I agree about a hot oven - chicken grease creates a spattery smokey mess. I’m not one to use self clean anymore than I have to.
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I don’t like dealing with the smoke alarm , or my oven smoking again tomorrow, when I don’t get around to cleaning the splatter!
I end up doing a wipe down of the oven’s walls with a wet paper towel if I don’t have time to fully clean the oven.
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I think of it as “seasoning” the oven.
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You know, it’s a lot easier to just make Hazan’s Roasted Chicken with Two Lemons (I use one that’s quartered stuffed into cavity. Spend the extra time making Caesar Salad.
Recently I tried the recipe for roasted chicken that uses creme fraiche and fresh herbs but I cooked it Hazan’s way, breast side down in the beginning. It was delicious but it used $6 of creme fraiche + herbs. Here’s a photo:
Is this Mimi Thorisson’s recipe? Yes, a pricey addition but a spectacular dish. Worth it IMHO.
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Should be “couldn’t”
I have to admit, cold chicken breast sandwiches were delicious. I can’t find small chickens, this one was almost 5 lbs. Now I’m changing my mind … the photo looks great, huh?
Works for me! Many thanks. Wish I were there!
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The first time I tried a chicken juice and schmaltzy dressing-soaked bread salad, my head almost exploded at how good it was.
I think you can skip a lot of ingredients as long as you have the drippings and the bread! I’m not saying it’s the main reason to roast chicken, but I’m also not not saying it…
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I’ve never had this iconic dish but this comment is pushing me to remedy that.
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It actually made me remember that I never had a proper roast chicken until my 20s, until I moved to NYC and a friend casually made it for dinner. I had a similar “head exploding” moment!
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Before you do, let me add a disclaimer that I don’t use the Zuni method aside from salting in advance (which is common now but originally attributable to her I think).
For a whole chicken, I use Keller’s method which is almost the same — except there’s no turning the hot bird (never mind twice). For pieces (more often these days), similar method but as high a temp is not necessary.
For the bread salad, I use a modified method again — I’ve seen versions of it in a few places, I think even ATK did one a while back. Moisten the chunks with water (or broth, but that’s unnecessary because: drippings) before placing under the chicken so they don’t burn at the edges. Or roast the chicken first, then add some water or broth to the pan to loosen the bits, add the bread and toss to moisten, then roast for a few minutes to crisp up while the chicken rests.
You can play with the flavorings for the chicken and/or bread salad, but little aside from a squeeze of lime or splash of vinegar is necessary. Garlic, shallots or onions, anchovies, herbs — everything is good, but try just plain chicken first so you know how it tastes!
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