Comments on: roasted chicken

By: CeeElCee

CeeElCee — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:57:39 +0000

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.

By: cook eat FRET - o8/o9

cook eat FRET - o8/o9 — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 22:22:22 +0000

[...] 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 [...]

By: Robert

Robert — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 21:48:21 +0000

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.

By: cook eat FRET - ramp risotto

cook eat FRET - ramp risotto — Fri, 09 May 2008 04:43:12 +0000

[...] 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 [...]

By: Shannon

Shannon — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 20:19:32 +0000

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?

By: yveala

yveala — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 04:08:37 +0000

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.

By: FireDog

FireDog — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 00:00:39 +0000

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.

By: claudia

claudia — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 06:27:50 +0000

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.

By: Annie

Annie — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 01:20:35 +0000

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.

By: Mary Coleman

Mary Coleman — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 18:07:58 +0000

Lovely lovely!!!!
How good does that look!!!
I love roasting in the cast iron skillet.
Talent abounds in this neck of the woods.
Mary

By: yveala

yveala — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 23:50:41 +0000

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

By: Robert

Robert — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 20:34:28 +0000

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).

By: minimally invasive

minimally invasive — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 20:14:21 +0000

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.

By: lucy

lucy — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 19:18:16 +0000

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.

By: claudia

claudia — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 18:35:16 +0000

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.

By: Dan

Dan — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 18:25:28 +0000

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?

By: Lux

Lux — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 17:57:26 +0000

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.