Julia Childs Favorite Roast Chicken
Julia Child's chicken recipe is a lesson in simplicity and technique, yielding a flavorful, perfectly cooked bird you'll want to make again and again.
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1/3 cup finely diced carrots
- 1/3 cup finely diced onion
- 1/3 cup finely diced celery
- 1 teaspoon thyme, savory, or mixed herbs, or 2 fresh thyme or savory sprigs
- 1 (3 1/2 to 4-pound) chicken
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- fresh flat-leaf parsley stems
- celery leaves
- 6 lemon slices, 1/8-inch thick
- 1/2 cup sliced onion
- 1/2 cup sliced carrots
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 cup chicken stock or broth
Direction
- Gather the ingredients.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a skillet. Add the diced carrots, onion, and celery and cook over moderate heat until softened. Stir in the herbs and set aside.
- If desired, cut out and discard the wishbone. Pull the neck skin up over the chicken breast and secure it to the back with a toothpick. Salt and pepper the cavity and spoon in the cooked vegetables, a handful of parsley stems and celery leaves, and the lemon slices. Massage the chicken all over with 1 tablespoon of the butter, then truss it. Alternatively, tie drumstick ends together and tuck wings under the body.
- Choose a flameproof roasting pan that is about 1 inch larger than the chicken and place a rack inside. Salt the chicken all over and set it breast-side up on the rack. (Thoroughly wash all surfaces and utensils that have been in contact with the raw chicken.)
- Roast the chicken for 15 minutes and then brush with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter. Scatter the sliced onion and carrot all around. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
- Roast for 45 minutes, and then brush the lemon juice over the chicken. If necessary, add 1/2 cup of water to the vegetables to prevent burning.
- Roast for 1 hour and baste the chicken with pan juices. Test for doneness; drumsticks should move easily in their sockets and their flesh should feel somewhat soft. If not, continue roasting, basting and testing every 7 to 8 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer registers 165°F.
- Spear the chicken through the shoulders and lift to drain; if juices run clear yellow, the chicken is done. Let the chicken rest on a carving board for 15 minutes; discard the string.
- Spoon all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the juices in the pan. Add the stock and boil until lightly syrupy, 5 minutes. Strain; you will have just enough to bathe each serving with a fragrant spoonful.
