Roasting Chicken

Crispy, fragrant roast chicken skin is absolutely delicious; some fans insist it's the best part of the bird. Since it contains a great deal of fat, many people remove it in order to avoid the extra calories. Whether you choose to eat it or discard it, always leave the skin on during the roasting process, as it holds in moisture and prevents the meat from drying out.

One secret to really flavorful, juicy roast chicken is brining: soaking in salt water. (Kosher chickens are already brined; this is one of the reasons why kosher birds tend to taste better than conventional chickens.) To brine a non-kosher chicken,

• Dissolve ½ cup kosher salt (or ¼ cup table salt) in two quarts of water. Immerse the chicken in the solution and place immediately in the refrigerator.
• You should let it soak for at least 1 hour, but no longer than five or six hours.
• Pour off the brine and rinse the chicken under cold running water and pat it dry with paper towels. For extra-crispy skin--and if you have the time--return the bird to the refrigerator and let it air-dry for another hour, or overnight, before roasting.

If you decide to forego the brining step, just remove the chicken from the package, rinse it with cool water, and then pat it dry with paper towels. Rinsing removes residue and some surface bacteria, and drying off the chicken ensures that the skin will brown.

Dress It Up

A chicken roasted with nothing but salt, pepper, and butter is very tasty indeed, but it's also easy to build on these flavors. Chop up fresh herbs and tuck them under the chicken's skin along with a few pats of butter, or stuff sprigs into the chicken cavity along with quartered onions and cloves of garlic. Wedges of aromatic fruit such as lemons or oranges will perfume the bird as it roasts, infusing the meat with extra flavor.

Many cooks use a dry rub: a blend of dried and ground spices, rubbing them under the chicken's skin and inside the cavity. Since they're under the skin, the flavorings won't burn; plus they'll infuse the meat. This is a great way to add some spice if you'll be discarding the skin.

• For a Southwestern flavor, try chile powder or pureed fresh chiles, cumin, and sage.
• For an Indian-inspired bird, mix together equal parts ground coriander and cumin, plus turmeric and a pinch or two of cardamom or garam masala.
• To give the chicken a Thai flair, try a paste of ginger, lemongrass, green chilies, cilantro and lime juice.

If you choose, you can truss the bird before roasting it--that is, tie it with butcher's twine to keep the legs close to the body. This is not an essential step; however, it does make the chicken slightly easier to handle, and it helps hold the stuffing in if you've stuffed the chicken.

• To truss a chicken, cut about a 3-foot length of heatproof butcher's twine.
• Lay the chicken on a clean surface with the breast facing up.
• Hold one end of the string in each hand, and loop the center of the string underneath the chicken's tail.
• Catch the ends of the legs inside the string, then cross the string over the chicken's breast, making an X.
• Loop the string under and around the wings, then tie the string snugly in a knot across the middle of the breast. Make sure that the ends of the wings are tucked in.