Roasting a Chicken

Maybe it's the weather cooling down or the holidays approaching, but there is something really appealing about having a bird roasting away in the oven right now. The entire house fills with the scents of crisping skin, caramelized root vegetables and aromatic herbs. Roasting a chicken makes a house smell like a home.

There has been a great deal of discussion in the culinary world about the "proper" way to roast a chicken. Everyone seems to have their own "correct" method, whether it involves brining, trussing, oven temperature changes or other more elaborate procedures. I prefer a more simple, straightforward approach that does not involve a lot of attention during the roasting process. Most people would probably agree that your goal should be to achieve a crisp skin, fully-cooked dark meat and moist breast meat.

Roast chicken can be as simple as using salt and pepper with a little melted butter or olive oil. I really like the way that the aromatic vegetables and herbs infuse the chicken with complex flavors. And besides, if these preparations can be done quickly, in advance, without having to babysit the chicken while it cooks, they are really not much of a bother. Here is my approximate recipe:

Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables and Herbs

1-4 pound chicken, giblets removed, and patted dry
1 yellow onion, peeled and sliced
1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped in large chunks
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped in large chunks
1 garlic clove, peeled and sliced
2 sprigs rosemary, leaves removed and roughly chopped
1/4 cup Italian parsely, roughly chopped
3 T olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Equipment: Medium Roasting Pan, Instant-read thermometer

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Place the chicken breast side up in the pan on a layer of about 1/2 the onion slices and the celery and carrots, creating a "rack" of vegetables. Using your hands, carefully lift the skin away from the breast and the legs, creating a pocket.

Rub about 1 T of the olive oil on the breast and leg meat and then salt and pepper both the areas under the skin and the cavity of the chicken. Place the garlic and a few onion slices and scattering of herbs in the cavity. Stuff the remaining herbs and onion slices under the skin covering the breast and legs, taking care to completely cover the breast meat with the onions to keep the white meat moist. Wrap the skin back up over the onions. (Note: You could truss the bird at this point if you are fanatical about appearance, but, as you can see, I am not.)

Rub the remaining olive oil over the skin of the chicken. Sprinkle generously with coarse salt and pepper. Place the pan in the center of the oven and roast for approximately 1.5 hours, or until the thigh meat registers 170 F using an instant-read thermometer. If, during the roasting process, you notice that the skin is becoming too dark, cover the bird with a piece of aluminum foil.

When the bird reaches the desired temperature, remove it from the pan to a carving board, and let the bird stand about 15 minutes. During this time, the bird will continue to cook. (Note: This resting period is critical for a moist bird. Do not skip it.)

Carve the bird using a sharp knife, removing the legs, thighs, wings and breast meat. It is nice to place the meat on a platter with dark meat on one side and white meat on the other, surrounded by the accompaniments.

Serves 4

Variations: Be creative with roast chicken preparations. You could change some of the herbs, use lemons or balsamic vinegar, or splash the chicken with dry white wine while cooking. All are delicious.

Accompaniments: Roast chicken is nice in the fall with root vegetables roasted alongside. In the photo, I have used sweet potatoes, which were roasted (coated with olive oil, salt and pepper) for about 40 minutes on a baking sheet.

Wine: We drank a 2004 Georis Estate Merlot (Le Sanglier) with the chicken because of its earthy flavors and soft tannins. The wine really picked up the flavors of the caramelized onions.

Roast chicken can be served with a white or red wine. Some people prefer dry white wines such as Chardonnay with roast chicken. I would avoid the overly oaked Chards. Reds with an "earthy" quality, such as Pinot Noir, are pretty classic with roast chicken, especially when prepared in this manner. "Old World" style wines that are low in alcohol are very nice with this chicken. A Spanish Tempranillo would be delicious.