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Adapted from All Recipes
How to wet-brine a chicken:
- Dissolve ½ cup kosher salt in two quarts of water. Immerse the chicken completely in the solution and place in the refrigerator.
- You should let it soak for at least one hour, but no longer than five.
- Pour off the brine, rinse the chicken under cold running water, and pat it dry with paper towels. For extra-crispy skin, return the bird to the refrigerator and let it air-dry for another hour, or overnight, before roasting.
How to dry-brine chicken:
- Measure 1 tablespoon kosher salt for every 5 pounds of chicken. You can add dry spices or lemon zest, but it’s the salt that will make the chicken juicy.
- Sprinkle the salt inside and outside the chicken and roast the chicken right away, or cover the chicken loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours or up to 3 days.
- No need to rinse the bird, simply pat dry as needed and proceed with the recipe of your choice.
Roast Chicken Dry Rubs
Many cooks use a dry rub, a blend of dried and ground spices, rubbing them under the chicken’s skin and inside the cavity. Since they’re under the skin, the flavorings won’t burn; plus they’ll infuse the meat. This is a great way to add some spice if you’ll be discarding the skin.
- For a Southwestern flavor, try chile powder or pureed fresh chiles, cumin, and sage.
- For an Indian-inspired bird, mix together equal parts ground coriander and cumin, plus turmeric and a pinch or two of cardamom or garam masala.
- To give the chicken a Thai flair, try a paste of ginger, lemon grass, green chilies, cilantro, and lime juice.
Skin On or Off?
Crispy, fragrant roast chicken skin is delicious, but can be fatty. But whether you eat it or remove it, always roast with the skin on, as it holds in moisture and keeps the meat from drying out.
How to Truss a Chicken for Roasting
Truss the bird before roasting; tie it with butcher’s twine to keep the legs close to the body. This is not an essential step, but it does make the chicken slightly easier to handle, and it helps hold the stuffing in if you’ve stuffed the chicken.
- To truss a chicken, cut about a 3-foot length of heatproof butcher’s twine.
- Lay the chicken on a clean surface with the breast facing up.
- Hold one end of the string in each hand, and loop the center of the string underneath the chicken’s tail.
- Catch the ends of the legs inside the string, then cross the string over the chicken’s breast, making an X.
- Loop the string under and around the wings, then tie the string snugly in a knot across the middle of the breast. Make sure that the ends of the wings are tucked in.
Roasting Methods
There are two methods for roasting a whole chicken:
1. Regular-heat method:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Roast whole (thawed) chickens for 20 minutes per pound, plus an additional 15 minutes.
2. High-heat method (this creates a crispy, darker skin):
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) and cook whole (thawed) chicken for 10-15 minutes.
- Then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and roast for 20 minutes per pound. (Do not add the extra 15 minutes to the cooking time as with the regular method.)
This Week’s Article: Weekend Roast = Easy Weekday Meals
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