So, they said it would be a blizzard....

If you've been watching the news the last few days, you'll know that the northeastern United States was supposed to get hit with a colossal blizzard. The blizzard of the century. The worst winter storm on record.  Cities and counties shut down the schools, New Jersey even banned all motor vehicle traffic. Grocery store shelves were emptied. Airline flights were canceled from DC to Philly to NYC to Boston in anticipation of the storm. Snow predictions in Philadelphia ranged from 10 inches to over 24. Chicken Little would be proud, everyone was preparing for the sky to fall. 

When all was said and done, we got about 2 or 3 inches of snow in my neighborhood.  I think the official snowfall total at the Philly airport was about an inch and a half.  Boston, coastal Massachusetts, and Maine are getting hammered, and to my friends and work colleagues up there, please stay safe and warm. But, Chicken Little is laughing his head off at the weather forecasters right now.

So, Chicken Little, here's my next recipe, inspired by the blizzard that wasn't. 

Roast Chicken

1     4 to 5 lb whole chicken
3     carrots, cut into 2 inch pieces
3     celery stalks, cut into 2 inch pieces
1     small onion, cut into 4 pieces
1     small lemon, cut into 4 pieces
6     large sprigs of thyme
       extra virgin olive oil
       Kosher salt and black pepper


Preheat the oven to 425°F and place a rack in the lower half of the oven.

Remove the chicken from its wrappings and remove the giblets and neck from the body cavity (if present). Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, being sure to absorb any juices inside the body cavity. I know many of you like to rinse your chicken under running water, but I don't recommend this. I have this conversation with my students all the time, they think they're "cleaning" the chicken and washing away the salmonella. The only thing that will take care of the salmonella risk it to cook the chicken to a minimum of 165°F. What's really happening when chicken is rinsed under running water is that the chicken juices are mixing with the water and splattering all over. They even form an aerosol vapor that can land on every surface in your kitchen. I'll understand if you choose to step away from reading right now to go bleach your kitchen countertops.

Scatter the carrot and celery pieces across the bottom of a small roasting pan, skillet or baking dish. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables. Not only will the vegetables help to flavor the chicken, lifting the chicken off the bottom of the pan will keep it from sticking to the pan and allow the oven's heat to circulate under the chicken. Sprinkle salt and pepper inside the body cavity, then insert the onion and lemon pieces and thyme into the cavity. Sprinkle the chicken with more salt and pepper. Rub the exterior of the chicken with olive oil.  This will help to achieve a beautifully brown and crispy skin.

Using kitchen twine, tie the legs together. I prefer to tie one end of the string around one ankle, then wrap it around the other ankle and pull the two legs together. I'll then loop the string around the tail and back around the ankles. For the wings, I fold the wing tips back and tuck them under the shoulders of the chicken. This will give the chicken a more uniform and compact shape, allowing it to roast more evenly.

Place the roasting pan in the oven and roast for 15 minutes. Drop the temperature to 350°F and continue to roast until a thermometer inserted in the thigh reads 165°F. It should take about 15 minutes per pound.

Remove the chicken from the oven and allow it to rest for 15 minutes before carving and serving. Resting allows the temperature of the chicken to equalize, you may even pick up an additional 5 to 10 degrees of internal temperature while it rests. Resting also allows the juices to reabsorb into the meat, resulting in juicy slices of roast chicken instead of a puddle on your carving board.

In my next blog posting, I'll share some recipes you can make with leftover cooked chicken, even the carcass. 

Enjoy!