For years, making roast chicken terrified me. How on earth did that slimy, nasty raw bird become a glorious, crispy-skinned feast? Too afraid to try roasting a chicken on my own, I satisfied my craving with frequent Costco runs. Honestly, Costco's rotisserie chicken is hard to top. But there is something wonderful about roasting a chicken in your very own oven.
The first time I tried it, I used Ina Garten's Perfect Roast Chicken recipe. It is, indeed, perfect. Hints of lemon melding with thyme and hearty roasted root vegetables. Plus, I felt like a bonafide adult having conquered the roast chicken. Here's the thing no one ever told me: roasting a chicken is super easy. Just watch the other master of roast chicken, Thomas Keller, as he shows the world his easy method:
Since I love both Ina Garten and Thomas Keller's recipes for different reasons, I decided to combine the best of both worlds. The result is a roast chicken so crispy, so savory, that it recalled the rotisserie chicken Warren and I shared on the steps of the Sacre Coeur in Montmartre, a dreamy little mount in Paris. We bought our chicken from a butcher at the bottom of the hill. He was a slight, bearded fellow with rosy cheeks. He wrapped our bird in white paper and asked us to sing Amazing Grace with him. How could we refuse?
When we unwrapped the bird after the slight hike up to Montmartre, the smell made my mouth water. We didn't have utensils so we picked the juicy meat off with our fingers. We were a hot mess when we were done but it was so worth it. The chicken was rich and buttery with a paper thin skin that snapped when you bit into it.
Oh, Paris... It's hard to believe how clearly I can recall nearly ever meal I ate there. Remember the hash brown crust quiche? Friends, let's all board a plane to France, like, stat. I should say that the secret to making this roast chicken with super crispy skin is corn starch. I know, it sounds weird, but it helps dry out the skin, which makes for a terrifically crisped bird.
- 1 whole chicken, 3-4 pounds
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 1 lemon, zested then sliced into quarters
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 large onions, quartered
- 2-3 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 3 large potatoes, diced in big chunks
- 4 medium carrots, sliced at an angle into 1 inch chunks
- olive oil
- a few sprigs of thyme
About 3 hours before you want to eat the chicken, rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Mix the cornstarch and table salt in a small bowl. Rub the cornstarch/salt mix into the chicken skin. Salt and pepper the inside of the chicken and stuff the cavity with a quartered onion. Let chicken come to room temperature.
About 1.5 hours before you want to eat, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Meanwhile, chop the vegetables and place in a large roasting pan with the quartered lemon and the second onion. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with half of the lemon zest. Salt and pepper the vegetables and mix so everything is covered. Prepare the chicken for roasting by tucking the wing tips under the body and tying the legs together. See Thomas Keller's method in the video above. I don't bother trussing the bird, just use a strip of foil to tie the legs together.
Rub a little olive oil on the chicken and sprinkle with Kosher salt, the rest of the lemon zest, and thyme. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables. Roast the whole kit and caboodle for 45-60 minutes, until the juices run clear when you cut above the leg. Take the chicken out of the pan and let it rest for 10 minutes covered loosely with foil. Continue roasting the vegetables until they look brown and caramelized. Carve the chicken and serve warm with a hunk of crusty bread, French peasant-style. A smear of good, grainy mustard doesn't ever hurt.
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I imagine this chicken would taste devilishly good with a little leftover Gorgonzola fondue. Sandwich the meat in between two thick slices of Peter Reinhart's focaccia with leftover Gorgonzola fondue and I pretty much guarantee that you'll be loving life. Just saying.
I imagine this chicken would taste devilishly good with a little leftover Gorgonzola fondue. Sandwich the meat in between two thick slices of Peter Reinhart's focaccia with leftover Gorgonzola fondue and I pretty much guarantee that you'll be loving life. Just saying.
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