chicken parts (legs, breasts, thighs, wings)
coconut oil, ghee, or butter
chicken-herb-rub
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Melt ghee in a large, oven-proof, saute pan over medium heat and coat the chicken parts.
- Sprinkle generously with chicken herb rub on both sides.
- Brown both sides of the chicken (about 5 minutes per side).
- Then transfer to the oven and roast 30 mins* or until cooked through.
*If it takes you a little longer to brown the chicken stove top, reduce the roasting time by a few minutes to avoid overcooking.
______________________________________________________________________________
SIDE NOTES:
~ To coat the chicken with the melted ghee, you can simply rub all sides of the chicken into the oily pan, or use a basting brush.
~ If you’d rather not have to click the link, the chicken herb rub is simply: 2 TBSP dried oregano, 1 TBSP dried thyme, 1 TBSP black pepper, 1/2 TBSP pure salt mixed together (if using coarse salt, use 1 full TBSP).
~ Aside from the very first time when it came out perfectly, I have had difficulty roasting whole chickens. Even if my meat thermometer was at the correct temperature, the meat closest to the bone would still be under-cooked. This has made dinner unpleasant on several occasions… having to put the chicken back and forth, in and out of the oven several times until it’s cooked all the way through. Whether you buy a pre-cut chicken, or break up the bird yourself – the cooking is a lot more manageable this way. Of course, buying a whole (uncut) chicken is less expensive and the advantage is that you have the back & neck to add to your stock pot (along with the rest of the left-over bones) for making a rich broth the following day.
~ Tim Hardiman — Owner & Chef at Utica, NY’s The Tailor & The Cook — had this to say when I asked him about my roasted chicken dilemma — “I believe a chicken should always be broken up and cooked separately…You wouldn’t cook a whole cow all at once!”
Here are the rest of the tips Tim generously shared with me back in May, and happily agreed to share with my readers as well…
- When roasting a whole chicken, 90 min is more than enough, though I don’t usually roast the whole bird because the breast doesn’t take as long as the leg, and when the leg is done the breast is overcooked.
- I like to break it down into 4 pieces — 2 leg and thigh, 2 breast and wing — though this requires a bit of knife work. You can give the leg/thigh 90 min at 375, but the breast/wing should be finished in 45 to 60.
- A really great trick is to remove the bird, put it on a white surface, poke it, and watch the juices flow out. If they are perfectly clear, the bird is done (any hint of pink means more cooking is required).
- Also, bring the bird (or any protein) up to room temperature before roasting. It wont go bad sitting on the counter for 4 hrs prior to roasting. Think about it… If it’s going stone cold into the oven, the first part of the cooking time is just bringing it up to room temp, then it begins cooking. You’ll get more even roasting if it starts off from, lets say, 60 degrees. This is also true with steaks.
- Lastly, I like to give the skin some color before roasting, by searing (stove top) in a very hot pan before the roast. Nothing worse than pallid skin. This step also brings up the internal temperature prior to roasting.
- Also, allowing the meat to rest for 10 min after removing from the oven is a great idea. It will continue to cook (carry over) as well as seal in the juices so that none seep out while carving.
- Use a good digital probe thermometer. The temps listed in your recipe are good (breast = 160 and thighs = 165 – 170), but remember, it will continue to cook after being removed from the oven.
If you’re based in the Utica, NY area or passing through, I highly recommend treating yourself to a special meal at The Tailor & The Cook. Not only is the food spectacular, Tim & Melissa take great pride in using the highest quality, local, organic ingredients. Enjoy!
