Roast Chicken

Ingredients

4 lb whole chicken
4 tsp coarse salt
1 tsp fresh-cracked black pepper
 
1 shallot, crushed
5 cloves garlic, crushed
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
8 sprigs fresh thyme
 
1 bamboo skewer
3' trussing string
 
3 tbsp oil
4 tbsp butter

Execution

  1. Blot chicken dry of any juices.
  2. Season outside and inside.
  3. Transfer to rack over sheet or plate.
  4. Refrigerate uncovered at least 4 up to 24 hours.
    5.  
  5. Preheat oven to 425° F.
  6. Rest chicken at room temperature to warm up.
  7. Stuff chicken with shallot, garlic, rosemary and thyme.
  8. Skewer the chicken all over, piercing only the skin.
  9. Truss the chicken; turn wing tips under, drum sticks tight, etc.
    10.  
  10. In a carbon-steel, oven-safe pan, add oil on high heat.
  11. Once hot and smoking, turn down to medium.
  12. Sear bird back, then side, then front, then other side.
  13. Do not burn; hold bird up on sides with wooden spoon.
  14. Add butter and baste breast-side down on low with a large spoon.
  15. Finish basting back-side down.
  16. Decant the butter before burnt; use drippings later at end.
  17. Insert thermometer just off top center in deepest part of breast.
    18.  
  18. Leaving bird in pan, set in oven on lower middle rack.
  19. Roast 45-50 minutes until it reaches 155° F.
    20.  
  20. Remove from oven and rest on rack 10-12 minutes.
  21. Remove trussing and thermometer.
  22. Carve between leg and breast.
  23. Carve breast to either side of the bone alongside the bone down to wing.
  24. Cut through wing at root and leave wings out each on its own breast.
  25. Divide wing segments.
  26. Divide leg segments.
  27. Cut breasts in ½" from tip up to biggest part in 6-8 slices.