2000s Recipes + Menus

Salt-Roasted Chicken
Makes4 servings
- Active time: 15 min
Total time: 13 hr (includes overnight salting)
October 2004
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 (3 1/2-pound) chicken
- 2 1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
- 3 (1/4-inch-thick) lemon slices
EQUIPMENT:
-
an instant-read thermometer
INSTRUCTIONS:
-
Rinse chicken and thoroughly pat dry, then sprinkle inside and out with salt and pepper and set in a shallow dish. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and chill at least 12 and up to 48 hours.
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Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 500°F.
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Pat chicken dry, then rub skin with butter and put lemon slices in cavity. Put chicken in a small roasting pan in oven and reduce oven temperature to 425°F. Roast chicken, basting occasionally with pan juices, until thermometer inserted 2 inches into fleshy part of thigh (do not touch bone) registers 170°F, about 50 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before carving.