As requested: roast chicken done the 2828 Clay way

One of my readers, Ladyhawk, requested that I share the roast chicken recipe I used for Christmas dinner.

One thing  up front: you’ll want some means of singeing/searing your chicken, a la the classic kosher method, before it goes near the oven. I find my basic little creme brulee torch works fine. So will your gas range burners, but that’s light years away from ideal, since the mess it creates is unspeakable. Spend the twenty bucks if you can, and invest in some kind of kitchen torch, would be my advice. They have a multitude of uses, including, well, creme brulee, if you like the stuff (I don’t).

Also, you’ll want to roast your chicken on a roasting rack, rather than simply setting it in the pan to cook. I know, you’re probably blinking and thinking, wow, why is she talking down to us, we’re not idiots. Thing is, there are ways to cook a bird in the oven (en casserole, stewed, braised, etc) in which the last thing you want is a roasting rack, because you actually want the bird sitting in liquid. That’s not the case with this recipe. The bird should be discrete from the liquids generated by the cooking method.

Oh, and I roast my chicken at a single temperature, breast up. I have nothing at all against getting a bird in at very high heat for a short time, then turning the temperature down and the bird over. Not with this recipe, though; you’d lose half your moisture if you turned it.

In re the lemon (see the recipe, below): one very tasty option, after you’ve zested and juiced it, is to cut it in half and slice one of the halves into very thin slices. Those can be layered atop the bird during the last 15 minutes or so of roasting. The intact half would, of course, be used to rub the bird’s interior and then left inside to cook with the bird.

One final note, on bacterial safety: Because you’re working with raw poultry, it’s extremely important to be aware of what you’re touching, when, and where. Remember to wash your hands to avoid cross-contamination; if you choose to wear disposable kitchen gloves, remember to discard them promptly when prep is complete.

Christmas Roast Chicken

One chicken, plucked and ready, between 4 and 6 pounds

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature (NOT MELTED)

Two tablespoons olive oil

One small lemon, zested, juiced, and then cut into slices

5 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and either crushed or pressed

two teaspoons dried basil, plus 2 large leaves fresh basil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare roasting pan by brushing the rack with enough oil to lubricate.

PREP: Over the sink, removed any giblets from bird cavities (ahhhh, gravy and stock later!) and set aside. Trim excess fat (I have a dedicated pair of small kitchen scissors specifically for this application.) Rinse the bird inside and out, drain cavities or liquid, and pat exterior of the bird dry with a cloth or paper towel. Set the chicken on the oiled rack, breast side up, inside the roasting pan. Lift – DO NOT DETACH! – skin on breast, so that the breast may be dressed below the skin.

In small bowl, using small flat spatula or edge of butter knife, combine butter, olive oil, garlic and dried basil. The consistency should be soft, but not liquid. Set to one side.

Using your kitchen torch, singe the entire chicken, including the edges around the cavity, the drumsticks where they meet the body of the bird, the underside (mostly to remove any lingering pinfeathers and to soften the fat content of the darker meat on the underbelly), and the tips of both wings and both drumsticks. When singed, lift the loosened breast skin and work about one-third to one-half the butter mixture in, rubbing the breast, patting down. Replace the loosened skin and rub with whatever butter you’ve still got on your hands. Arrange the two fresh basil leaves, one on each half of the breast. Rub the rest of the bird with the remaining butter, drizzle with the lemon juice, and sprinkle the lemon zest over the bird.

Take one of your lemon slices and rub inside the cavity, as well as around the edges. Throw all the remaining lemon slices inside the cavity.

Using aluminum foil, make “caps” to cover the wingtips; because this will be roasted at a steady medium temperature, the tips should be covered.

Put in the preheated 350-degree oven, and leave in approximately 20-22 minutes per pound, depending on your oven. Check about halfway through the cooking process, and baste with pan drippings and cavity liquids, as desired. OPTIONAL: at the halfway point, you can also add a light grinding of sea salt to just the breast.

Remove from oven and let settle for eight to ten minutes.

As Guy Fieri would say: “Winner winner chicken dinner!”