Easy Masala Roast Chicken

A roast chicken is supremely tempting. And yet it can be one the most intimidating things to cook. Reams have been written on how to turn out that perfect, golden bird, plump with delicious promise. So I made an Easy Masala Roast Chicken, an aromatic, spice-infused bird with wonderful crispy- skin wrapped juicy flesh. In this, slightly longish post, I’m sharing how I did it, and how you can too; without the stress and pressure.

Spatchcocking makes cooking Easy Masala Roast Chicken easier

You may have noticed in the photos that my bird is spreadeagled, or in fowl ( no pun intended) terms, spatchcocked or butterflied. The chicken in this way is cooked flat rather than sitting, all trussed-up. That’s what makes this Easy Masala Roast Chicken easy. Spatchcocking is very simple to do – you simply cut out the backbone of the bird, flip it, lay it flat and press down really hard to break the breastbone. The legs are spread to flatten the chicken. 

You can see how to do this and learn more about roasting chicken, here https://www.seriouseats.com/butterflied-roasted-chicken-with-quick-jus-recipe I’ve learnt much about the science of cooking from Kenji-Lopez-Alt and tried spatchcocking after reading his posts which are so easy to follow.

Why spatchcock your chicken

• First, birds vary in size and weight and home ovens do not circulate heat evenly unlike commercial ovens. There are sections that run hotter. So when you roast chicken the conventional way, often some parts get burnt and dry while other parts remain pale. And then there’s the worry if the meat inside is fully cooked. Balancing the oven temperature, evenness of cooking, the internal temperature of the fully cooked chicken (73℃) and getting that perfectly crispy skin is tricky. When you spatchcock your chicken, the top part (with skin) has maximum surface area directly exposed to the oven coils; it crisp up nicely, while the lower portion  on the roasting tin, which is not covered by skin, cooks to a juicy perfection without drying up.
• Spatchcocked chicken doesn’t look pretty, rather it looks like the bird went splat, but it tastes pretty much flawless. The breast meat in the centre cooked in relatively lower heat, remains succulent and soft, while the thighs, which take longer to cook, get higher, direct heat turn out just the way you want them.
• When you spatchcock your chicken, you can be sure of the results, especially if you’re entertaining. There’s no chance of pale, flabby skin and pink, undercooked meat. It doesn’t take hours and cooks hot and fast – 230℃ for about 40-45 minutes. 

Safety standards specify that cooked chicken must have an internal temperature of 73℃ to be safely consumed. A kitchen thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken will prove this. Even if the internal temperature is 65℃ and your chicken looks done, pull it out of the oven and let it rest for 20 minutes. The internal temperature will continue to rise in this period. 

All about brining your chicken

Just like roasting chicken is a whole thing with people trying, testing, inventing and writing about it, so is brining. Brining simply means seasoning and curing the chicken by infusing it with salt and maybe other seasonings. 

Wet brine – some people swear by a wet brine, which is basically a solution of salt and water with or without  herbs, lemon slices, spices etc. The chicken sits in the brine bath for a day or so to absorb the flavour and tenderise for roasting. 

Dry brine – this is a dry, salt rub. The chicken is rubbed all over its skin with salt and left to sit on a wire rack placed in a roasting tin, in the fridge for 24 hours or more. The salt draws out the water, then dissolves in the liquid to season the bird. The skin, devoid or moisture, browns faster and more evenly yielding that crisp, golden skin that everyone likes.

Personally, I prefer dry brining. And to make my Easy Masala Roast Chicken, I dry brined my chicken.

How to spice-up your roast chicken

• I wanted to make my roast chicken for lunch. So, the previous morning I spatchcocked my chicken, dry brined it and let it sit in the fridge till the next morning
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• On the day, I made a masala paste of garlic, green chillies, quite a few curry leaves, some ground spices such as cinnamon, cloves, chilli powder and soft but not melted butter. I also added a little coconut oil for flavour. This paste was made without using any water.
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• Then with my index and middle finger, I loosened the skin, taking care to create space without tearing the skin. Slowly, I pushed little bits of the masala paste under the skin, all over the chicken, as evenly as possible. Then I let the chicken sit in the fridge for a couple of hours, before roasting.
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• I pre-heated the oven to 230℃ for 20 minutes. Rubbed the chicken skin with a little oil and baking powder (it helps the skin brown evenly and become crackly) and roasted it for 45 minutes.

My roast chicken turned out gloriously juicy, well seasoned and best of all, the skin was crisp, golden and all kinds of delicious.