Bad*ss Next-Level Mic-Drop Roast Chicken
This bad boy is a mouth symphony of flavour and texture!
otherwise known as Best D*mn Mutha$%&!#%!# Chicken evah!!!!! (licking fingers here).
Seriously.
It’s that good.
It’s life-changing chicken (if you are into life-changing food experiences). I’ve been a long-time fan of the Julia Child roast chicken method. Well, ever since we watched Julie and Julia and rediscovered her 1961 cookbook. We’ve used Julia’s recipe for years now, and it is gives a consistently beautiful succulent chicken, which I adore. And we use the jus and roasted vegetables to make a gravy that is other-worldly.
Many mic drops. Many, many mic drops. I say we, because this chicken is so good, my hubby likes to make it as one of his signature dishes to create. Go baby!
Our go-to roast recipe, riffing on a Julia child standard….
And then, I thought, what’s this brining thing all about? It seems to be ‘a thing’ with the foodaparazzi. So I said to myself, “Self, what the eff, it’s covid, let’s try brining it first.” I wanted to see if brining it really did make that noticeable a difference in the juiciness, tenderness, and flavour of a chicken.
And so, after my first foray into brining….my pants fell off. And I ran around the kitchen and living room yelling with my fork, “Oh my freaking #^%$#^$#%, this is THE BEST F*CKING CHICKEN EVER!”. So, yeah. This double-step process was borne and I am forever grateful. So good.
SERIOUSLY.
So…why bother with brine?
The technique of brining can be used for any meat cut and has a two-fold function of how it improves the meat:
(1) Flavour and water saturation: the meat absorbs some of the liquid and results in a juicer, more flavourful meat through using osmosis (remember your high school science?), and
(2) Breakdown of tissue: the salt reacts with the muscle fibres, breaking down sinews, resulting in the tenderization of the meat (this would be an especially great idea for gamey or tougher meat cuts).
For a more in-depth science-y explanation click here to see article.
Please remember in all of this—try to find birds that are farmed ethically and sustainably.
Please remember in all of this—try to find birds that are farmed ethically and sustainably— which are best for you and your family’s health and also the animal’s welfare. It’s actually easier than you think— consider finding local farms and buying direct from your micro-farm, helps progressive farmers continue with sustainable and responsible agrarian practises, the quality and health of their animals’ lives, and your improved health. And the price point difference can sometimes be surprisingly minimal if buying direct and in larger quantities. Big cities always seem to have local butchers who source responsibly, and small towns are even better as there always seems to be local farmers who do an incredible job and if you buy direct, is quite comparable to box store prices (which are likely factory farmed animals) for a superior product. And you won’t feel like a shitbag for supporting factory farming.
This one kid, Birk Baehr, said it the best I’ve ever heard it…. he said, “…we can pay the farmer or we can pay the hospital.” Smart kid. Here’s his five minute TED talk if you are interested in learning a bit more on our shady and broken food systems. Get woke! You won’t be sorry. Knowledge is power.
Ready to head to Brinetown? Here we go!
So, using two different two different sources for my brine & roast adventure, I created my own template for Next-Level Mic-Drop Roast Chicken. Links are included my original research sources. Thank you Dinner at the Zoo!
Here’s the thing, you can adapt to your own tastes and pantry supplies. Don’t overthink it, and have fun!
Let’s get started!
Remember, this is a two-part process. The brining needs to be done the day before the actual cooking of your chicken. But it’s super fast and easy, like…a whole ten minutes of your life, so don’t sweat it.
STUFF YOU NEED:
a large soup stock pot or dutch oven
~3-6 lb/1.5-3 kg free-range chicken
¼ cup honey
scant ½ cup coarse KOSHER or SEA salt (not regular salt)
1 tbsp each of dried thyme, basil, oregano, and peppercorns
6 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
½ cup freshly chopped parsley
2 lemons, skins washed well, and chopped in half-slices
7 cups water, 1 cup ice cubes
** N.B. Use what herbs blends light your culinary fire… consider options like sage, rosemary, savory, lemongrass, cilantro, tarragon)
DIRECTIONS: PART ONE: The BRINING COMETH
I used a soup pot to make my brine and marinate the chicken. You want something that is just big enough to hold your chicken, but has enough height to accommodate the water displacement (so when you put the chicken in, the brine covers the chicken).
