How to Make Perfect Roast Chicken, According to an Expert Bubbe (Grandma)

[elleng]

A brief history of roast chicken and how to cook it perfectly every time.

here’s no rule that says Jews are required to eat chicken on Shabbat — that is, no rule was ever handed down from a rabbi or written in the Torah. But it is a long-standing practice for many Eastern European Jewish families to serve roast chicken on Friday night.

Why did it become the iconic Shabbat dinner? Probably because meat is considered a luxury, and therefore a fitting centerpiece for the most sacred meal of the week. While chicken may not have the cachet of beef or lamb, maybe that’s the point: It is sumptuous, and yet much more affordable and more widely available than other kinds of meat.

In the shtetls a family might own a cow, but who would ever think to slaughter an entire cow and the precious source of milk and cheese? On the other hand, there were always a few chickens clucking around the yard. Chickens mature and reproduce quickly, assuring an ample supply of eggs and also a plump bird for a Shabbat dinner.

There’s this, too: Chicken is flavorful but mild. It takes to almost any seasoning. It’s hard not to like because you can cook it so many ways. The great Julia Child — who could cook anything — said it was her favorite dinner. “Roast chicken has always been one of life’s great pleasures,” she said.

But how do you make perfect roasted chicken? It is one of those deceptively simple recipes, not elaborate or difficult, and more about what not to do. You can season it the way you like, stuff it or not, baste it or not, make gravy or not — just don’t overcook it. Overcooked chicken is dry and chewy, “a shame” according to Child.

https://www.myjewishlearning.com/the-nosher/how-to-make-perfect-roast-chicken-according-to-an-expert-bubbe/?

[LakeArenal]

1. Here's the crux

For the master roast chicken:

1 whole roasting chicken, 4-6 lbs
1-2 Tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil
Salt, black pepper, garlic powder and paprika
1 cup liquid such as stock or juice
For the lemon-oregano roast chicken:

1 whole roasting chicken, 4-6 pounds
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried oregano)
2 Tsp finely chopped fresh basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Remove the plastic bag of giblets from inside the bird. Wash the giblets if you want to roast and eat them. Put them in the roasting pan.
Wash the chicken inside and out; dry with paper towels. Place the chicken on a rack in the roasting pan. Rub the surface with the oil. Sprinkle the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika. Place the chicken breast-side down on the rack.
Put the chicken in the oven. Roast 15 minutes. Reduce the oven heat to 350 degrees. Roast for 30 minutes, basting once or twice during that time with stock or juice. Turn the chicken breast-side up. Continue to roast the chicken for about 45-60 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees (F), or when the juices run clear when the thigh is pricked with the tines of a fork. Do not baste for the last 20 minutes of roasting time. After you take the chicken out of the oven, let it rest for 15 minutes before you carve

[trof]

2. Boil the giblets, neck, liver and heart.

Make gravy.

[Warpy]

3. Mummify it

No, I don't mean soak it in natron and pull all the juice out, I mean massage it down with butter, spice it up--a lot--and wrap it in kitchen muslin.

The muslin acts to hold the butter and spices in place long enough to give that chicken a golden brown, crisp and gorgeous skin. It releases easily when you take the chicken out of the oven to rest, leaving you with something that looks like it belongs on the cover of a foodie magazine. It will taste like an overblown foodie description, too. I've used this trick on scrawny roosters and voluptuous capons and it's worked a treat. This article's right, though, don't overcook the bird, that way lies rubber. Use a meat thermometer.

I have not used it on old laying hens. They require the stew pot.

I also never used it on turkey, which tastes like nothing no matter what you do to/for it besides provide gravy and/or fruit relish or salsa. Or mole poblano.

[MissMillie]

4. roast chicken is a favorite of mine too

not just for the original meal, but for the leftovers, mainly the carcass. When you make the chicken flavorful (either by marinating or stuffing it with aromatics, or both) the carcass give you an amazing stock for soup or pot pie.