February 23, 2005

The Perfect Roast Chicken

Today's Times lets the world in on a classic aspect of life in New York City: the search for the perfect roast chicken:

A reliable place to buy a good roast chicken has become an important quality-of-life matter for those too busy to cook. "I buy a chicken here every Sunday, and I eat it all week," Paul Griscom said at the Whole Foods Market at Columbus Circle. "I used to live close to Fairway, and I was nervous about moving away from those chickens. But the ones here are even better." At Whole Foods and elsewhere, the price of a whole roasted organic chicken is almost the same as a raw one.

Those Whole Foods chickens are pretty good; I've lugged one or two home from the 7th Ave. WF. But near my home, the only reliably organic roast chicken is about $15 for a whole bird, which is just a bit too rich for my blood.

So, I've been ordering whole organic birds from Fresh Direct (they seem a bit tastier than the Murray's organics one typically finds around town, but they run smaller, also), and working on my own perfect roast chicken recipe. Here's my favorite so far, for a 4-5 lb chicken:

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
  2. Cut two lemons in half and pierce the sides with a knife.
  3. Break several sprigs of fresh rosemary into 4 inch lengths.
  4. Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the lemons and about half the rosemary.
  5. Coat the chicken with a light layer of olive oil, and then with a mix of sea salt and fresh ground black pepper.
  6. Tuck sprigs of rosemary under each wing and leg.
  7. Truss up the chicken.
  8. Cover with foil and roast for about an hour.
  9. Remove foil after the first hour.
  10. Continue to roast until the poultry thermometer hits the right temperature; basting the chicken every 10 minutes or so with its own juices.
Posted by Emily at February 23, 2005 09:46 PM