Perfect Roast Chicken Alton Brown Recipes

PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the onions, carrots, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.
• Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.

PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Let chicken and 1 tablespoon butter stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove and discard the plastic pop-up timer from chicken if there is one. Remove the giblets and excess fat from the chicken cavity. Rinse chicken inside and out under cold running water. Dry chicken thoroughly with paper towels. Tuck the wing tips under the body. Sprinkle the cavity of the chicken liberally with salt and pepper, and set aside.
• In the center of a heavy-duty roasting pan, place onion slices in two rows, touching. Place the palm of your hand on top of lemon and, pressing down, roll lemon back and forth several times. This softens the lemon and allows the juice to flow more freely. Pierce entire surface of lemon with a fork. Using the side of a large knife, gently press on garlic cloves to open slightly. Insert garlic cloves, thyme sprigs, and lemon into cavity. Place chicken in pan, on onion slices. Cut about 18 inches of kitchen twine, bring chicken legs forward, cross them, and tie together.
• Spread the softened butter over entire surface of chicken, and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Place in the oven, and roast until skin is deep golden brown and crisp and the juices run clear when pierced, about 1 1/2 hours. When chicken seems done, insert an instant-read thermometer into the breast, then the thigh. The breast temperature should read 180 degrees and the thigh 190 degrees.
• Remove chicken from oven, and transfer to a cutting board with a well. Let chicken stand 10 to 15 minutes so the juices settle. Meanwhile, pour the pan drippings into a shallow bowl or fat separator, and leave onions in the pan. Leave any brown baked-on bits in the bottom of the roasting pan, and remove and discard any blackened bits. Using a large spoon or fat separator, skim off and discard as much fat as possible. Pour the remaining drippings and the juices that have collected under the resting chicken back into the roasting pan. Place on the stove over medium-high heat to cook, about 1 minute. Add chicken stock, raise heat to high, and, using a wooden spoon, stir up and combine the brown bits with the stock until the liquid is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Strain the gravy into a small bowl, pressing on onions to extract any liquid. Discard onions, and stir in the remaining tablespoon of cold butter until melted and incorporated. Untie the legs, and remove and discard garlic, thyme, and lemon. Carve, and serve gravy on the side.

40 CLOVES AND A CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350ºF.
• Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper. Coat the chicken pieces on all sides with 2 tablespoons of the oil.
• In an 11-inch straight-sided, oven-safe saute pan set over high heat, cook the chicken until nicely browned, 5 to 7 minutes per side. Remove the pan from the heat and add the remaining 1/2 cup oil, the thyme, and garlic cloves. Cover and bake for 1 1/2 hours.
• Remove the pan from the oven and set aside for 15 minutes with the lid on. Serve family-style with plenty of toasted bread to spread the softened, fragrant garlic on.

ONE POT CHICKEN

Steps:

• Dissolve the first dose of salt in the water in a containerI typically use a straight-sided container to ensure the bird will submerge. large enough to hold the chicken. Make sure the bird's cavity is empty and place in brine, breast-side down. Cover and refrigerate 8 to 12 hours. (I usually do this in the morning after I make coffee so that I can cook it that night.)
• To cook, place an empty 4-quart cast-iron Dutch oven in the middle of your oven and crank it to 550°F.
• Give the oven at least 30 minutes to get hot. Meanwhile, drain and thoroughly dry the bird with paper towels, allowing it to come to room temperature while you wait on the oven.
• When the oven is good and hot, rub the bird down with the oil and sprinkle on the remaining teaspoon of salt. Then, open the oven door, slide out the rack holding the Dutch oven, and drop the bird straight down into it, breast-side up. Quickly cover with the hot lid, slide the rack back in, and close the door as quickly as possible.
• Leave the chicken alone for 15 minutes. Then, remove the lid and baste the top of the bird with some of the juices that have accumulated at the bottom of the pot. Cook 12 minutes.
• Remove the Dutch oven to a safe spot (the cooktop would be fine) and don't touch for 10 minutes. Then, remove the lid and allow the bird to rest for 5 minutes. At this point, use your instant-read thermometer to take a reading right in the middle of the breast. I usually see 150°F at this point, and that's ok. Carryover heat will take care of the rest.
• Slide a pair of tongs or a wooden spoon into the cavity and gently lift the bird out to a platter or carving board, tilting it first so that any hot juices drain into the pot.
• I serve this in a rather unorthodox, but insanely satisfactory manner: Pour the juices (a lovely co-mingling of schmaltz and jus) into a few bowls and position around the platter which should be central to the table. Give everyone a knife (not too long or sharp) and allow them to carve off hunks of bird, which should be dipped (by hand) into the juices and consumed forthwith. Plates? We don't need no stinkin' plates! But you will need several napkins. You're welcome.