14
Nov
2012
Nov
2012
Daring Cook’s November Challenge: Roast Brined Chicken
My first roasted chicken….
This is a HUGE step for me and my culinary adventures. I mean, who really takes the time to roast a chicken when you can pick one up at the store for less than $10?
Not me, that’s who.
Thankfully brining and roasting a chicken is not the most labor intensive thing in the world. You spend a lot of time waiting, but your hands-on time is a lot less than you would think.
The biggest challenge for me came when it was time to actually cut up the chicken. I had no idea what I was doing. I probably spent about 10 minutes standing over the golden brown bird, knife in hand, trying to figure out where to start. Somehow (thanks to this little thing called YouTube), I managed to get the legs and wings off. Then it was every man (or bird) for himself while I hacked away at the remaining meat.
Did I mention I have the patience of a 5-year-old when I get frustrated?
Yea, I got all the meat off. It wasn’t the prettiest process, but I got it done.
Please stop rolling your eyes at me. I am aware of my ridiculousness.
All Purpose Brine
Ingredients:
4 cups of cold water
1/4 cup salt
Spices – I used 6 peppercorns, 3 sprigs of rosemary, thyme, and 3 cloves of chopped garlic
Heat 1 cup of water to boiling point, add the salt, and stir until all the salt has dissolved. Place in a non-reactive container (glass, plastic, zip-lock bag, etc). add the remaining water and stir. Make sure all the salt has dissolved. Wait until the brine has reached room temperature.
Add your cut of meat and make sure the meat is completely submerged. Cover the container with plastic wrap to prevent odors from contaminating the flavor of the brine. Place the container into the refrigerator for the suggested soaking time (for a whole chicken, 3-8 hours).
Roast Brined Chicken
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken, about 4 1/2 pounds
Enough brine to cover the chicken (see the recipe above)
Brine the whole chicken in the flavored bring in the refrigerator for the suggested brine time. Discard the bring and dry the skin and inside of the bird with paper towels.
If you desire crispy skin, leave the bird on a rack for several hours or overnight in the refrigerator so the skin can dry.
Preheat over to 425 degrees. Roast for 15 minutes. Reduce oven to 350 degrees and roast for another 12-15 minutes per pound (the internal temp should be 165 degrees).
Rest for approximately 30 minutes covered loosely in foil.
*Recipes from Audax Artifex
andy
November 14, 2012 at 8:15 am (217 days ago)It looks wonderful! I didn’t even attempt to carve my chicken… I stood by and let my spouse do it for me!
Jenni (@GingeredWhisk)
November 14, 2012 at 10:37 am (217 days ago)Gorgeous job! Your first roasted chicken looks utterly perfect! No more grocery store chickens for you!
And yes, I still have no idea how to carve a roasted chicken. It always looks like canned tuna by the time I am done with the knife. LOL
Monkey Queen
November 14, 2012 at 3:03 pm (216 days ago)A+ on your first roasted chicken! Now you can make them often and flavor them with your favorite herbs. Beautiful bird, nice job!
Urmila @ The Garlic Press
November 14, 2012 at 6:06 pm (216 days ago)I agree — carving is the hardest part! Your first-ever roast chicken was quite a success!
Shelley C
November 14, 2012 at 6:08 pm (216 days ago)Delicious looking brined, roasted chicken! And LOL about the youtube assist
Good idea to check there! And as long as it tasted good, who cares what it looked like in the end, after it was all enjoyed??? Great job!!
chef_d
November 14, 2012 at 10:26 pm (216 days ago)Wow the chicken looks perfect! Great job!
makeycakey
November 15, 2012 at 2:48 pm (215 days ago)The chicken looks perfect, and your post made me smile – I’m terrible at carving too! Generally I end up with massacred chicken bits on a plate – not so photogenic but it still tastes as good…