Frank’s Lazy Roast Chicken

Adapted from Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller

1 ea                 Chicken, about 5 pounds

Salt and Pepper

4                      Ribs Celery

4                      Peeled carrots

4                      cloves garlic, peeled

1 ea                 Lemon or orange

1 bunch           Fresh Herbs, rosemary, thyme or sage

The chicken should be cooked on a rack so it doesn’t wallow in its own juices while roasting. Since I’m a lazy cook and don’t like scrubbing the rack I put a layer of celery and carrots in the pan and rest the chicken on top. No rack to clean and the juices are enhanced at the same time.

I also line the roasting pan with foil to save more scrubbing.  After pouring off the pan juices to a separator, I deglaze the pan by splashing in some water and stirring it around, dissolving about 90 percent of the drippings and add the result to the juices in the separator.  Throw away the foil and pop the pan in the dishwasher. It’s a shortcut, but I’m relaxing instead of scrubbing the roasting pan.

The high temperature gives a lovely brown color, crisp skin and richly flavored pan juices.  

Preheat the oven to 475°

Line the roasting pan with foil and cover the bottom with the carrots and celery.

Trim the excess fat off the chicken. Liberally salt the cavity, squeeze ½ of the citrus in the bird and put in the squeezed fruit along with the garlic cloves and punch of herbs.

Truss the chicken and put it in the pan. Squeeze the remaining citrus over the chicken and put the fruit in the roasting pan.  Salt and pepper the skin.

Cook the chicken for 20 minutes at 475°.  Turn the heat down to 400° and cook for another 30 to 40 minutes or more until the temperature at the thigh or thickest part of the breast is 160° degrees.

Separate the pan juices as described above. Simmer and correct the seasoning. Serve over the carved chicken.

Let the chicken rest for 20 minutes, then carve and serve.