(1) In a soup pot, add honey, kosher salt (not regular salt) and 3 cups of boiled water. Swish around until both are completely dissolved. Add the rest of your spices, herbs, garlic, lemon slices and swish around. Add 4 cups of room-temperature water to the mix. Swish. Add 1 hearty cup of ice to the mix and let dissolve. Your brine solution should be around room temperature or tepid. If it’s not, let it cool a little further before adding your chicken.
(2) Add your chicken (covered to the top with brine), cover, and put in fridge for 24 hours. I like to turn the chicken at the halfway point because I am a little obsessive. Up to you. Some brine recipes say eight hours minimum, which I haven’t tried. The 24-hour brine was so fantastic, I’m not going to bother with reducing it. Try not to go over 24 hours as the salt can over-saturate the chicken, making the meat salty if left too long.
DIRECTIONS: PART TWO: ROASTING OF THE MOST FOWL SORT
Here’s the trick—consistent butter basting before and during cooking; turning the chicken so it is cooked evenly (think DIY rotisserie), and a higher temp at the beginning to seal in the juices (crisp skin), and then a lower temp to finish off the roast.
NEXT LEVEL: Throw down some veg to roast and soak in jus while your bird cooks, or to use as a gravy base (this is like the best gravy—jus and roasted caramelized veg=mic drop gravy of another calibre). This also adds to the flavour of the roast vegetables and chicken, and BAM, you’ve created a side for your chicken in one fell swoop.
STEP 1: Prep bird. Remove whole chicken from the brine. Reserve the brine lemons and garlic; discard the rest. Let bird dry or pat dry.
STEP 2: Prep roasting pan. I like to use a clear baking dish, but you can use whatever you like. If you want to maximize your roast meal, chop up some vegetables (like peeled white potatoes, carrots, celery, onions) lightly coat in olive or avocado oil, pinch of salt and pepper. Add the reserved lemons, mix together and place in the baking dish.
STEP 3: Baste bird. Place chicken on top of vegetables, and with a brush, baste chicken with melted butter. Put aside (you will be doing this several times throughout the roast).
STEP 4: Roast your bird. Put in convection oven at 425 F for 15 mins. Every 12 mins or so, pull out the bird, rotate 90 degrees, butter baste, and return to oven. Once you have completed 360 degrees (4 turns), reduce oven to 350 F and bake until juices run clean (about 30-45 minutes, depending on the size/weight of the chicken). If you are concerned with the skin roasting too dark, take a sheet of aluminium foil and drape over the bird for the remainder of the roasting, save the last 5 minutes to ‘crisp’ the skin.
When rotating the bird, you can also stir the veg a little as well, so their roast is even as well (not critical).
STEP 5: Let the bird breathe. When chicken is done, take out, and let ‘rest’ for 5-10 minutes before carving and serving. This has two functions: (a) the meat will reabsorb some of the moisture lost during cooking ensuring a juicy & tender meat; and (b) carry-over cooking—things continue to cook after being removed from the oven. Give your bird a moment to catch its breath! 😉For more info on resting meat, have a look here.
STEP 6: ENJOY! Damn, you’ve worked hard and deserve to enjoy your masterpiece!
FOODIE ADDENDUM:
BROTH: Use all the parts of the buffalo! Save every bone, skin, dish drippings, etc. that is not consumed for homemade delicious broth. Also, save the carrot peelings, bits of celery, and onion for the broth. If you don’t want to make broth right after, don’t worry, dump all the carcass and veg peelings into a bag or container and throw in the freezer. You can get to this anytime. To see my post on homemade broth:
GRAVY: We’re not done! Stay tuned for another post on homemade gravy. So badass it requires its own post.
Before I go, I had to include this video link…Julia Child giving the full-lowdown on her roast chicken on her show, The French Chef….it’s riotously wonderful….she has many poulterific ‘guests’ on her program….;-)
