Zuni Roast Chicken

from Judy Rodgers 's The Zuni Cafe Cookbook 

via Katherine Koelsch Kriken 

4 servings (or 2 very generous ones)

one small chicken, 2 3/4 to 3 1/2 pounds

4 tender sprigs fresh thyme, marjoram, rosemary or sage, about 1/2 inch long

about 2 teaspoons sea salt (3/4 teaspoon per pound of chicken)

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To prepare the chicken: Season the chicken 1 to 3 days before serving (for 3 1/4 to 3 1/2-pound chickens, at least 2 days.) Remove and discard the lump of fat inside the chicken. Rinse the chicken and pat dry inside and out. Be thorough; a wet chicken will spend too much time steaming before it begins to turn golden brown. Approaching from the edge of the cavity, slide a finger under the skin of each of the breasts, making 2 little pockets. Use the tip of your finger to gently loosen a pocket of skin on the outside of the thickest section of each thigh. Using your finger, shove an herb sprig into each of the 4 pockets. Season the chicken liberally all over with salt and pepper. Season the thick sections a little more heavily than the skinny ankles and wings. Sprinkle a little of the salt inside the cavity on the backbone, but don't otherwise worry about seasoning the inside. Twist and tuck the wing tips behind the shoulders. Cover loosely and refrigerate.

To roast the chicken: Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. If your oven has a convection function, use it for the first 30 minutes to enhance browning and reduce overall cooking time by 5 to 10 minutes. Over medium heat, preheat a shallow flameproof roasting pan or dish or skillet barely larger than the chicken. Wipe the chicken dry and set it breast side up in the pan. It should sizzle. Place the pan in the center of the oven and if it doesn't start sizzling and browning within 20 minutes, raise the temperature until it does. The skin should blister, but if it begins to char or the fat is smoking, reduce the temperature. After about 30 minutes, turn the bird over. Roast for another 10 to 20 minutes depending on size, then flip back over to re-crisp the breast skin another 5 to 10 minutes. Total oven time will be about an hour. Remove chicken from the oven and lift from roasting pan onto a plate. Carefully pour the clear fat from the pan, leaving the lean drippings behind. Add about a tablespoon of water to the hot pan and swirl it. Slash the stretched skin between the thighs and breasts of the chicken, and then tilt the bird and plate over the roasting pan to drain the juice into the drippings. Set the chicken in a warm spot and leave to rest until ready to serve. The meat will become more tender and uniformly succulent as it cools. Strain and save the drippings you don't use. They are delicious tossed with spatzle or egg noodles or stirred into beans or risotto.

While the recipe seems tedious, it is well worth the effort. Don't substitute a jumbo roaster for a small bird; it won't tolerate the heat. This is also a great recipe for a wood-burning oven, as it is cooked at Zuni Cafe. It goes very well with braised or roasted fennel.