Trussing chicken before roasting allows it to cook evenly.
Brining can mean the difference between a tough, dry roasted chicken and a juicy, flavorful bird. Once practiced only by culinary professionals, brining is, reports "Cook's Illustrated" magazine, making its way into the kitchen of skilled home cooks. When you see how easy it is to make a brine for roasted chicken, and taste the results, you'll never eat unbrined poultry again. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Instructions
1. Pour the water into a large sauce pan or stock pot and place over medium-high heat. Cover the pot and bring the water to a hard boil. Bubbling should be somewhat aggressive.
2. Add the salt to the water and stir to combine. Kosher salt takes a bit longer than table salt to dissolve, but should be invisible in a matter of minutes. Professional chef and author MIchael Ruhlman recommends a ratio of 2 1/2 cups of water to 1 oz. salt as the ideal basic brine.
3. Turn off the heat and allow the brine to cool. When it cools to room temperature, transfer it to the refrigerator. When its temperature drops to 40 degrees, add a whole broiler-frier chicken. Refrigerate the chicken in the brine for 12 hours, then rinse, pat dry, and roast as usual.
Tags: roasted chicken