I figured it was high time to talk once more about that most delicious slow-yet-fast food around … roast chicken!  This post has been brought to you by the craving of one husband for chicken quesadillas, my realization that there were no amazing deals on chicken parts at the local supermaket, combined with my unwillingness to pay MORE for 2 chicken breasts than an entire chicken!

Not to mention, roast chicken is one of my favourite foods … AND a roast chicken will keep a couple fed for some number of days!

I’ve also been irked lately by the ongoing perceptions of people that roasting a chicken is an onerous task.  It is not (FACT!).  I like to cook a lot of things in the oven — often, when cooking daily meals, I’m pressed for time, and at the end of a day don’t want to be hovering over the stove — hence my love of tossing things in the oven and letting it do its thing!  chicken is no exception.

Because I also like crispy skin, and I don’t want to be waiting all night for it, I spatchcock my birds (I know it sounds racy, but its an actual word!).  Simply put you cut the backbone out of the chicken, flatten it out by cracking the breastbone, season and oil, and bake.  Because the bird is all on one level, more or less evenly exposed to the dry heat of the oven, it cooks fairly quickly.  The bonus?  more surface area exposed = more crispy skin :).  A 3-4 lb fryer should be fully cooked in 45-50 minutes!

Here’s some pointers to help you get great results:

• Take the chill off the chicken — make sure it sits at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before you put it in the oven.
• Let the oven come up to temperature before you pop your roasting pan in the oven.  Any doubts about what temperature your oven actually is?  Invest in an oven-thermometer and you’ll always know!  375 degrees F is a good temperature for achieving done-ness and still get some browning action going on.
• Dry the chicken off thoroughly before you start seasoning.
• Season everything before — front and back!  I’ve kept things simple for tonight’s chicken – salt, pepper and some mole spices
• A light oiling helps — just a thin layer rubbed all over the skin.
• Basting half-way with the chicken fat the renders out helps crisp up the skin
• Let your chicken rest for 10-15 minutes after you pull it out of the oven.  Tent it with some foil to keep it warm while it rests.

Once cooked, you can serve the chicken as-is, OR you can portion it out and use it throughout the week.  Tonight’s dinner for us, is chicken with caramelized onions and red peppers in freshly made tortillas, guacamole and homemade salsa

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Janice

Janice Mansfield is a personal chef who specializes in creating customized catering and baking for people with food sensitivities. A recipe developer and baker by day, by night, she enjoys delving into the history of classic cocktails and created a line of cocktail bitters for no other reason than she wanted chocolate bitters in her Manhattans! In her spare time, she documents the antics and unbearable cuteness her two Shiba Inus over at Life in the Shiba Shack.

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