Joi Ito — Cooking
Recipe

French Chicken in a Pot

For the original recipe and instructions, see “French Chicken in a Pot” at cooksillustrated.com

★★★★ Serves 4 chicken

Notes

Was easy and nice, but was overcooked at 80 min.

Brining:

The basic brine is water and salt. For a 4- to 5-pound chicken, make a brine with about 1 gallon of water and 1 cup kosher salt. Sometimes, I change it up and use 1/2 cup kosher salt and 1/2 cup sugar. You also can substitute cider, juices and even beer or wine for some of the water.

Dissolve the water and salt in a big pot and submerge the chicken in it. Put the submerged chicken in the refrigerator and allow it to soak for about 5 to 6 hours. It’s not exact, but for a whole chicken, figure about one hour of brining time per 1 pound of chicken.

After brining, take the chicken out, discard brine and rinse the chicken inside and out under cold water. Place it on a platter, pat it dry and place it back in the refrigerator for an hour to dry the skin. Take it out of the refrigerator an hour before roasting.

Season the chicken inside and out with salt and pepper.

Salting:

Apply kosher salt (1 teaspoon per pound) evenly inside cavity and under skin of breasts and legs. Let chicken rest in refrigerator on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet for 6 to 24 hours.

3 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt = 2¼ teaspoons Morton kosher salt = 1½ teaspoons table salt

Ingredients

  • GATHER YOUR INGREDIENTS
  • 1 whole roasting chicken (4 1/2 to 5 pounds), giblets removed and discarded, wings tucked under back (see note)
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt or 1 teaspoon table salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small onion, chopped medium (about 1/2 cup)
  • 1 small stalk celery, chopped medium (about 1/4 cup)
  • 6 medium garlic cloves, peeled and trimmed
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 medium sprig fresh rosemary (optional)
  • ½ - 1 teaspoon juice from 1 lemon