Dependables

There are certain things in life that you should always be able to depend on to be there for you.  To be able to pull out in a moment's notice, to never fail, and to make you look like pretty much a rock star upon completion every time.  They are those things that once you find them, you can stop looking for anything else similar because your dependable is basically untouchable.  It's like when you find them you almost want to exhale that huge sigh of relief because it's just going to be another thing that is going to make your life so much better.  I love to gain dependables in my life and when one comes along it is the most amazing feeling.  I have "back pocket dependable" recipes for banana bread, chocolate chip cookies, basic tomato sauce and probably 20 other different things but a few weeks ago I added a very big one to the pile:  the most perfect roast chicken.  There is something about cooking roasted chicken that feels extremely homey and domesticated from the savory smells that whiff through the house, to the long-ish, drawn out cooking time, to the classic feel of the meal as you are eating it.  Come on, can I paint an even more "pro roast chicken" picture then I'm doing right now?  


I came across this recipe for Honey-and-Lemon-Glazed Roast Chicken from an old Food and Wine Magazine a couple of weeks ago when I was in the mood for chicken one night and have already made it twice.  The sweet-salty-acidic combination in the glaze of lemons, honey and soy sauce is amazing and I loved the idea of the high to low cook temperature technique in the recipe.  I promise you, this is one roast chicken recipe that you will always be able to depend on. 

Note:  The recipe calls for small 3 pound chickens.  I like to use larger chickens (5-7 pounds each) that tend to have more meat on them.  I just extended my cooking time longer at both temps and checks the bird's internal temperature to make sure they were done.  I also like to roast my chickens onto of a bed of veggies that are not so much to eat but because they add tremendous flavoring to the stock that I've made after with the carcasses and such.  Oh and one more thing - if the bird that you're roasting has one of those plastic pop up timers, please pull it out beforehand or ignore the purpose of it.  I know more disasters that have come out of it because call me silly but there is no way that little thing can predict proper temperatures and such.