A Roast Chicken

Chicken is an everyman’s meat. As a matter of taste, chicken seems to be a neutral but tasty piece of meat that most people would eat. I recall a phone conversation with a friend who called to tell me about the new love in her life -- who is a vegetarian; despite being really delighted for her, I chimed that there was a high probability that I would never date a vegetarian since I simply love my food too much and I could not imagine not sharing a meal that never involved a dead carcass. The voice on the other side of the line echoed back, “Yes, to a certain extent I understand, I love chicken. I really do love my chicken. It might make my taste buds sound like those of a peasant, but I really love my chicken. I really do.” Bless that silly friend of mine, chicken is a wonderful bird that almost everyone enjoys, it does not make any of us better or worse than others.



Ingredients:
¼ cup sugar
½ cup plus 1 tsp salt
1 whole chicken
juice of 2-3 limes
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 large clove, minced
¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
1 tbsp red pepper flakes
½ cup canola oil

Directions:

(Start the day before)
Fill a large pot with 4 liters of water, ¼ cup of sugar and ½ cup of salt. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Let it cool completely.

Add the chicken to brine, cover, and refrigerate for 6 hours.

Heat oven to 250 degree Celsius

Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry, roast for 45minutes or until the skin is crisp.

While roasting chicken prepare the vinaigrette for the chicken –

Whisk together the lime juice, fish sauce, garlic, red pepper flakes, cilantro and salt. Then add oil in a slow stream, whisking until combined.

Pour the vinaigrette over the chicken and serve. (It might be a better idea to serve the sauce on the side)

* Slightly Adapted from, Ruth Reichl (ed), “Foolproof Grilled Chicken”, in The Gourmet Cookbook: More than 1000 recipes, (New York: Condé Nast Publications, 2004), 363-364