A glorious roasted chicken with crackling, bronze skin covering tender, succulent meat that falls easily off the bone.
Lucky Peach’s Lacquered Roast Chicken
This recipe produces a bird with preternaturally moist meat and crisp skin, a snap to prepare by simply coating with spices and honey then roasting until lacquered and irresistible. Adapted from Lucky Peach Presents 101 Easy Asian Recipes by Peter Meehan and the Editors of Lucky Peach Magazine.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken (3 to 4 pounds)
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp kosher salt
Directions
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, set a rack inside it and place the chicken on the rack. Stir together the honey and soy sauce until the honey dissolves. Using a pastry brush, coat the chicken with a thin, even layer of the mixture. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes to let the skin dry slightly, then brush again with all of the remaining lacquer. Sprinkle with the salt and refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 12 hours and up to 2 days. Don’t worry if some of the marinade drips off.
- Between 30 minutes and one hour before you want to roast the chicken, remove it from the refrigerator and replace the foil under the rack to minimize the burning of glaze that has dripped off. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Roast the chicken for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 F, the skin is mahogany and the legs wiggle freely at their joints, like you could almost tear them off. If the skin darkens too quickly, tent with foil and continue roasting. Let rest for 15 minutes before carving.
- Depending on the size of the chicken you use, this bird should roast for 50 minutes to a little over an hour. Take a peek about a half hour or so after it goes into the oven, and then periodically to make sure it is not browning too quickly. If it is at any point, tent the bird with foil. To test whether it’s done, use an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature at the thickest part of the breast and where the thigh meets the breast: When it reaches 165 F, it’s done. If you don’t have a thermometer, roast the bird until the skin is mahogany and the legs wiggle very freely at their joints. Or snip the skin between the thigh and breast: If the liquid runs clear, it’s done.