Roast chicken. Sounds simple, right? I’ve heard that it’s one of the hardest things to master and something that every true chef must tackle.

I’ve made many a roast chicken over the years – they’ve been fine but not great. Then I was introduced to Samin Nosart’s Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking and the simplest roasted chicken recipe ever – buttermilk, salt and a whole chicken. That’s it. Even better is that it’s cooked in a skillet so no roasting pan and rack to clean.

Samin Nosart’s Salt, Fat, Acid, HeatWe made the simple buttermilk version in the oven a few times (per the directions). And once Ed took it to the next level by smoking it on the Big Green Egg and finishing it off on the Weber gas grill to crisp up the skin. It was fabulous.

Buttermilk is used to brine the chicken (add moisture) rather than marinate it (add flavor). This is a dressed up variation on the original recipe (from Samin) – instead of buttermilk you brine it in plain non-fat yogurt with saffron, lemon zest and salt. The key to this recipe is brining it for a full 24 hours. That’s what makes it so moist and delicious. Here you do get some flavor from the saffron, too.

Another tip to a great moist roast chicken is where you position it in your oven. Despite setting your oven to a certain temperature, it’s typically not very precise or consistent – even when the door is closed (and as soon as you open the door that adds another variable). The back of the oven is hotter, so positioning the legs towards the back of the oven will help them cook at the same rate as the breast. The end result is an evenly cooked and moist bird.

I first listened to Samin Nosart’s Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking on Audible and was so enamored with it that I bought the hard copy. Samin narrates the book and you get a glimpse into how lovable, down to earth and completely approachable she is. This is more than just a recipe book – it’s a simple approach to mastering the four main ingredients in the title. Once mastered you have a fabulous foundation upon which to build. She also has a four-part series on Netflix which I highly recommend. She further explores the four key ingredients by visiting a different country (Italy, Japan, Mexico and the United States) in each episode. But it’s not a replacement for the book – there she goes into much more detail including the science behind why things work.

Yes, I’m a big Samin fan – but you probably already figured that out. Apparently I’m not the only one – check out Bon Appétit’s Everybody Loves Samin. It’s absolutely worth the read.

Bonus Recipe:  Follow recipe as written, except instead of saffron, yogurt and lemon zest, use 2 cups of buttermilk along with 2 tablespoons kosher salt or 4 teaspoons fine sea salt.

Persian Roast Chicken

 

Persian Roast Chicken
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Recipe type: Main Dish
Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 pound organic chicken
  • ½ teaspoon saffron (a generous pinch)
  • 1-1/2 cups plain non-fat yogurt (not Greek yogurt)
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt or 2 teaspoons fine sea salt (see Notes)
  • 2 teaspoons fine lemon zest (~ 1 lemon)
Instructions
The day before cooking the chicken:
  1. In a small bowl, grind saffron and a pinch of salt (any kind) into a powder with your fingers. (Alternately use a mortar and pestle). Add two tablespoons of boiling water and stir. Allow ‘saffron tea’ to steep for five minutes. Let cool.
  2. In a medium bowl, mix together saffron tea, yogurt, salt and lemon zest.
  3. Remove chicken from packaging and ensure there’s no parts stored in the cavity of the chicken.
  4. Place chicken in a two gallon ziplock bag and add brining mixture. Seal bag and squish mixture all around chicken. Place in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. If you think of it, squish mixture around chicken a few times during the 24 hours.
The day you’re cooking the chicken:
  1. Remove chicken from the refrigerator an hour before you’re going to cook it and let it sit at room temperature.
  2. Preheat oven to 450°F and place rack in center of oven.
  3. After an hour has passed, remove chicken from bag and wipe off as much of the brining mixture as possible. Place chicken breast side up in a 10-inch (or larger) cast iron frying pan (or shallow roasting pan). Tightly tie together the legs of the chicken with a piece of cooking twine.
  4. Slide pan all the way to the back of the oven. Rotate pan so the legs are pointing towards the back left corner and the breast is pointing towards the center of the oven (essentially the pan should take up the back left quadrant of the oven). The chicken will start to sizzle and brown almost immediately.
  5. After 20 minutes, reduce temperature to 400°F.
  6. After another 10 minutes, rotate the chicken so that the legs are pointing towards the back right corner of oven.
  7. Continue cooking for another 30 minutes or so (depends on the size of the chicken). Chicken is done when it’s brown all over and reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of the thigh but not touching bone). (Alternately when juices run clear when a knife is inserted down the bone between the leg and thigh.)
  8. Let chicken rest at room temperature (uncovered) for 10 minutes before carving and serving.
Notes
* This recipe uses Diamond Crystal Kosher salt. If you’re using Morton Kosher salt, one tablespoon of Diamond Crystal is equal to about 1-3/4 teaspoons of Morton Kosher salt (a reminder that three teaspoons is one tablespoon). It’s important for you to adjust the recipe so it’s not too salty.
* You can find 2 gallon ziplock bags at your grocery store. I keep them on hand for occasions just like this.
* On the day you cook the chicken, it takes about 2-1/4 to 2-1/2 hours until the chicken is cooked (that includes the hour out of the refrigerator).
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Source:  Adapted from Samin Nosart’s Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking (2017)