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The roast chicken is a common culinary conundrum
— it’s the “See ya, wouldn’t want to be ya”
item in a beginner cook’s repertoire. Although you might love tearing
into a properly seasoned, tender-fleshed bird, you may also stop short when
it’s your turn to pull out the roasting pan. The dual challenge of
seasoning the bird adequately and arriving at a balance between cooked and
overcooked meat is enough to make the most confident cooks run to the
nearest Peruvian chicken-takeout joint. The thing is, when you’ve done it, when
you’ve managed to make chicken both delicious and tender at the bone,
you feel like you’ve done the high jump. It’s exhilarating (not
to mention that your friends think you’re a genius). More important,
it’s really not hard — not the way I’m about to show you.
First things first: Take off the bird’s clothes.
Yes, we’re doing a skinless whole bird, and, no, it’s not going
to dry out. You’ll discover, after pulling off the skin (start at the
breast, by the way, and don’t worry about the wings, which are
tricky), that there’s plenty of fat cushion to go around and keep
things flavorful. Without skin, the bird is heart-healthier, and it
marinates more efficiently. There’s no longer a barrier between meat,
bone, and marinade, and you only need 30 minutes for a spice rub to do its
magic. Plus, without the skin layer, the bird cooks faster, by about 30
minutes.
I learned this method from From Curries to Kebabs, by Indian
culinary diva Madhur Jaffrey, but she calls it “Curried Whole
Chicken, Durban-Style” (Durban is a South African city with a
significant Indian population). Several chickens later, I have adapted
Jaffrey’s recipe and have dubbed it “Naked Chicken.”
After all, isn’t everything better naked?
Culinary questions? Contact Kim O’Donnel at
kim.odonnel@creativeloafing.com.
NAKED CHICKEN
One 3- to 4-pound chicken, skinned and whole Juice of one lemon Approximately 1 teaspoon salt 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped Three cloves of garlic, chopped Two or three fresh chiles of your choice, chopped (I
like the medium heat of serranos) 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1/2 teaspoon turmeric (for color; optional) Freshly ground pepper, to taste
With a knife, make diagonal slits in each breast,
going all the way to the bone, and in the thighs and drumsticks, on both
sides of the bird. Apply lemon juice and salt all over the bird, inside
and out. Using a blender, food processor, or mortar and
pestle, combine ginger, garlic, chilies, oil, cumin, and coriander until
the result resembles something like a paste. Taste and see whether you like
it: Now’s the time to adjust seasonings. It should have a hefty kick.
Rub the paste all over the bird, inside and out,
including those slits. Let the chicken marinate for about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet or roasting pan with foil or
parchment paper (unless you feel like cleaning a goopy pan later). Place
chicken on liner, breast side up, and finish off with a healthy dose of
ground black pepper (cayenne is also fun). Place pan in oven — legs
in first so they can benefit from the heat at the back of the oven —
and roast for approximately an hour and 15 minutes. You may check on the
chicken’s progress every half hour. Don’t worry, it’s not
drying out. After the first hour you’ll see browning, and it’s
fine if you want to flip the bird over for even color. When the internal temperature of the thigh reaches
160 to 165 degrees, remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for
about 15 minutes. At that point, the aromas will be so overpowering, you
may find it difficult to act refined when carving up the bird.
Serves a maximum of three healthy chicken-lovers.
This article appears in Nov 1-7, 2007.
