The Art of Roasting a Chicken

How many of you have had those pre-made roasted chicken from the grocery store or from a Rotisserie Chicken restaurant? Ever wonder why some are better than others, skin is crispier, meat is moister? The rhyme or reason comes from the technique and care of the chicken before cooking. I decided to do a little experiment and followed 2 different recipes from two renowned restaurants in the States. Bouchon in Napa Valley vs. Café Zuni in San Francisco. Some background info on both places: Bouchon is owned by Thomas Keller, who also happens to be the best chef in the States (in my opinion) and also runs the French Laundry (Napa) and Per Se (NY). I have eaten at the French Laundry and it is one of the best meals I have ever had, 9 courses of pure grace and beauty (www.frenchlaundry.com/index.html). Café Zuni is run by Judy Rodgers who helped with the organic and fresh approach to California cuisine. The restaurant is really known for their Brick Oven Roasted Chicken and made to order Caesar Salads. My dining experience there was pleasant but unfortunately, I did not order the chicken.

My experiment was with 4 chickens, I named them all. Piggy and Mo would be participating in the Bouchon experiment and Henry and Mabel would be volunteering for the Café Zuni recipe (www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9123872/). Two of the chickens were Kosher and the other two, All Natural, Free range. For the best tasting chicken, you should get 2- 3 lb birds. These are most likely in the category of Fryer chickens and are young, only a couple of months old. The Bouchon experiment recommends that the birds sit in a brine solution 24 hours beforehand. Understandably so, the brine is made up of salt, sugar, water, and herbs and will help with moisture as the birds cook the next day. There is an incredible science behind it, reverse osmosis, which I will not bore you with. The recipe recommends, trussing (tying) the birds which is an ordeal but pretty cool if you can master it. The Café Zuni project allows Henry and Mabel to marinate in simplicity with generous amounts of salt, pepper, and herbs for at least 24 hours. They also want the duo to cook freely with ‘no strings attached’. The salt has a way of massaging the birds and helps in keeping the meat tender after cooking.

After the birds marinate and enjoy the last few hours, the instructions are to pat them dry and place them in a medium warm plate/skillet to prevent sticking to the pan. The next step is the most important, make sure your oven is at a temperature of 450 degrees F or higher. This allows for that yummy, crispy skin. As for the recipes concerned, the cooking process coincides with each other, cooking the birds at 450 degrees F for 20 minutes, flipping over, lowering the temperature to 375 degrees F and cooking for another 20-30 minutes. Bouchon does call for basting the bird and turning it every 15 minutes allowing consistency of color and cooking.

Once the birds are done, please wait until it cools down for at least 10 minutes before cutting into it. We chefs like to call it ‘resting’ and I am sure the birds don’t mind it either. So, what should you do with the jus from the birds? Both recipes have different approaches. I like to skim the fat, baste the meat and then prepare a sauce from it. Now you are thinking which technique tastes better? Well, that’s where I say, I’m just here for information and facts, not opinions, at least not on this occasion!