Blasted Chicken - Against the "rules" but it works

[andiesenji]

I have long wanted to know how you discovered this method for cooking chicken. It seems to go against the traditional "rules" for cooking chicken, however it turns out perfect every time.

I think it is brilliant!

Here is the link to the directions. So simple it is virtually foolproof.

Sara's Classic Blasted Chicken

I was skeptical at first but once I tried it I was a convert. In spite of the residual mess in the oven!

Having a stainless steel oven interior is decidedly an asset now. My old oven was difficult to clean but the results were worth it.

I discovered that if I use a broiler pan with a slotted insert, potato wedges placed in the pan under the slotted insert, become nicely baked, browned and flavored with chicken fat. (High calorie but delicious.)

Edited January 22, 2006 by andiesenji (log)

[Sara Moulton]

I learned how to cook chicken this way when I worked in restaurants. It was one of the items we prepared often for staff meal which we had around 5pm before service. In many restaurants the ovens are turned to one temperature during service - high (500 F) and you don't touch that dial. So we would get these little chickens, season them up, rub them with oil and just throw them in the oven, no trussing, no fussing, no basting and they came out beautifully crispy.

However one vey important thing to rememeber (besides starting with a clean oven): They must rest, sit on the counter covered loosely with foil, for 15 minutes before carving because the juices need to redistribute before you carve the chickens. I think that is one of the biggest problems at thanksgiving - people pull that big bird out of the oven and immediately start hacking away at it which means that all the juices come streaming out and you have a dry bird.

[andiesenji]

That makes sense. I often prepare it when baking bread. I have a commercial (Blodgett) oven and crank it up to a high temp for baking sourdough, rustic type loaves or pizza, etc., and put the chickens in after the bread is done.

I always allow anything roasted in the oven to coast for thirty minutes, I learned that a long, long time ago.

I grew up in the south and roast chicken was a Sunday regular but it was roasted in a covered pan and the cover removed part way through for browning. It always seemed to produce a lot of liquid but these were older and larger birds and it took much longer.

The higher temp, shorter time produces a better result, in my opinion.

[MarketStEl]

Didn't the Food Network have a show once called Food 911?

I could have used a quick call-in -- maybe to Cooking Live -- when I tried Blasted Chicken for the first time tonight.

I had a 7-pound Oven Stuffer at the ready, liberally sprinkled with barbecue seasoning, seasoned salt and black pepper.

I put it in the 450F oven, added a side dish of scalloped potatoes 45 minutes later, and pulled the bird out after an hour while to let it sit while the potatoes finished cooking.

I guess I should have shoved it back in the oven the moment I noticed the juices inside the bird weren't running clear. It turns out the chicken was OK up top but underdone on the bottom.

Can this be fixed after you've cut through the bird?

BTW, the part that was cooked tasted great.

[andiesenji]

It works best with smaller birds - the largest I do this way are 4 pounds or less.

I also tried it with duck, when I had a couple of small ones and wanted the bones and "remainders" for duck stock. I just wanted the meat cooked enough to pull off the carcass easily. It was very good.

[Sara Moulton]

Barbara Kafka came out with a great book about 10 years ago called, "Roasting," and she addressed the high heat recipe for every size and kind of meat. I remember Barbara cooking a 12 pound turkey on good morning america during the course of the show in 1 1/2 hours.

The recipe I had in my book was for a 3 1/2 pound chicken which you cook in a 450 F. oven for 45 minutes and then let rest for 15 before carving. A larger roast would take longer. You would have to refer to her book.

I remember when we did that roast on GMA, Julia Child happened to watch and called me up afterwards to express her incredulity. When she tried it her kitchen smoked up (= stove not impeccably clean) and she did not approve.

[srhcb]

Julia Child happened to watch and called me up afterwards to express her incredulity. When she tried (Blasted Chicken) her kitchen smoked up (= stove not impeccably clean) and she did not approve.

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Julia and I had the same problem! I fell lots better now.

SB (has used the procedure successfully many times since)(after cleaning the oven)

[John DePaula]

I remember a related article from Cook's Illustrated (March/April 2000) High-Roast Chicken Perfected. Very informative piece describing this technique; a favorite of mine.

Love your work, Sara. And I love that you always answer questions in a kind a thoughtful way. Looking forward to seeing you on PBS!

[MarketStEl]

Julia Child happened to watch and called me up afterwards to express her incredulity. When she tried (Blasted Chicken) her kitchen smoked up (= stove not impeccably clean) and she did not approve.

←

Julia and I had the same problem! I fell lots better now.

SB (has used the procedure successfully many times since)(after cleaning the oven)

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That makes three of us, though my kitchen is such that when the oven starts to smoke, it fills the apartment.

Guess I need to clean my oven again.

[andiesenji]

one of the reasons I had a super-duty exhaust system installed when I remodeled - the smoke alarms kept sounding off.