Roasting Chickens

Lately I’ve been buying whole chickens instead of chicken pieces. I do this for two reasons. First, it is less expensive. Second, it lasts more than one meal — though be it through more work (de-boning and storing, etc.) — which, by extension, leads to fewer uses of processed meats.

(I admit it: I sometimes use short cuts in my pot pies or quesadillas or what-have-you. It’s just so quick and easy! But I’m trying to get away from that.)

This past Christmas my mother-in-law graciously ignored my husband’s request and bought be a cookbook (in direct violation of his instructions — She loves me so much!): Family Meals: Creating Traditions in the Kitchen by Maria Helm Sinskey. It’s a beautiful book with all kinds of cool stuff in it. You can learn how to start a garden, cure your own bacon, make your own pasta or jams or yogurts. It’s fabulous! I’ll not share a recipe with you today, but I do want to talk about the technique she uses for roasting chickens.

I’ve always cleaned my chickens then seasoned them on the outside, stuck ‘em in the oven and regularly basted with butter and oil. This works fine, but requires a lot of attention. Another drawback: all the flavor is on the skin. If you don’t like skin (like me), the effort seems wasted.

Since getting this book, however, I’ve changed my methods and am THRILLED with the results. Instead of seasoning the outside of the chicken (the skin), I season the meat.

Here’s how:

After cleaning the chicken, I separate the skin from the meat. I don’t remove it — just separate it. You can do this by starting at the neck and very gently lifting the skin; then slide your hand inside as far as it will go. (You should be able to reach the tail end.) Do this on both the breast and back sides of the chicken.

Note: The skin will stick more fiercely on the spine and sternum. You may need to employ your kitchen scissors to separate it. Just be sure not to cut the skin; you want to keep that in tact.

Once you’ve separated the skin, fill this pocket with a rub or seasoning of your choice. Now, Family Meals offers a very specific blend of herbs and spices. It’s absolutely delicious! But I’ve found that just about any combination gives delightful results. I usually mix about a 1/2 c of olive oil with seasoned salt, rosemary and celery seed.

This technique is fabulous because the skin preserves the flavor and moisture of the chicken while it cooks.

If you want a little more flavor, toss a couple garlic cloves and/or onion wedges inside the cavity before roasting. Cover the bird with foil and cook at 350′ until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165′.

P.S. Happy Mothers’ Day to all of you!