High Temp. Roasted Chicken (long)

Smokey Bob · July 2003

Ran across a recipe by Barbara Kafka where she cooks her chicken at 500 F!!!! Has anyone ever tried this in an egg? I have included the Washington Post article. I plan on trying it and will post results.[p]SB[p]Source: "Roasting - A Simple Art" by Barbara Kafka, posted in The Washington Post 12/20/95
Yield: 4 servings
• 5-6lb chicken, wing tips removed
• 1 lemon, halved
• 4 whole garlic cloves
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, margarine, or olive oil- optional
• Kosher salt to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 cup homemade or canned chicken broth, water,
• Fruit juice or wine, for deglazing
Place oven rack on second level from bottom. Heat oven to 500 degrees.
Remove the fat from the tail and crop end of the chicken. Discard the neck and giblets or freeze for making chicken stock later. Reserve chicken livers for another use.
Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the lemon, garlic and butter, if using. Season the cavity and skin with salt and pepper.
Place the chicken in a 12-by-8-by-1 1/2-inch roasting pan, breast-side up. Put in the oven legs first and roast 50 to 60 minutes, or until the juices run clear. After the first 10 minutes, move the chicken with a wooden spatula to keep it from sticking.
Remove the chicken to a platter by placing a large wooden spoon into the tail end and balancing the chicken with a kitchen spoon pressed against the crop end. As you lift the chicken, tilt it over the roasting pan so that all the juices run out of the cavity and into the pan.
Pour off excess fat from the pan and put the pan on top of the stove. Add the stock or other liquid and bring to a boil, scraping the bottom vigorously with a wooden spoon. Let reduce by half. Serve the sauce over the chicken or, for crisp skin, in a sauce boat.
Ms. Kafka's Notes: If there is no lemon, garlic or butter on hand, Kafka says, roast the chicken without them. Or play. Use peeled shallots or a small onion, quarter ed. Add a couple of sage leaves or orange wedges. To avoid a smoky kitchen, be sure your oven is clean before you start and use the right-size pan.[p]

Poncho · July 2003

Smokey Bob,
I have not tried this recipe, however, I have cooked whole and spatchocked chicken at 500 several times. My sense is that the high heat crisps the skin nicely, however any higher has the potential to burn the outside before the bird finishes cooking. A whole bird has taken about 90 minutes if I recall. I use a probe thermometer.
Poncho

The Naked Whiz · July 2003

Smokey Bob,
Alton Brown's show where he spatchcocked a chicken (although he thought he butterflied it... :-) ), he did it under the broiler. So, I can see this recipe working ok.[p]TNW

char buddy · July 2003

Smokey Bob,[p]Are you gonna do this in your indoor oven or your outdoor BGE?[p]If you're doing this outdoors, are you gonna do the chicken indirect at 500º so you get the same shielding from direct flame you get indoors when you put a chicken in a roasting pan?[p]I'd love to hear how this turns out.[p]

BluesnBBQ · July 2003

Smokey Bob,[p]I've tried this in the Egg, after reading a similar (or maybe the same) Washington Post article. I think I even posted a url for the article here a while ago.[p]I did it with a pizza stone on the grid, a foil drip pan on the stone, and the chicken on a roasting rack over the pan. I think I kept the daisy wheel and bottom vent all the way open. I don't remember if it got to 500, but it turned out great.

Unknown · July 2003

char buddy , yes, I will do it in my large egg with platesetter, leggs up,grill, pan, and chicken probably in v rack.
Will post results, hopefully with pics.[p]SB

Unknown · July 2003

Smokey Bob,[p]I've done this twice with 5 to 6 lb birds. and about 15 times with with "fryers" of 3 to 4 lbs. Fryers are *much* more tender. Cooking time should be about 45 minutes. Do a second one while you are eating the first![p]Both Kafka and Brown have a lot to contribute to anyone interested in high temp roasting. Kafka contributes great recipies and AB provides the fundamental know-how. (Try Alton Brown's Prime Rib. It is made for The Egg - or a large garden pot, but that's another story.)[p]Good luck. I think a simple roasted chicken should be in the standard repertoire of anyone who calls himself a cook.

Zip · July 2003

Smokey Bob,[p]Ms Kafka is a definative resource on roasting. The book that is noted is a keeper for me. There are some recipes/methods/theories like the one above that may be questioned, but for the most part are pretty solid. I seem to remember a couple other forum folks thay have this book as well. I think MikeO was one, but I'm not sure. [p]Give it a try. You may consider a mutation of this recipe that Alton Brown did, but used a bed of root veggies, onions, and celery to support the chicken. [p]Ashley

High Temp. Roasted Chicken (long)

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