Roasted chicken

This chicken has a few advantages. It is a roaster. It is brined in a flavorful liquid for an extended period so it retains moisture impressively, the flip side of that is it releases very little liquid, and it has butter with extra flavor placed under its skin.

The brine is mild. 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup salt. 1 oz apple liqueur, 1/2 container frozen apple juice. Fennel, black pepper, chile flakes.

So, simple.

The mixture of herbs in the butter is duplicated in another bowl without butter. The compound butter is applied underneath the skin of the chicken.

Sage, black pepper, lemon zest, crushed garlic.

The duplicate bowl of herbs and lemon zest is is applied to the vegetables in two increments. With oil at the beginning, and at the 20 minute mark when the heat is lowered and the vegetables redistributed, the remaining herb combination is added.

Being a roaster means not being a frier, it means being a few weeks older than a regular chicken and that makes a big difference. The tendons are more developed and so are the bones. The birds are altogether tougher. They are also slightly more flavorful. The skin is strong enough to not tear when the connective tissue is separated and the skin lifted away from the muscle so that compound butter can be distributed between the skin and the meat. 

Compound butter is regular butter with any herb or combination mixed with it. This has sage and black pepper but no salt because of the brine.

Over here, on this stove, today, the bird was roasted uncovered at 450℉for twenty minutes. That was a little too hot, and that is what caused this color.

Then covered and lower at 325℉ until the internal temperature at the thigh is 155-165℉.