So, what’s a good meal to complement two consecutive days of rain? Well, if you run a meat shop, and you have a cooler full of good stuff, you might want to roast a chicken. So, that’s what I decided to do.
I started off with one of these amazing dry pluck fryers. That’s the chicken I keep talking about in emails with no growth hormones or antibiotics that’s never scalded when it’s processed.
Ok…enough plugging…you can keep buying at the supermarket if you like the chicken equivalent of a Dr. Kevorkian patient.
Since I possess sharp knives and modest meat cutting skills, I decided to process this chicken like the ones we send to L’Albatros. That is to say, I opened up the back and boned out the breast. Next, I rubbed with olive oil and seasoned with the usual suspects–Kosher salt, Black pepper, Paprika and Granulated garlic. Here’s what it looked like:
Please note…I am not a professional photographer nor do I play one on TV. Nevertheless, what you have here is a 3 1/2 pound bird with a boneless breast. Legs and wings are attached. Paprika is plentiful. Next I added a breast, which I also de-boned and seasoned. After all, I’ve gotta feed a wife, two kids and eke out a few leftovers for Buttons the Dog. See how little he is?
Next, I flipped over the chicken so the skin was on top. This way, the fat runs onto the meat–not away from it. Then I placed it in my oven and roasted until the internal temperature hit 160 degrees–which is done for poultry. It’s tricky because the breast will get done a bit faster than the thigh. This is because dark meat–which contains fat–takes longer to cook. It’s important to take the temperature in both the breast and thigh to assure the chicken is thoroughly done. I should mention that I cooked the chicken in a convection oven on a flat surface at 300 degrees. My recommendation would be 325 degrees if you’re using a conventional oven.
Because the breast is boneless, the whole chicken roasted in roughly 40 minutes–faster than if it had the bone in. Here’s your model citizen.
Now, there is no question but that the look of the chicken would have benefited greatly from the presence of a food stylist. However, it is delicious. In addition, look how nicely Buttons filled out after eating quality chicken.
Just add some baked potatoes and your favorite green vegetable and you’re in business.
