Roast Chicken, Cast Iron Seared

nolaegghead

I'm going to try this.  From http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/09/dining/a-new-breed-of-roast-chicken-cast-iron-seared.html?_r=4&

A Good Appetite

A New Breed of Roast Chicken, Cast-Iron Seared

Splayed Roast Chicken With Ramps: Melissa Clark demonstrates a different way to roast a chicken.

By MELISSA CLARK

Published: May 4, 2012

DOES anyone really need another recipe for roast chicken?

Recipe

• Splayed Roast Chicken With Caramelized Ramps, Garlic and Capers (May 9, 2012)

Related

• Diner’s Journal: What’s Your Favorite Way to Roast a Chicken? (May 4, 2012)

• More A Good Appetite Columns

Probably not, but I collect them anyway, trying out each permutation with the zeal of the obsessed. Would this one give me crispier skin, a juicer breast or more soft and supple dark meat?

Usually the answer is no.

But every once in a while, I find a keeper, a fresh approach to that age-old technique that does yield a better bird. This recipe is one of them.

It’s really not a whole new recipe unto itself, just a few tweaks on a classic: chicken roasted in a hot cast-iron skillet.

The premise of the original technique is that by heating a cast-iron skillet in a 500-degree oven, then placing the bird in the pan so its thighs make contact with the surface, the dark meat will finish cooking at the same time as the white. This is because the thighs, which are instantly seared by the cast iron, get a jump-start on the breast, which is not seared and cooks more slowly, staying moist.

I’ve tried it and it works very well. And it’s one of the easiest ways to roast a chicken if you own a cast-iron skillet large enough to hold the bird (an inexpensive 12-inch skillet works well and is not a bad thing to have on hand, anyway).

My change is to splay the chicken’s legs, spread-eagling them. This exposes more of the dark meat to the searing pan, cooking the bird more quickly and, I think, that much more evenly. (Don’t confuse splaying with spatchcocking, which means cutting out the bird’s backbone; all you do here is snip the skin and pull the legs away from the body.)

I also keep the oven at 500 degrees for the entire cooking time, which ensures crunchy, shiny, mahogany skin. If you have time to salt the chicken a few hours ahead and store it uncovered in the fridge, which allows the skin to dry out a bit, it gets even crispier.

I’ve made splayed roasted chicken a half-dozen times, and with a 4 ½-pound bird it takes about 45 minutes. A three-pound bird will cook even more quickly, in about 30 to 35 minutes.

A plump, moist, juicy chicken with a crisp skin is a poem of a meal on its own, needing no other embellishment.

But that never stops me. Here, I added ramps, sweet garlic and salty capers to the bottom of the pan. They quickly caramelize into a bright oniony sauce that’s lovely with the succulent meat. It’s a rare bird indeed.

Elde

I do something like that with my turkey on Thanksgiving (learned it from Julia Child years ago) and it works pretty good.  At least with the turkey, you still want to brine though.

A huge trick to crispy skin is to get it dry before cooking - I usually let my turkey air dry for up to 24 hours in the fridge.

Eggcelsior

Let me know how the episiotomy goes.

nolaegghead

Only necessary if it's a very large egg.

Mickey

Ok, you now have my attention my friend. 

nolaegghead

So I asked SWMBO to pick up a couple small yard birds.... she was, as we say here, "makin' groceries".

She comes home and tells me the smallest chikken was over 7 pounds. So she only got one.  Crap, I think, I hate big birds, they're as tough as leather.

Anyway, I cook it up using the method here  The dark meat finished faster, so I pulled it when the breast was at 145F at the lowest. 

Had low expectations based on my history with big bakers, but it was maybe the best chicken I've ever eaten.  Made some gravy with the giblets, wings, neck.  Seared, added wine, seasoning, cooked for an hour and a half. 

I did dry the skin pretty well pre-cook, and it was damn near perfect post cook.  I noticed the CI pan catches all the grease and it kinda fries the bottom of the chicken.  Heaven.  I would recommend.  Cook until the breast is 150 at the coolest, then let it rest uncovered for 15 minutes.   Unbelievable.  I'm changing my opinion about large birds.

jllbms

Oh yeah dawlin, we at Schwegman's!

jllbms

Oh yeah dawlin, we at Schwegman's!

