Roast Chicken
And the endearing magic of a true master
I don't have a lot of firm ideas yet on how this newsletter is going to to take shape. But what I can say is that I will never boast, brag, or utter "This is the ONLY salmon recipe I ever use" or "ULTIMATE CHEESEBURGER RECIPE". I have favorite methods and techniques, to be sure, but there are plenty of ways to cook plenty of ingredients and it is clickbait nonsense when videos, articles, or whathaveyou title their content as such.
There is one exception.
"I feel that if Jacques Pepin shows you how to make an omelet, the matter is pretty much settled. That's God talking" - Anthony Bourdain.
I will not make a habit out of quoting or referring to Bourdain frequently because frankly, I think you can take a guess as to how I feel about the man and I don’t want to become a cliché before this thing gets off the ground. However, when it comes to Jacques Pepin, the quote is warranted.
If you are unfamiliar with Jacques Pepin, he was born in France in 1935, became the personal chef to three French heads of state, including Charles de Gaulle, worked in esteemed restaurants in Paris and New York, turned down a gig as the White House chef for Kennedy, opting instead to work and develop recipes for Howard Johnson’s. After a near-fatal car accident his career working in restaurants was over. He had to pivot -- instead of going down the all-to-common route of hawking bullshit, he decided to film public television shows to teach people how to cook. He has published over 30 books, is an accomplished artist, and holds multiple degrees.
This is a man who has been cooking in some professional capacity since he was 9. Many names you know and others you don't consider him The Best. I don't mean the best as in Ferran Adrià or Thomas Keller or René Redzepi. I mean the pinnacle of standard. The Godfather of technique, of timing, of home cooking, of enjoying yourself in the kitchen. This is a man who routinely prepared, cooked, and served three courses in 30 minutes on television before it became what every television chef did. And most importantly, makes you believe you can too (except for watching him debone a chicken. No one can do this task like him. "It should take you no longer than a minute to debone a chicken."…What??). You can find hours upon valuable hours on Youtube of Jacques cooking. KQED is the standard place to start, but there are others.
Which brings us to roast chicken. I shouldn’t say I'm surprised by how many people seem unable or uninterested in cooking chicken well. But there are many. Whether it be thighs, breasts, wings, legs, or the whole bird, there is tremendous deliciousness, economy, and ease in cooking chicken.
I'm sharing a video of my favorite way to roast a chicken: Jacques’ way. There are a lot of methods for roasting a whole bird, and I've tried quite a few of them, but this is the easiest, tastiest, and damn-near "I did that?" roast chicken technique I’ve come across. You can season the bird however you want (I most recently did Herbs de Provence) but salt and pepper is mandatory. The idea is high heat and starting the chicken on its side, roasting for 20 minutes, flipping the bird to its other leg and thigh, roasting for 20 minutes, then positioning it flat for a final 20 minutes. Check out the video linked from the button below to watch him easily walk you through it, finishing with a simple pan sauce of the drippings.
Do not be intimated that it is a whole bird. Whole chickens are often cheaper than buying parts. Don't worry about trussing it perfectly. I am not ashamed to admit I still do this rather poorly. But who cares? Pour a glass of wine (as Jacques will always tell you to do) and give it a try.
Serve it with salad, roasted vegetables, and a bottle of red wine. I did potatoes, carrots, beets and half an onion, but anything would be great because the fat from the chicken will season them beautifully.
Do yourself a favor and enter into the world of incredibly calming, reassuring, and confident cooking coming from a master. God is talking. Bend an ear.
“The classic way to cook chicken is still the simplest and best. Roasting the bird at high temperature crisps the skin as it protects the flesh, keeping it moist. And roasting the chicken on its side helps the legs, which usually take longer than the breast, cook faster, and also keeps the breast moist. Do not cover the bird with foil after it is roasted, or it will steam and taste reheated. For maximum flavor, the chicken should be served no more than 45 minutes after roasting.”