Ingredients
Inspired from Joanna Cismaru, I took her recipe for Roasted Cornish Hens and adapted it for a chicken. We had been planning on buying the hens at our local Whole Foods, but with holiday timing etc. being what it is, we decided to take one of Trader Joe’s All Natural Heirloom Whole Chicken (~ 3lbs) and apply this recipe.
We used our Chicago Metallic Professional Roast Pan with Non-Stick Rack as the vessel within our Manhattan small-sized oven.
Preheat
Preheat the oven to 425 °
Prepare The Rub
We first applied the Poultry Dry Rub with no modifications:
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Salt | 1 tsp |
| Pepper | 1 tsp |
| Italian Seasoning | 1 tbsp |
| Paprika | 2 tsp |
| Minced Garlic | 1 tsp |
| Red Pepper Flakes | ¼ tsp |
These measures are loose, adjust as you see fit. I applied the dry run then let that sit for about 15 minutes while I prepared the butter mixture.
Fill The Inside
To keep the bird from drying out, I took the ¼ cup of butter and melted it down. I added a liberal addition of minced garlic. I then proceeded to apply this on the inside of the chicken. I did this with my hands and made sure to seal in the moisture from the inside with this butter layer.
Any excess butter I lightly poured on the outside of the bird.
Laying Down the Aromatics
While I was doing the greasing of the bird, my beautiful wife had prepared the roasting pan rack with the aromatics. She did the onion quartering and lemon slicing. She also prepared the bed of rosemary and thyme that our bird was to sit on.
Beginning the Roast
My goal was to have a golden cook on the bird’s skin. We put the bird in an baked for about 40 minutes. About this time the skin was turning golden brown on the outside, but our thermometer indicated that we were some 20 degrees of from the desired internal temperature of 165F. In order to protect the color and moisture, I tented the upward facing part of the bird with a small shield of foil.
We continued cooking until we reached our goal temperature. Make sure any internal fluids in the bird are running clean. Follow your normal practice for ensuring poultry-borne safety.
Removal
After finishing our bake we removed the bird to a cutting board and proceeded to quarter it: two wings, two legs, breasts, and thighs.
Serving
We served the dish with fresh fruit (a nice counter) as well as chive-infused cream cheese + mashed potatoes. Delightful!