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Roast Chicken
(Poulet Roti)
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| What You Need: |
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3½-to 4-pound roasting chicken
2 tablespoons soft butter
½ teaspoon lemon juice
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, sliced
1 carrot, cut in ½-inch chunks
1 celery stalk, cut in ½-inch chunks
1 cup chicken stock, fresh or canned
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| How To Cook: |
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1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Wash the chicken quickly under cold running water and dry it thoroughly inside and out with paper towels. Cream the soft butter, beating it vigorously against the side of a small bowl with a wooden spoon until it is fluffy. Beat in the lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon salt and a few grindings of pepper. Spread the seasoned butter inside the chicken. Neatly truss the chicken with white kitchen string. Combine the melted butter and oil and brush about half of it over the outside of the chicken.
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2. Place the chicken on its side on a rack in a shallow roasting pan just large enough to hold it comfortably about 9 by 12 inches and place on the middle shelf of the oven. After 10 minutes, turn the chicken onto its other side. Brush with butter and oil and roast for another 10 minutes.
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3. Reduce the oven heat to 350°F. Turn the chicken on its back, brush it with butter and oil and salt it lightly. Spread the vegetables in the bottom of the pan. Roast the chicken, basting it every 10 minutes with butter and oil while they last, then use a bulb baster or spoon to baste it with pan juices. After 60 minutes, test the chicken for doneness by lifting it with a wooden spoon inserted in the tail opening. When the juices that run out are yellow, it is done. If they are pink, cook a few minutes longer. Transfer the bird to a carving board, cut off the trussing strings, and let it rest for 5 minutes or so before serving.
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4. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Stir the chicken stock into the roasting pan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring and scraping in any browned bits clinging to the bottom and sides of the pan. Boil briskly for 2 or 3 minutes until the sauce has the desired intensity of flavor. Strain through a sieve, pressing down hard on the vegetables with the back of a spoon before discarding them. Skim off as much surface fat as possible, and taste for seasoning. The chicken may be carved in the kitchen or at the table. Serve the sauce separately.
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