Brined and Roasted Chicken

Ingredients

3-4 lb. chicken (whole) (Yes, you can buy these in the grocery store without the head, feathers, feet, and innards.)
6 quarts of water
¾ cup of salt
½ cup butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Truss your chicken. This will keep it together better during the roasting process. You can find directions online for trussing or, in some areas, buy a pre-trussed chicken.
2. Mix the salt into the water in a large stockpot over medium heat for 5-10 minutes to help the salt dissolve. No need to let the water boil. Pull the water from the heat, add the chicken. Put a lid on your stockpot and put the entire thing into the refrigerator for 2 hours.
3. Preheat your oven to 450º. Grease the bottom of a baking pan with some of the butter, just enough to ensure the chicken does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
4. Divide the remainder of the butter in half and break it into pieces. Put half of the butter, in pieces, inside the chicken’s cavity. Put the remainder of the putter between the skin and the breast meat of the chicken. You may have to use a small knife to help pull the skin apart from the meat. Push down on the skin to more evenly distribute the butter. Sprinkle the top of the chicken evenly with salt and pepper. Place the chicken in the baking dish, breasts up. Cover loosely with foil (don’t press it tightly against the chicken).
5. Bake covered with foil for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for an additional 30 minutes or until the skin is golden brown. During the second half of the baking process, use a spoon or ladle to periodically spoon juices from the chicken in the pan over the top of the chicken to keep it moist. Allow the chicken to rest for 5-10 minutes before carving.

Tips

Save the bones and scraps and boil them. Strain out the bones after a while and you’ll have great stock – much better than store bought!