i rarely buy chicken, rarely order chicken when dining out and really – i rarely even like chicken. it’s kind of a ‘nothing’ food to me, almost always somewhat tasteless and uninteresting, taking on whatever sauce you throw at it. but on occasion, like once at ‘david burke and donatella’ in nyc - i’ve stumbled across some really great chicken. chickeny tasting chicken that’s been roasted to perfection. something i’ve never done.
until now.
after hearing michael ruhlman talk about the “sunday-cast-iron-pan-chicken-roasting” which takes place weekly in his home, which conjured up all kindsa warm and fuzzy images and smells, i came across what sounded like a similar technique in my brand new copy of ‘the zuni cafe cookbook’, which by the way falls into the ‘must have’ realm of cookbooks. on page 35 she has a section entitled ‘the practice of salting early’. it is worthwhile information, to say the least. osmosis plays a big roll here, drawing out liquid and then reversing as the cells reabsorb a now salty moisture, seasoning the meat.
i’ll still need to perfect my seasonings and my salting technique, but the roasting method is now etched in stone. i did it and can do it again – and again, repetition (i believe) being the key to greatness in cooking.
you must buy a small bird – about a 3lb broiler. not a roaster. a broiler. no matter what they tell you. i got mine at whole foods. you pepper and salt the chicken using about 3/4 teaspoon of salt per pound – putting less around the wings and skinny ankles. then place it in the refrigerator, loosely covered for 2 days. sprigs of fresh herbs can go under the skin around the breast and thigh area - and should. i used marjoram because i already had some in the house and batali goes on and on about it. ruhlman probably uses tarragon, and i’m sure that rosemary, thyme or sage would be just lovely too.
preheat to 475. you may need to up the heat or lower it depending on your oven. put your cast iron pan – or any oven safe pan on the stove to get it hot. a 10″ works nicely. then put the chicken – patted very dry, in the pan breast side up – it’ll sizzle. then place the pan with the bird in the oven. after 30 minutes turn the bird over. after about 10 more minutes flip it again and leave it in for about another 5. then take it out and let it sit for at least 15 minutes.
the skin was perfectly brown and crisp and somehow the breast meat was actually juicy. in my world this has been a rarity so i was pretty pleased.
zuni serves their’s with a bread salad that sounds wonderful. i made a basic polenta along with some orange and brown sugar glazed carrots.
simple.
17 responses so far ↓
1 Lux // Dec 26, 2007 at 11:57 am
The salting process above reminds me of the koshering process … I know kosher meats can be hard to come by, but if you don’t want to go through all the extra steps, buying kosher chicken might be a quick way to get better tasting chicken.
2 Dan // Dec 26, 2007 at 12:25 pm
I think I know what I’m having for dinner sometime this week. That looks delicious. Does the the book say anything about aromatics in the cavity?
3 claudia // Dec 26, 2007 at 12:35 pm
lux – i might consider that in a pinch but i’m living in the buckle of the bioble belt and we’re talking new testament… so yes, not readily available. plus i like the idea of organic, free range chickens done with my salt. and it’s so easy!
dan – nada in the cavity and i wouldn’t go there. try it au natural and see what you think. i think anything moist would defeat the purpose causing unnecessary steam. the idea here is to dry roast the sucker but the broilers stay very juicy.
4 lucy // Dec 26, 2007 at 1:18 pm
i roasted my very first chicken when the BF came to visit a couple weeks ago. it was my first experience preparing meat that still looked like an animal so i’m still thinking about it. i’m thinking about giving it another go, because i want a pretty crispy bird like yours.
5 minimally invasive // Dec 26, 2007 at 2:14 pm
That looks divine, Claudia! I’ve used a cast iron pan before, but never with this technique — I’ll be sure to give it a try. Like you, I’m usually underwhelmed by chicken.
I’m working my way through Ruhlman’s Elements right now, btw; definitely one of my better Christmas presents.
6 Robert // Dec 26, 2007 at 2:34 pm
Fret,
Bravo! Sounds like you got it about right. Juicy breast meat. No rubber texture from too much salt too early. And no thermometer….. A fitting follow through for the amazing Thanksgiving bird (s).
7 yveala // Dec 26, 2007 at 5:50 pm
i love chicken, make it often and in my house, almost never have any left over for another favorite – chicken salad. my chickens are always kosher – usually organic & kosher – so the above comment makes me wonder, will mine be even more delish?
can’t wait to start salting and i’ll definately make lots so i can chicken salad up the remainder…yummm
8 Mary Coleman // Dec 27, 2007 at 12:07 pm
Lovely lovely!!!!
How good does that look!!!
I love roasting in the cast iron skillet.
Talent abounds in this neck of the woods.
Mary
9 Annie // Dec 27, 2007 at 7:20 pm
claudia, I have the cook book and have looked at this recipe (and the salad recipe) many times, wondering whether it was worth doing. I think I have my answer, and I thank you for the reliable go-ahead and the beautiful (!) chicken porn.
10 claudia // Dec 28, 2007 at 12:27 am
annie – chicken porn… too funny. if you make the bread salad i want a full report.
mary – i had no idea. but now i’m hooked.
yveala – i am curious about this kosher chicken thing…
robert – this was much juicier than either of the shuttle birds. but i am learning…
min. inv. – i just started ‘elements’ as well. the essays are very good. i love his writing. i can hear him talking.
lucy – the BF will be very happy with a chicken such as this… and it’s very easy to do with such great results. my kinda cooking.
11 FireDog // Dec 28, 2007 at 6:00 pm
Hi Claudia,
This I GOTTA try….
Sounds so good.
I realize how much of a novice cook I am with the things I learned here.
12 yveala // Dec 29, 2007 at 10:08 pm
friday night chicken was so finger lickin’ good!!
a couple of my son’s friends were over so none left for chix salad…maybe next week.
13 Shannon // Jan 1, 2008 at 2:19 pm
We roast chicken a LOT, and experiment with it all the time. I’m curious about whether the recipe says anything about the skin of the dry chicken sticking to the hot dry pan…?? Is it the super-dryness of both that prevents that?
14 cook eat FRET - ramp risotto // May 8, 2008 at 11:43 pm
[...] serve with the risotto, i roasted a chicken alla ‘zuni cafe’ style, except i stuffed the cavity with lemon and limes, something i’d never done [...]
15 Robert // Sep 27, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Fret,
Shari made that sound, you know the “UMM Umm Umm Umm” sound! It’s been a very long while. Guess I will repeat this til it too becomes mundane.
Thanks for the tips, it was certainly well recieved.
16 cook eat FRET - o8/o9 // Jan 4, 2009 at 4:22 pm
[...] kept the food close to the ground with few ingredients. i roasted 2 chickens using the infallible zuni café method of salting smaller sized birds and covering loosely in the fridge for 2 or 3 days, then hitting [...]
17 CeeElCee // Jan 15, 2009 at 8:57 am
We made this last night and it was the moistest, crispiest, tastiest bird we ever ate! Thanks for the incentive and the guidance.
In typical Chris and Lisa fashion, we decided to make this for Sunday dinner, got halfway through the directions, read “place it in the refrigerator, loosely covered for 2 days,” said “crap” and rescheduled for Wednesday night dinner. It was worth the wait.
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