Joe,

My favorite roast chicken is also simple. I stuff the cavity with unpeeled onion, celery, carrot, unpeeled orange & lemon, & garlic plus a few sprigs of thyme, sage, & rosemary. I use whatever quantity is appropriate for the size chicken I'm roasting..no recipe, per se. We love the aroma & flavor of the citrus.

Then, I lightly rub olive oil on the outside of the bird finishing with a bit of just sea salt & black pepper.

I've tried high heat roasting; but prefer convection set at 325-350 degrees for about 1 hour 20 minutes. I normally use Perdue roasters & they run between 5-7 lbs.

I do not brine. There's heart disease in DH's family, we're over 50, & I try to watch his/our sodium intake.

/tricia

My favorite "special" way is to put a few cloves of garlic and rosemary in the cavity. Then saute garlic and rosemary in a bit of olive oil, add about 1/2 cup of red wine and reduce by half or so. Then add 1 can of chicken broth. Pour over chicken, sprinkle with salt, and bake at 350. When the chicken is done I strain off the fat and make a sauce. It's wonderful on boiled or roasted potatos or Orzo. You can sub balsamic vinegar, for the wine, but just use a little and then taste the broth.

Since I read about it here, I roast a small chicken with the whole lemon method (big whole lemon, poke all over with a skewer or meat fork - salt/pepper cavity, optional sprig of fresh rosemary - put whole lemon into cavity, tie legs over opening and roast at whatever temperature makes you happy (I use 400 F). I also rub the outside with extra virgin olive oil. Baste after the first 40 minutes or so and a few times thereafter.

I roast asparagus in the same oven towards the end of the chicken cycle and serve with couscous, or pilaf or....whatever.

seagrass

I use a lemon AND onion!!....and sometimes I will slide a few skinny slices of lemon under the skin on the breast and thigh...
But lots of times I just pop it into the oven!
Linda C

I learned about high heat roasting here from Ann and others. Also, Scott sent me Barbara Kafka's book in a swap and now I roast at 450 for about 10 minutes per pound. Sometimes I like to use a vertical chicken roaster set in a pie plate in the oven - yummy crispy chicken skin! That is also done with high heat. The vertical roaster allows the heat of the oven to get up into the cavity of the chicken and it cooks very quickly. The fat drains out into the pan or pie plate that you have set the roaster in. I tend to use herb and spice seasoning blends sprinkled on the inside and outside of the small bird - less than 3 lbs.

Joe, try pre-salting a chicken before roasting. And then roast on 500F for about 10 minutes a pound. Perfect roast chicken every time.

You can fill the cavity with whatever you feel like, lemons, celery, onions, herbs (sage, parsley, thyme)etc....

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Pre-Salting
===========
Judy Rogers' Zuni Cafe
method

Servings: 11 to 15

Note: This is more a technique than a recipe. It makes a bird that has concentrated turkey flavor and fine, firm flesh and that is delicious as it is. But you can add other flavors as you wish. Minced rosemary would be a nice finishing addition. Or brush the bird lightly with butter before roasting.

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1 (12- to 16-pound) turkey

Kosher salt

1. Wash the turkey inside and out, pat it dry and weigh it. Measure 1 tablespoon of salt into a bowl for every 5 pounds the turkey weighs (for a 15-pound turkey, you'd have 3 tablespoons).

2. Sprinkle the inside of the turkey lightly with salt. Place the turkey on its back and salt the breasts, concentrating the salt in the center, where the meat is thickest. You'll probably use a little more than a tablespoon. It should look liberally seasoned, but not over-salted.

3. Turn the turkey on one side and sprinkle the entire side with salt, concentrating on the thigh. You should use a little less than a tablespoon. Flip the turkey over and do the same with the opposite side.

4. Place the turkey in a 2 1/2 -gallon sealable plastic bag, press out the air and seal tightly. Place the turkey breast-side up in the refrigerator. Chill for 3 days, turning it onto its breast for the last day.

5. Remove the turkey from the bag. There should be no salt visible on the surface and the skin should be moist but not wet. Place the turkey breast-side up on a plate and refrigerate uncovered for at least 8 hours.

6. On the day it is to be cooked, remove the turkey from the refrigerator and leave it at room temperature at least 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

7. Place the turkey breast-side down on a roasting rack in a roasting pan; put it in the oven. After 30 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and carefully turn the turkey over so the breast is facing up (it's easiest to do this by hand, using kitchen towels or oven mitts).

8. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees, return the turkey to the oven and roast until a thermometer inserted in the deepest part of the thigh, but not touching the bone, reads 165 degrees, about 2 3/4 hours total roasting.

9. Remove the turkey from the oven, transfer it to a warm platter or carving board; tent loosely with foil. Let stand at least 30 minutes to let the juices redistribute through the meat. Carve and serve.

Each of 15 servings: 564 calories; 77 grams protein; 0 carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 26 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 261 mg. cholesterol; 856 mg. sodium.
. Notes:

This same method can be used for chicken, chicken pieces, pork roasts,
ribs, chops, etc..

With the smaller cuts just pre-salt 4 or five hours in advance. Even
this short period of presalting makes an amazing difference.

Don't cover, just refrigerate and then remove from the fridge in time
for the meat to come to room temperature before cooking.

Thanks for these great recipes and ideas everyone.

Here's how reality unfolded.

As I was on my way to the grocery store, Andrea called.

Change in plans -- She needed to train some people at the house and they would be there for a while and the kitchen would be unavailable.

So, with the thought that starting to cook after the trainees left would lead to a very late dinner, I picked up a rotisserie chicken from Albertson's. I matched it with steamed artichokes (with garlic-parmesan aioli) and a fresh potato salad (not the mayonnaisey type). Dessert was fresh cherries and peaches from the farm market.

Joe