Brined Roast Chicken With Vegetables

Brined Roast Chicken With Vegetables

Recipe source : Adapted from Williams-Sonoma

Turkey is popular and is the preferred choice for Christmas celebrations. However, cooking a turkey would be too big for a small family. We would have to settle for a smaller bird and chicken would be the best choice for us.

Last Christmas my friend prepared a brined roast chicken which was very delicious. She told me to just soak the chicken in brine before roasting. Sounded very simple and I wanted to try it. However, time flies and one full year had gone by while I procrastinated. But then again, come to think of it, the time is just right to roast this for Christmas!

Despite soaking the bird with so much salt in the water, the chicken was not overly salty. The skin was very crispy while the meat was juicy and tasted just right and fragrant. The vegetables were exceptionally sweet, the type of natural sweetness which left us wanting more!

Ingredients

1 plump chicken
1 cup sea salt
1000 ml hot water
3000 ml cold water
2 tbsp unsalted butter
Freshly ground pepper
4 fresh thyme sprigs
4 fresh rosemary sprigs
1 yellow onion, cut into quarters
1 small carrot, cut into pieces
1 small radish, cut into pieces

Rosemary

Thyme

Method

1.  In a large plastic container or a stainless steel pot large enough to hold the chicken, stir and dissolve the sea salt with hot water. Add in the cold water and stir. Rinse the chicken, then submerge it in the brine. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 4 hours or more. 
2.  Preheat oven to 200 degree C.
3.  Remove the chicken from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Rub with unsalted butter and season inside and out with pepper.
4.  Place the thyme and rosemary sprigs into the chicken cavity.
5.  Place the chicken on its side on a rack and roast for 30 minutes.
6.  Turn over to the other side and roast for another 30 minutes.
7.  While chicken is roasting, prepare the radish, onion and carrot. Add a sprig or two of rosemary and thyme to the vegetables. Toss the vegetables with 2 tbsp cooking oil and season with pepper and salt. 
8.  Place vegetables into roasting pan. Remove chicken from rack and place chicken on its back on top of the vegetables and continue to roast for a further 20 minutes. Rotate the chicken so that its back faces up and roast for another 20 minutes to ensure even roasting all over.
9.  The skin should be crisp and brown. 

 I am submitting this post to Cook & Celebrate Christmas 2014

Organised by Yen from Eat your heart out, Diana from Domestic Goddess Wannabe and 

Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids

 

I am also linking this post to MTR # 4 Ho Ho Ho It's Christmas time ( Dec 2014 )

Hosted by Miss B of Everybody Eats Well In Flanders

and co-hosted by Charmaine of Mimi Bakery House