Spiced Roasted Chicken

Last week Eric and I had dinner at a friend's house up in Andover.  I offered to bring a whole chicken, challenging my cooking skills because they live 50 min away due to Friday night traffic.  I had to figure out the best way to prepare the chicken for travel and, most importantly continuing to cook the chicken on arrival without drying out the chicken or under cooking it. 

So here is how I prepared a delicious Roasted Chicken, that was tender and juicy:

 

 

1.  Preheated the oven to 450F

2.  I removed the chicken from the packaging and placed the insides in the freezer for stock to be made at a later date. I then patted down the chicken with paper towels (I did not wash the chicken - water splashes everywhere contaminating your sink and counters) - the paper towels also remove the slimy/wet barrier so the oil and spices better stick to and penetrate the skin during roasting.

3. I use a foil lined roasting pan, easier clean up and I can build up the sides of the pan with the foil so less moisture escapes, curving the foil slightly toward the chicken so the moisture collects and falls back into the pan - I do not cover my roasted chickens with foil during any part of the cooking process, nor do I baste the chicken - neither are necessary and basting just allows the heat from the oven to escape.  Of course if you notice your chicken skin burning, this happens on occasion if I get preoccupied, then cover with foil.

4.  I used my Misto to spray the olive oil on the chicken and for this particular occasion I used a variety of spices to create an Indian-style roast chicken: Ground Fenugreek Seed, Sumac Berries, Cloves, Paprika, Cumin, sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

5.  I placed the chicken in the oven at 450F for about 20min, keeping my eye on the skin for any signs of burning.  I crisp up the skin first at this high heat to lock in the juices.  If you save this part for the end, then you may easily dry out your chicken. 

6.  Once the skin turned a nice yellow-brown and appeared transparent and crisp, I lowered the heat to 375F.  I kept the chicken in at this temperature until it reached 160F (this took a total of 1hr 20min or so).

I will tell you that if I were to have continued to cook the chicken for another 30min it would have been done - the temperature you want when you take it out of the oven is about 175F and as it rests the chicken will continue to cook up to the final wanted temperature of 180F.  However I was traveling to Andover so I took it out early so I could finish the job at my friend's home.

7.  I called my friend and told her to preheat her oven - which was no problem because she was already using her oven to cook squash. 

8.  When I got there the oven was at 350F.  So I put in the chicken and let cook for another 30min and when it came out of the oven it was allowed to rest for another 10min.  During resting the chicken continues to cook up, so the final temperature of the chicken was a perfect 180F. 

I think everyone enjoyed the chicken as little was left.  This image leads to my next blog, which is how to get from this (the carcass) to this:

Next time The Evolution of Broth Part III - Chicken Broth




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