The Home Cook: Roast Chicken

There is a weird confluence of personal interests in my kitchen. There are of course hours spent cooking, trying new recipes and techniques...crossing my fingers that whatever it is will turn out and that I'll have successfully staved off the pizza man once again, but the history that lingers around that activity, is in many ways is just as important to me as the food. I have a small collection of Fire King Philbe patterned sapphire blue glassware and milk glass mixing bowls that despite their nicks and chips are still in heavy rotation. Depression-ware glass, spoons, beaters, graters, shakers, jars and slicers fill my 1940's mail order hutch and I use cast-iron that is, in some cases, older than my mother. I like wondering how many batches of cookies the large ivy-leaf rimmed bowl has seen or how the small chip came to be on the edge of the pie plate. Some pieces are less mysterious than others, the Fire King set was my great-grandmothers, purchased in bits and pieces from the local grocer during the 40's. The older cast iron was a gift from my grandmother, the various sizes hobnailed together from her vast sea of for-sale-stuff acquired at neighbor's estate auctions and from second hand stores. (The woman is a veritable Salvation Army Store all on her own.)

There is one piece that makes me wonder about where it's been, who's used it and what they were like more than any other. My chicken roaster is a piece of black and white flecked Americana and I've always wondered about the woman who used it. The front has a patch where pieces of masking tape have been applied repeatedly, the most recent baked a crispy caramel brown, emblazoned with her name in a hand writing reminiscent of a 1940's or 50's education. Betty apparently used the little roaster for pot lucks or family gatherings...and she wanted to be sure no one else ever tried to sneak it home. It's heavier than the Granite Ware that you can buy new today, the sidewalls are thicker and the lid is higher. It's seen a lot of use, a small spot of rust in the bottom has gone clean through...and being of a thrifty nature some one fixed it with a small stainless steel pop-rivet. It's the perfect size for a heavy chicken or a small pot roast, the well fitting lid keeps the steam in and cooks things a wee bit faster than most recipes indicate.

In our relatively short relationship this roaster and I have made many chickens, roasts and turkey breasts...usually with highly successful results. But I'm curious about Betty, did she roast chickens? How big was the family she cooked for? What was her favorite way to make a pot roast? Did she like cooking or was it a chore to be done? I'll never know the answer and Betty will always remain enigmatic, a shadowy figure from the past of this little roast pan.



As for me, I've found many things to enjoy in the kitchen. I have a small arsenal of favorite roast chicken recipes and few that make me cringe. For many lemon is the flavor de jour for roasting birds, but I prefer garlic...and lots of it. To me lemon bakes up bitter, leaving the meat it touches inedible and unappetizing. For all they ways I've tried it, it's never impressed me. Garlic on the other hand...that I can get behind.

Garlic Roasted Chicken

1 Whole Roasting Chicken, trimmed, tied and with gizzard, liver and heart removed
1/2 to 1 head of Garlic, peeled and lightly crushed (8-15 cloves)
1 Apple, stem & stickers removed, cut into quarters
1/2 (White) Onion, cut into quarters
1 or 2 sticks of Cinnamon
1 cup Water
2 Sprigs Rosemary (or your favorite dried poultry herbs*)
3 Sage Leaves (or your favorite dried poultry herbs*)
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper
Lawry's Seasoning Salt

Butcher's String
Metal Tea Ball*

Prep chicken by cleaning, rinsing and patting dry. Preheat oven to 375°F.

In microwave safe bowl place apple, onion, cinnamon sticks and water. Microwave for 5 minutes, stirring half way through. Let cool for 10 minutes. If you are using dried herbs, place the desired amount into the tea ball. Begin spooning apple mixture into chicken cavity, alternating each spoonful with a few cloves of crushed garlic. When cavity is half full place tea ball in side and finish filling with alternating spoon fulls of the apple mixture and garlic. Close the cavity using butcher's string. Tuck legs under skin band or tie.

Brush back of chicken with olive oil, lightly sprinkle with kosher salt (sparingly), pepper and seasoning salt. Tuck wings behind the back and place in roasting pan, brush breast, legs and thighs with olive oil and again sprinkle with seasonings and remaining crushed cloves of garlic. Pour 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the apple liquid in the bottom of the pan, cover with lid and place in oven. Roast for 45 minutes, remove lid, ladle any pan juices over the bird and continue roasting until skin is golden and bird tests at 160°F, approximately 30 to 45 more minutes for a roughly 4 pound bird.

Remove bird from oven and let rest for 15 minutes. Remove to a cutting board or serving platter, carve and serve.

Cook's Notes:

As you can tell, this is more of a technique than a hard and fast recipe...this also demonstrates why I could never write a cookbook.

*I myself never have fresh herbs on hand, never fails. Instead I put the amount of dried herbs I want in the tea ball and put that in the bird. This does cut some time off the roasting time, about 10 minutes.

The amount of garlic is purely subjective, this bird was 4.5 pounds and I used 3/4 of a large head of garlic. I liked it, but Tim thought it was a bit much, next time I would probably use 1/2 of a medium head to account for him. When I filled the cavity I used about 8 cloves and I put 8 more over the skin and in the pan...next time I'd probably use 8-10 total.

When I tie a bird, I thread a chenille sewing needle and lace the bird closed like a tennis shoe, works pretty well.

If you roast the bird uncovered the entire time you may need to add up to 15 minutes to the over all cooking time. For more information on roasting times based on different sized birds, Better Homes and Gardens has a good roasting guide available, it requires a free member registration.