NPHuskerFL

I'll give this a shot. It'll be a changeup vs the norm of raised grid Spatchcock. Nice @nolaegghead‌

Judy Mayberry

I can just see charring some onions in there along with the chicken!

A little OT, but I am always banging the drum for turning the thighs OUTWARD on a spatchcock. That way the heat is not hidden from the thick dark meat and it cooks more evenly with the breast meat--meaning it's at 180° when the breast is at 160°. No more pink goo near the bones.

Griffin

Sounds great. Gonna have to try this one. So where are your pics?

nolaegghead

@Griffin - I was too hungry and we had company over.  I can take a picture of some of the leftovers.....

nolaegghead

Judy Mayberry said:

I can just see charring some onions in there along with the chicken!

A little OT, but I am always banging the drum for turning the thighs OUTWARD on a spatchcock. That way the heat is not hidden from the thick dark meat and it cooks more evenly with the breast meat--meaning it's at 180° when the breast is at 160°. No more pink goo near the bones.

Judy, agree. 

This CI pan method actually cooked the dark meat a little faster than expected.  If anything, I'm going to keep the legs tucked in.  The pan is in contact with the legs and the thighs while the breast meat is elevated a bit.  Fat renders and you get a pan fry situation.  The sound of frying is wonderful.  After eating this bird, I'm redefining my definition of done for breast meat.  150F is glorious.  Dark meat is still fine at 180F plus.

jlsm

I usually cook chicken in CI because of the fond. After degreasing, it makes a fantastic sauce with little more than stock.

Carolina Q

Always looking for different ways to cook chicken. Sounds delicious! Thanks for posting!

Canugghead

Pardon my ignorance, never heard of ramp. If I don't find it, is there a reasonable substitute?

nolaegghead

They're wild grown garlicky green onion-like plants.  You could use green onions or leeks with garlic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allium_tricoccum

Canugghead

Thanks nola.

wbradking

Come over to my back yard and you can have all the ramps you want!

nolaegghead

@Canugghead - my pleasure.  This method really works well - you can get creative with the pan vegetables.  I didn't use any last night, but I made a gravy.

@wbradking - I'm envious!  I only have weeds. (*sniff*)

Carolina Q

Well, I found fiddleheads and now have those growing in my yard. Guess it's time to go foraging for some ramps too. I like leeks, onions and garlic... ramps should be great!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlyqCMCOWJI

Canugghead

I have garlic chives growing like weeds, woohoo!

PNWFoodie

Carolina Q said:

Well, I found fiddleheads and now have those growing in my yard. Guess it's time to go foraging for some ramps too. I like leeks, onions and garlic... ramps should be great!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlyqCMCOWJI

I really liked that video - love that he cautions not to take too much!

radamo

I have an old cast iron skillet up on my attic that I have to locate.  This looks like a great way to get a chicken perfect.  Thanks @nolaegghead!

beteez

http://www.foodrepublic.com/2012/05/08/smoked-crack-back-chicken-recipe APL it is incredible

Little Steven

Pollo al mattone

nolaegghead

Postmortem fractures to increase bone flavor....love it.

Focker

beteez said:

http://www.foodrepublic.com/2012/05/08/smoked-crack-back-chicken-recipe APL it is incredible

That is how I prep for the rotisserie with root veggies underneath, and one of several reasons for the mancrush. lol

itsmce

I have a smaller CI skillet on hand, but I think I need to purchase a 12" one.  This looks/sounds great!

CarolinaCrazy

I do a roast chicken in the oven and I lay the spatchcocked chicken over scalloped potatoes - the chicken fat cooks into the sliced potatoes and they are amazing.

Going to have to try that on the BGE.

NPHuskerFL

@nolaegghead‌ did you deglaze that pan? Oh yeah!
Food Network Hotline: http://youtu.be/4wr2Nh8Pf2A