salt-crusted-chicken.jpgI saw this recipe done on telivision back in November, I tried it this month and was delightfully surprised with how easy and unique this recipe is. Who knew roasting a whole chicken was this fun and easy?

Here is my moist roasted chicken recipe – salt cocoon style

Now don’t be alarmed with the amount of salt the recipe calls for, trust me it’s delicious and not overly salty. You will need the following:

  • 4 cups kosher salt (I used rock salt, the bigger the granules the better!)
  • 1 3lb whole chicken
  • 1 teaspoon of dried thyme
  • 1 lemon, ends trimmed and pierced with a fork
  • 1/2 -1 cup of water
  • Roasting pan & foil

Preheat the oven to 450 and line your roasting pan with foil. Remove giblets and rinse the whole chicken. Pat chicken dry inside and out. Sprinkle the inside of the chicken with the teaspoon of thyme and stuff the whole lemon inside.

Sprinkle a thick layer of salt on the foil, place the chicken breast side down on to the layer of salt. Now cover the entire exposed side of the chicken with the salt, cover all the chicken with salt- pack it on baby! I used a spray bottle to moisten the salt or you can sprinkle water on to the salt to seal the salt cocoon, the water helps to keep the salt in place on the chicken’s surface.

Place the roasting pan in the oven, bake uncovered for about an hour. Don’t worry if the salt becomes charred or dark. After the hour is up remove the chicken from the oven and let it sit for about 10 minutes.

salt-crusted-chicken1.jpgThis is the fun part! After the 10 minutes is up take the roasting pan and gently slam it down on the counter- this is to crack the salt cocoon/ crust. It’s the best part of the cooking process! Now you simply remove the salt crust pieces, you can wipe the chicken with a paper towel if you want. Now the chicken is ready to be consumed and boy is it yummy!

The salt locks in the moisture of the chicken, the lemon and thyme will infuse the chicken with flavor and the salt will keep the chicken from drying out. Plus throwing the roasting pan on to the table/ counter is a great moment if you are entertaining for dinner! :-)

Try it you will like it, it’s my new favorite recipe!