Roast Chicken a Different Way

       

Everyone probably knows how to roast a chicken and you probably have your own way of doing it.  This recipe roasts the bird in a way I have never tried before.  The instructions are from Alexandra's Kitchen.  It produced a perfectly cooked bird, crisp on the outside and juicy and moist on the inside and took less time than roasting it the traditional way.  This will be my go-to method from now on.  I didn't have a container large enough for the chicken so I put it in a cake pan and covered it with foil and then popped it into the fridge.  I used my cast iron skillet (that was my grandmother's) to roast it.  My bird was a little bigger than four pounds so I roasted it a bit longer, until the internal temperature reached 165 degrees.

 

One whole chicken, 3 to 4 lbs.

kosher salt

freshly cracked black pepper

1 tablespoon of butter, optional

squeeze of lemon, optional

 

A day before you plan on roasting the chicken place it in a large bowl or pot. Season all over with kosher salt using about 1 teaspoon for every pound of meat. Cover the bowl or pan and put in fridge. Remove bowl from fridge an hour before you plan on roasting the chicken.

 

Preheat the oven to 475°F.   Preheat an oven safe skillet over medium heat for about five minutes. Pat the chicken dry.  Season with pepper if desired. Set it breast side up in the pan.  

 

Place the chicken in the pan in the center of the oven, bake for 25 minutes. Turn the bird over. Roast for another 10 minutes. Flip back over to re-crisp the breast skin, another 5 to 10 minutes. It should register about 165ºF on your thermometer.

 Remove the chicken from the oven and set it on a plate. Add a tablespoon or two of water to the hot pan and any juices that have accumulated on the plate. Scrape up any browned bits. Add a tablespoon of butter to the pan. Add a squeeze of lemon if you wish.

 

 

  

 

When a wealthy local benefactor is slain on the farm, Monica has to figure out who wanted to cash in on the killing . . .

As Sassamanash Farms hunkers down for the long winter, Monica agrees to let the local animal shelter host their Christmas-themed fundraiser there. The draw of the event—a chance to have your pet’s picture taken with Santa—brings in animal lovers from far and wide. But when the crackling fire dies down and the festive holiday props are all carted away, Monica discovers a very un-jolly sight next to the barn—the dead body of one of the shelter’s biggest donors. With the farm’s good name in jeopardy, Monica goes to work to root out the killer.

By all accounts the victim was a charming and generous supporter of the shelter, but Monica discovers that he was loathed by those who knew him for being tight-fisted and unscrupulous. Suspecting money might be the motive, she turns her sights on his stylish wife and her lavish lifestyle, along with the manager of the struggling shelter, who stood to collect a hefty bequest from his will. But as Monica closes in on one final clue, the culprit closes in on her. Caught unawares, she’ll have to survive the brutal winter weather, as well as a cold-blooded killer . . . 

Amazon

Barnes & Noble