Lisa's Super-Tasty, Will-Impress-A-Crowd, Don't-Be-Fooled-By-The-Simple-Name Awesome Roasted Chicken with Pan Sauce
- 1 Whole roasting chicken, any size, neck and giblets removed
- 1 recipe Basic Brine (not high-heat) from
Basics of Brining
- about 4 Tbs butter
- 1 whole lemon, halved
- 1 onion, quartered
- several handfuls fresh mixed herbs, such as Italian flat-leaf parsley (curly is only for decoration), rosemary, thyme, chives, sage, tarragon, oregano, whatever you have, try to use at least 3 different ones. I always try to include parsley and rosemary
- dried porcini mushrooms, ground to a powder in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle
- salt (I use Kosher or sea salt, but anything will work)
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1-2 Tbs. minced shallot
- about 1/3 cup vermouth or white wine
- about 1 cup chicken stock
Brine the chicken according to the instructions on the website. Be sure to pay attention to type of salt used (it makes a difference!)and total brining time. It may sound like a lot of salt and sugar in the brine, but trust me, I have been using the guidelines on this site for years and they're the best ones I've ever found and are pretty foolproof as long as you follow the instructions. If you have time, after you remove the chicken from the brine, place it on an uncovered plate in the fridge for several hours or overnight. This will dry the skin but keep the moisture in the chicken and will give you extra-crispy skin in the end. I usually don't think ahead enough to do this step myself. If you're like me, then just remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry with paper towels and move immediately to the next step.
Preheat the oven to 425. Season the interior of the bird with a little salt and a good amount of freshly-ground black pepper. Into the cavity of the bird, stuff all the herbs (stems on are fine) and the onion quarters. Then, squeeze each lemon half into the cavity with all the stuffing and then stuff the lemon halves as well. The cavity should be pretty full. If not, add more herbs. Place the bird, breast up, on a rack in a roasting pan. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine.
At this point, your chicken should still be cold from the fridge/icy brine. So, melt 2-3 Tbs butter just to melted, but not hot, and using a pastry brush, brush it all over the skin of the entire chicken. As you do this, because the bird is cold, the butter will thicken and stick to the skin, rather than just dripping off. Any drips that do happen will just drip into the roasting pan and make the drippings that much yummier. Once the bird is stuffed and buttered, mix some porcini powder with salt and freshly-ground black pepper, and sprinkle generously over the entire bird. My fiance isn't crazy about mushrooms, but the first time I did this to a chicken, he said - what did you do to this to make it so yummy? It's MAGICAL! So, even if you're not a huge mushroom fan, I urge you to try this. It really makes it special.
OK, now take your brined, stuffed, buttered, and seasoned bird that is on the rack in the roasting pan, and put it in the oven. After 15 minutes, lower the heat to 350 and continue to roast until golden brown and done. A small chicken will roast in just over an hour. A larger one may take 1 1/2 hours or more. To test for doneness, wiggle the legs - they should move loosely in the joint. Also, you can pierce the thighs and breast with a knife - the juices should run clear without a hint of pink. Overdone chicken is terrible, dry, and like sawdust. However, underdone chicken can harbor bacteria and be dangerous. Check for doneness often to remove it from the oven at just the right point.
Place the bird on a carving board or platter and allow to rest at least 15 minutes before carving, to help retain the juices.
While it is resting, remove the rack from the roasting pan. Tilt the pan so the juices run to one corner. Carefully spoon off most of the fat (but not all of it!). Place the pan on the stovetop over meadium heat. add the shallots, stir until sizzling. Pour in roughly 1/3 cup wine or vermouth and about 2/3 cup chicken stock and stir, while simmering, to scrape up all of the tasty browned bits from the bottom of the pan - this is where all the flavor is! When everything is incorporated into the sauce, pour it into a small saucepan (you can strain it if you want, but I never do) and simmer, tasting and adjusting the seasoning... add more wine/vermouth, stock, salt, pepper, whatever. Simmer a bit and whisk in 1-2 Tbs butter just at the end, for richness.
Carve the bird and serve with a bowl of the sauce to pass around and spoon over your meat. Excellent with roasted or mashed potatoes, freshly buttered bread, or cheesy polenta and vegetables of your choice.
