The potatoes cook beautifully in the garlic-infused chicken fat that drips off the chicken, and are incredibly golden brown and delicious.
This probably isn’t something you want to eat every day (unless your son is a cardiologist and needs the business), but everybody needs to eat this at least once.
| Ingredients: | ||
| 1 | Cup | Kosher Salt |
| 1/2 | Cup | Sugar |
| 2 | Quarts | Cold Water |
| 1 | Whole | Chicken (3 – 4 Pounds) |
| 4 | Pounds | Yukon Gold or Russet Potatoes |
| Olive Oil | ||
| Salt | ||
| Fresh Ground Pepper | ||
Directions:
- Preheat oven. For a larger chicken, preheat to 475°F., for a smaller chicken preheat to 500°F.
- Mix the salt, sugar and water in a container just large enough to hold the chicken. Make room in your refrigerator for the container.
- Clean out the chicken and remove anything inside (packet of giblets, liver, excess fat, etc.). Rinse chicken inside and out.
- Put chicken in container of brine. Make sure the brine completely covers the chicken (you may need to add a little extra water). Refrigerate for an hour.
- After an hour remove chicken from the brine and discard brine.
- Rinse chicken inside and out, dry with paper towels and place on cutting board.
- Turn chicken over so the back (the side without all the breast meat) is facing up.
- Cut all the way down one side of the backbone with kitchen shears. Do the same on the other side of the backbone. Discard backbone, or save for soup.
- Flatten chicken out so the meat is facing up.
- Rub the skin with olive oil.
- Optional: Place garlic butter or other flavored butter under the skin
- Line bottom of broiler pan with heavy foil
- Peel and slice potatoes 1/3″ thick
- Dry and lightly toss with olive oil, liberally sprinkle with salt and pepper and gently toss again.
- Line the roasting pan with aluminum foil, then cover the bottom and sides with potatoes
- Put rack on pan and place chicken on rack breast-side up.
- Place in oven and cook for about 25 minutes. Check the thickest part of the breast with a thermometer and continue cooking until it reaches 160°F.Note that the skin will darken and brown as it cooks. The important thing is to make sure that the internal temperature is correct. The skin is actually fairly difficult to burn, and will just get tastier and crisper as it browns.Because of the brine, the inside of the chicken will stay moist and tender and very tasty!
- Let chicken sit on counter for a few minutes after cooking.
- Drain excess fat from broiler pan, remove potatoes and place in bowl.
- Cut up chicken as desired and serve with potatoes. (Save a few pieces of potatoes for you, since you won’t get any if you don’t)
Serves 4