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The parents of our good friend down the street have an organic chicken farm and we are getting our first delivery of 6 frozen birds today (at the wholesale price of $2/lb!). I’ve always been a boneless/skinless breast and thigh girl myself, until recently when I started getting rotisserie chickens at Whole Foods and using the meat as well as bones. This is a whole other ballgame, though. I have no idea how to deal with an entire frozen chicken, from butchering to cooking and beyond. It’s clearly time to learn.
Anyone have an tips or ideas for me?
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Since you’re a newbie, I would recommend the easiest application: whole roast chicken. It’s much better than store-bought (juicier, more flavorful), and requires minimal handling/prep work. There are many ways to roast a chicken, but the Barbara Kafka method works great if you like a bird with nicely browned, crispy skin.
Defrost the chicken in your fridge overnight. The next day, preheat your oven to 500′F or as hot as it will go. Put the oven rack in the lower half of the oven. Put the chicken, breast side up, on a baking tray. Rub it all over–including inside the cavity–with salt and pepper (I also like a generous dusting of paprika). Then stuff the cavity with whatever aromatics takes your fancy: whole bunches of herbs, garlic cloves (I don’t even bother skinning the garlic), lemon wedges, etc.
Then stick the bird in the oven. Average cooking time is 50 minutes, but it really depends on the size of the bird. There’s no harm in cutting into the leg to check for doneness and sticking the chicken back in the oven if it’s still pink.
Good luck!
By Rachel T. on 06.04.09 3:37 pm | Permalink
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