Excerpt
Recipe:
Herb-Roasted Chicken with Lemon and SageServes 4 1 (3- to 3 1/2-pound) whole chicken, patted dry with paper towels
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1 bunch of fresh sage leaves (about 1/2 cup)
2 teaspoons kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 medium carrots, peeled and halved crosswise (for whole chicken only), optional
3 celery stalks, cut crosswise into thirds (for whole chicken only), optional
1 large onion, peeled and cut into large chunks (for whole chicken only), optional
for a whole chicken 1. Put the chicken in a large bowl. Add the oil, lemon, and sage; toss well. Cover
tightly and transfer to the refrigerator to marinate for 24 hours.
2. The next day, let the chicken stand at room temperature for 30 minutes while
the oven preheats to 450°F.
3. Sprinkle the chicken inside and out with the seasoning. Remove the lemon
slices and sage from the marinade and stuff them inside the chicken cavity. Scatter the carrots, celery, and onion, if using, over the bottom of a roasting pan. Pour just enough water into the pan to cover the bottom. Arrange the chicken, breast side up, on top of the vegetables, if desired, or place the chicken on a roasting rack over the vegetables.
4. Transfer the pan to the center oven rack; roast for 20 minutes. Baste with the
pan juices, and continue roasting, basting once or twice, for 25 minutes more
(if the chicken is not golden brown all over at this point, continue to cook for 10 more minutes).
5. Reduce the heat to 325°F. Finish roasting, without basting, until an instantread
thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F, 20 to 25 minutes longer. Let the chicken stand for 5 minutes before carving. Serve with the pan juices and vegetables, if desired.
Excerpted from Bromberg Bros. Blue Ribbon Cookbook by Bruce Bromberg, Eric Bromberg, and Melissa Clark; Photographs by Quentin Bacon. Copyright © 2010 by Bruce Bromberg, Eric Bromberg, and Melissa Clark; Photographs by Quentin Bacon. Excerpted by permission of Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.