Crisp-Skin High-Roast Butterflied Chicken with Potatoes

This is a combination of two America’s Test Kitchen recipes.  I butterflied the chicken and then used a baking powder rub and let the chicken sit naked in the fridge for 24 hrs. I really wanted to try the crispy skin but I didn’t want to brine it like the recipe said. I also watch a video on ATK on using baking powder and the chemical reaction it does on the chicken, but darn if I can find anything on their website.  I never butterflied a chicken before so I found a video on YouTube and was easily enough to follow. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-8tMEwBnSA.   The potatoes on the bottom were amazing. They were crisp and had the flavoring from the drippings of the chicken.  The potatoes not only work as a tasty side dish, it also works to trap the grease so it doesn’t start smoking in the oven. Though I did have some the second time and might have set the smoke alarm off.  My cat, Jasper, thought the world was ending.

This dish is made on a broiler pan. I happen to find one in the pull out drawer of the oven otherwise I have never worked with one before.  You should look in yours to see if it came with one. You lay your chicken on top and you line the bottom pan with tinfoil and lay your potatoes out in an even layer. The potatoes are cut very thin so they get cooked in time with the chicken, sliced 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. I use a mandolin to get them uniform. You can use a knife, just pay attention and take your time.  The only problem is the potatoes on the edges get really brown because the drippings don’t spread out the far, so you can imagine how good the middles ones are. The chicken is cooked at a high temp. This is another element that helps with the crisping. Since it is butterflied, it helps it cook even and you don’t have to flip it.  You’ll see extra fatty skin areas like along the thigh and breast area just cut little slits in the skin, not the meat. This allows the fat to drip off into the bottom instead of sitting between the skin and chicken and that’s just one more element to making it crispy. You can start to hear it sizzle in oven which can create a bit of panic and you’re afraid you might burn it. It doesn’t though; it does what it’s supposed to do, get crispy.  Once everything is done you let the chicken rest. You should do that with any meat you cook. It lets the juices redistribute throughout and that’s how you get your juicy meat.  I let it set about 10 mins the first time and it was perfect, the second time I didn’t let it sit enough and I could tell it wasn’t as juicy as the first time. I also bought the chicken when it was on sale at my local grocery store with a smile in every aisle. It is called a fryer or young whole bird or both.  Make sure you remove the stuff inside the bird, rinse and pat dry. Cleanliness is a huge factor when working with chicken. Remember to wash your hands when you are done with the chicken and moving on to something else. A great tip is to keep your cutting boards separate, one for meat and one for veggies/fruit to prevent cross contamination. Always cook your chicken to 160-165, use a meat thermometer and stick in the thickest part which is usually the thigh or breast area.

Ingredients

1 Whole chicken, 3-1/2 to 4 1/2lbs

2-1/2 lbs Russet potatoes (4 to 5 medium), or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick
Vegetable cooking spray (nonstick)
1-1/2 Tbsp Olive oil
3/4 tsp Table salt (for potatoes)
Ground black pepper

Butter  (optional)

Baking Powder Rub

1 tbsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp black pepper

Preparation

1. Line the bottom of your broiler pan with foil. Butterfly chicken, flatten and remove breastbone. Run your hands under the skin and loosen it from the chicken. Rub Baking Powder Rub all over the chicken and sit it on the broiler pan with the bottom under because it will leak and the bottom pan will catch it. Let it sit naked for at least 24hrs and let science do its work.

2. 24hrs later adjust your oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees.Cut little slits in the fatty skin along the thigh and leg, you can apply butter (if using) under the skin, and position chicken on broiler pan rack; thoroughly pat dry with paper towels.
3. Toss potatoes with 1 tablespoon oil, salt, and pepper to taste in medium bowl.  Spread potatoes in even layer in foil-lined, spray with nonstick vegetable cooking spray, broiler pan bottom. Place broiler pan rack with chicken on top. Rub chicken with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil and sprinkle with pepper.
4. Roast chicken until spotty brown, about 20 minutes. Rotate pan and continue to roast until skin has crisped and turned a deep brown and an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees in thickest part of breast, 20 to 25 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to cutting board. Let it rest! With potholders, remove broiler pan rack; soak up excess grease from potatoes with several sheets paper towels. Remove foil liner with potatoes from broiler pan bottom and invert foil and potatoes onto cookie sheet or second cutting board. Carefully peel back foil, using a metal spatula to help scrape potatoes off foil as needed. With additional paper towels, pat off remaining grease. Cut chicken into serving pieces and serve with potatoes.

Remember that this is a combination America Test Kitchen Recipes that I did to get the results I wanted.  The skin on the chicken was sooo crispy and the meat was moist and flavorful. The potatoes were amazing so tender, it melts in your mouth. There is a similar recipe in the latest Every Day Food that I want to try and see what I like better.  I hope you enjoy my first post!
Inspired by America's Test Kitchen High Roast Chicken