Yes, it’s just another roast chicken recipe, but I just don’t think there can be enough variations on America’s, possibly much of the world’s favorite dinner.
The lovely thing about roast chicken is the versatility. The left overs will give you a myriad of options, including my favorite, chicken salad. Hot or cold, roast chicken will always have its place. And, nothing brings elegance to a table better than a simple, perfectly seasoned, moist, roasted bird. A lot of flash for very little work.
This is the recipe that allows the chicken to stay moist and have very crispy skin and it’s all done, of course, in a cast iron pan.
Ever since I came back from the Zuni Cafe, I’ve changed the way I make roast chicken, and I’ve posted about it before. There are two things that make this the best way to roast chicken in the world.
1. The salt treatment that guarantees a moist breast.
2. The one-hour cook time.
The thing I don’t like about this recipe is the guarantee of a smoke alarm going on, but that goes away once I open the door and, it’s so worth it.
In the fall, I go for rosemary and garlic. In the spring, I go for thyme and lemon, but in the winter, there is nothing like tarragon and orange together. This is such a satisfying flavor combination and I’ve not achieved its full potential, but I’m working on it. Tarragon is considered a fine herb, with beautiful long green slender leaves and a sweet, licorice flavor.
I like to bring citrus and tarragon together by stuffing the chicken with cut up oranges and adding the tarragon under the skin.
A roasted chicken can serve as two distinct meals. Once you have trimmed the chicken off of the bone, simmer the bones for a nice chicken broth, following this method.
- 3-4 pound chicken
- salt and pepper
- tarragon
- 1 large orange or any variation of orange citrus
- Rinse inside of chicken thoroughly. Salt chicken in and out with about 1 teaspoon of salt. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for three days. If you don’t have the three days as a option, you can still make this chicken salting for one day.
- When ready to roast, take chicken down to room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 450 and place cast iron pan in oven at least 20 minutes prior to using. Rinse chicken, pat dry and season with salt and pepper.
- Cut orange into quarters and stuff in bird. Place tarragon underneath skin of each breast side. Using, twine, tie legs of chicken and wings.
- Place breast side down in pan. You should hear a sizzle. Turn over with tongs, after 30 minutes. Roast another 30 minutes, using a meat thermometer. You want the chicken (at the thick part of the thigh) to reach 170 degrees. Take out and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
Chicken Broth made with Left Over Roasted Chicken
Ingredients
- Bones of roasted chicken
- 6 cups cold water
- 2 cups ice cubes
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 leek, white part, sliced
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
Instructions
- Place bones large stock pot, with just enough cold water to cover by about an inch.
- Put on a low heat, bringing to a simmer very slowly. Do not allow to boil. Once simmering, skim repeatedly, and add ice cubes one cup at a time, which will force more fat to the surface.
- Add vegetables and continue to simmer for 40 minutes. If broth is too light for your taste, you can concentrate by cooking longer remaining at a very low temperature. This is where broth become stock, highly concentrated in body.
- Once you are finished simmering, allow to sit for 10 minutes before straining.
- Cool entire pot in ice bath, if storing. Store in refrigerator no longer than 3 days.
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