Roast Chicken a la Jacques Pepin

[ChrisSmolinski]

Another great LCHF (Low Carb High Fat) meal choice!

Make a brine for your chicken:
Water
Salt (1/4 to 1/2 cup)
Black pepper corns
Ground black pepper
Garlic powder or chopped garlic
Onion powder or chopped onions
Crushed Cayenne pepper.
Assorted herbs, I like to add some Italian seasoning.

Brine your chicken in the fridge for at least 6 hours, maybe a day if you can.

Preheat oven to 425F (or use 400F convection, which is what I did here, which helped produce a nice crispy skin).

Remove from brine, drain and rinse off to remove excess salt from the chicken.

Put in a roasting pan or even a large oven safe frying pan.

Roast until the white meat is 165F and the dark meat is 170F.

Rest for 10-15 minutes, then carve and enjoy!

[MDK2]

How long in the oven?

[ChrisSmolinski]

How long in the oven?

Roast until the white meat is 165F and the dark meat is 170F.

I know... I know... you wanted a time. But that's the wrong way to cook meat  

For reference as to how long before dinner to start cooking, it took about 90 minutes in my case. But please don't go by that. It varies depending on the geometry of the chicken (size/weight), your oven, the phase of the moon, etc.

Don't go by X minutes + Y minutes per pound either. Nor by those silly popup things. I think they are mostly in turkeys, but they might have infiltrated into the chicken market as well.

[MDK2]

A ballpark figure is never incorrect. 

[skeezix]

When I grill/smoke, I don't go by time at all. I tried that and it either is undercooked or overcooked. The best way is with an accurate thermometer.

I picked up a thermometer that has 6 probes and shoves data to a server somewhere. I can screw around and not worry about things until I see the meat getting to the desired temp. Or, I obsess over watching the temperature graph....

Regardless, things can come out right on the money and safe.  I've made meatballs on the pellet grill and the first time without the thermometer, they came out overcooked. When using the thermometer they come out juicy & stunningly perfect. Can monitor four of them (use two probes for the ambient chamber temp in two locations, or can forgo those and measure six meatballs).

Made chicken kabobs on the Weber grill yesterday and didn't use it, other than measuring the temp of the Weber. Used the Thermapen for measuring the larger pieces.


As Chris said, forget the time. Get a decent and reliable thermometer and do it right.

[Fansome]

www.thermapen.com

When I grill/smoke, I don't go by time at all. I tried that and it either is undercooked or overcooked. The best way is with an accurate thermometer.

I picked up a thermometer that has 6 probes and shoves data to a server somewhere. I can screw around and not worry about things until I see the meat getting to the desired temp. Or, I obsess over watching the temperature graph....

Regardless, things can come out right on the money and safe.  I've made meatballs on the pellet grill and the first time without the thermometer, they came out overcooked. When using the thermometer they come out juicy & stunningly perfect. Can monitor four of them (use two probes for the ambient chamber temp in two locations, or can forgo those and measure six meatballs).

Made chicken kabobs on the Weber grill yesterday and didn't use it, other than measuring the temp of the Weber. Used the Thermapen for measuring the larger pieces.


As Chris said, forget the time. Get a decent and reliable thermometer and do it right.

[ChrisSmolinski]

www.thermapen.com

$99 ?!?!

Does it carve for you also?

Plus I don't see any knobs.

[skeezix]

$99 ?!?!

Does it carve for you also?

Plus I don't see any knobs.

No carving, no knobs. But, its metal probe does rotate (does that count?).

Most importantly, its calibrated with traceability back to NIST. The only improvement I'd have for it, is for it to periodically calibrate itself to WWVB/WWV/WWVH.



P.S. Jacques Pepin is awesome. If I could study under one person, it would be him.

[Fansome]

Yuk it up, clowns. They laughed at Escoffier too.

www.thermapen.com

$99 ?!?!

Does it carve for you also?

Plus I don't see any knobs.

[Pigmeat]

www.thermapen.com

$99 ?!?!

Does it carve for you also?

Plus I don't see any knobs.

He goes to the Hollow Earth last week, hang's out with JFK and Marilyn Monroe, and now he's cooking expert. Sheesh!

I use the "Fork Method". Stick a fork in it when looks about done close to the bone, if it comes out easily it's done. If not, cook it a few more minutes until it does. It hasn't killed me yet.

Thermometers! You're trying to cook it, not checking if it's running a fever! Grandma would've bopped the bunch of you in the head with a cast iron skillet and flung you and your thermometers out the window.