This roast chicken may just be the best roast chicken you’ll ever have…and it may be one of the quickest too! It’s that perfect combination of tender and juicy meat with shatteringly-crisp, golden-brown skin and well-seasoned all the way through. With just enough forethought to remember to season your meat 24 hours in advance, the actual meal comes together in less than an hour.
This is a Cook’s Illustrated riff on the classic and legendary Zuni Café roast chicken recipe, which is 3 looong pages IN SMALL FONT. Some day I will make that recipe, but today is not that day.
The gist of the recipe is to buy a small bird, butterfly it, season generously 24 hours in advance and allow it to dry-brine, uncovered, in the refrigerator so the skin dries out and the salt penetrates throughout. Lay bread cubes under the chicken and take it for a quick roast in a high-heat oven. The bread cubes will be a delicious combination of toasted, crispy, almost-burnt and soft and chewy, flavored with the chicken juices from cooking. Allow the chicken rest while you throw together a salad with the bread cubes, arugula and a flavorful vinaigrette made with Champagne vinegar, Dijon mustard and the chicken drippings. Carve the chicken and dig in. Oh, but how about some mashed potatoes to go with it?!
I had the pleasure of eating at Zuni Café when visiting a friend in San Francisco and I’ve never forgotten that roast chicken. It’s the chicken that made me leave behind my white-meat-only days (I’m sorry…it’s how I grew up!) and dive into the dark side. How many restaurants even serve a whole roasted chicken?! Not many, but they have it down to a science.
There is something so comforting and homey about a good roasted chicken. It’s like an automatic hug for anyone who eats it.
[tasty-recipe id=”31662″]
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