Often I am asked, "What would you eat for your last meal?" I answer, without hesitation, "A perfectly roasted chicken." End of story.
Readers of this blog and our friends over at Sauced will know that a few Thomas Keller recipes crop up every now and then. He is a prolific chef and the harbinger of joy for many a meal at Chateau Bruyette over the last few years.
I bought his cookbook, Bouchon, a while back and this roast chicken recipe is the first recipe in the book. I thought to myself "Jeez, this doesn't look that hard. How good could it possibly be?" Well, good enough that I would want to eat it for my last meal on Earth, that's how good.
In that you are only dealing with a few ingredients here, they should be the absolute best you can afford. And I am really talking about the chicken here, folks. Organic, free-range is the only way to go. Next time I make this, I am going to try it with a Bresse chicken, which is supposed to be the best chicken in the world. But I digress...
Once again, simplicity reins! A chicken. Salt and pepper. Knob of butter. Some thyme. That's all that separates you between a few raw ingredients and utter dining bliss. I have a few recommendations:
1) Get one of those thermometers which you can plug the sensor into meat (in the oven) and it reads out on a small machine (outside of the oven). Handy if it has the ability to set an alarm and have it go off when your meat reaches a certain temperature, in this case 160F exactly. You're going to want to stick that sensor into the thickest part of the thigh, thought to be the last place on the bird to cook through.
2) Do the chicken in a cast-iron (or comparable) skillet. This was the first time I tried it this way and it was much easier to baste the bird when I pulled it out, and easier again to drain off the basting liquid into a small bowl for final basting at the table.
3) The 15-minute rest of the meat is KEY. You can eat the wing joints early, though, to tide you over.
I should mention that we did a simple broccoli side dish from Mario Batali's cookbook, Molto Italiano, which is another powerhouse cookbook that has never let us down. Nice interplay of mild spicing with the fruity zests.
Every time Vanessa and I make this, we are always over ot the cutting board when I break the chicken down after the 15-minute rest, scavenging for the 'oysters' (read the recipe below) and little scraps of meat. It is SO delicious and the dish that makes me happiest in life. You MUST try this super-easy and super-rewarding chicken. Nothing beats it in my book.
My Favorite Simple Roast Chicken
1x2-3 lb. farm-raised chicken
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons minced thyme
unsalted butter
Dijon mustard (optional)
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Rinse the chicken, then dry it very well with paper towels, inside and out. The less it steams, the drier the heat, the better.
Salt and pepper the cavity, then truss the bird. Trussing is not difficult, and if you roast chicken often, it's a good technique to feel comfortable with. When you truss a bird, the wings and legs stay close to the body; the ends of the drumsticks cover the top of the breast and keep it from drying out. Trussing helps the chicken to cook evenly, and it also makes for a more beautiful roasted bird.
Now, salt the chicken-I like to rain the salt over the bird so that it has a nice uniform coating that will result in a crisp, salty, flavorful skin (about 1 tablespoon). When it's cooked, you should still be able to make out the salt baked onto the crisp skin. Season to taste with pepper.
Place the chicken in a saute pan or roasting pan and, when the oven is up to temperature, put the chicken in the oven. I leave it alone - I don't baste it, I don't add butter; you can if you wish, but I feel this creates steam, which I don't want. Roast it until it's done, 50 to 60 minutes (Kevin's note: I have a fan oven which dramatically reduces cooking time. The ONLY WAY you'll REALLY know the PERFECT POINT to pull that chicken out is that thermometer. 160F is the magic temperature). Remove it from the oven and add the thyme, if using, to the pan. Baste the chicken with the juices and thyme and let it rest for 15 minutes on a cutting board.
Remove the twine. Separate the middle wing joint and eat that immediately. Remove the legs and thighs. I like to take off the backbone and eat one of the oysters, the two succulent morsels of meat embedded here, and give the other to the person I'm cooking with. But I take the chicken butt for myself. I could never understand why my brothers always fought over that triangular tip-until one day I got the crispy, juicy fat myself. These are the cook's rewards. Cut the breast down the middle and serve it on the bone, with one wing joint still attached to each. The preparation is not meant to be super-elegant. Slather the meat with fresh butter. Serve with mustard on the side and, if you wish, a simple green salad. You'll start using a knife and fork, but finish with your fingers, because it's so good.
Broccoli Sauteed in Wine and Garlic (Broccoli al Frascati)
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, sliced
3 pounds broccoli, cut in spears
1 cup Frascati or dry white wine
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
zest of 1 lemon
zest of 1 orange
In a 10-12 inch saute pan, heat the olive oil with the garlic over medium-high heat until just sizzling. Add the broccoli and cook, tossing frequently and gradually adding the wine to keep the garlic from browning, until the stalks are tender, 8-10 minutes Add the red pepper flakes and zests, tossing well, and serve immediately.
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