining garlic and thyme. Truss the chicken the easy way: wrap the butcher’s twine around the breast, then tie the legs together. (This is a great tutorial.)
Place the chicken on top of the root vegetables. Cut the butter into pieces and dot all over the chicken. Alternatively, if the butter is pretty soft, you can schmear it all over the chicken. It doesn’t really matter, as long as there’s lots of butter on the chicken.
Place in the oven for 20 minutes during which it should start to turn golden brown. Lower the heat to 425 and continue to cook for another 45 minutes or so, depending on the size of the chicken. Use a thermometer to test the dark meat (should be over 165) and the white meat (should be over 155). When ready, carefully remove the pan from the oven. Your chicken should look beautiful and bronzed all over. If it doesn’t, keep cooking it. It’ll be okay.
Lift the chicken off the vegetables with a meat fork, and allow the liquid from inside the chicken to drip back on to the vegetables. Place the chicken on a cutting board and allow to rest for ten minutes or so. Meanwhile, look at your vegetables. Chances are, they need more color. If they’re swimming in liquid, carefully pour some of it out before stirring the vegetables around and returning them to the oven. Keep roasting the vegetables untl they’re golden brown all over. That’s a key step, don’t skip it.
To serve: squeeze the lemon all over the vegetables, toss, and taste for salt. Lift all of the vegetables on to a serving platter. Then carefully carve the chicken: wings, drumsticks, thighs, and cut the breast into four large pieces. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables, put more lemon wedges all around, and garnish with the chopped parsley. Eat it while it’s hot.
