FEAST ON THIS
Sheet pan makes juicy roasted chicken in a snap.
I cook for others all week long — on the job and then at home. On Sundays, I cook what I want to eat. I crave simple food, so my day doesn’t center on the kitchen. I choose (mostly) ordinary ingredients that don’t break the bank or require multiple store visits, but still deliver value and comfort. Ever the planner, I prepare enough food at once to ensure I have leftovers to tote for lunch and a second dinner.
More often than not, a hot oven factors into these dinners. Ditto for a sturdy, rimmed baking sheet large enough to hold dinner for four. My favorite is light-colored (to prevent over-browning of foods) and nonstick (for easy cleanup). Often called a half-sheet pan or a jelly-roll pan, the most versatile size is about 18 by 13 inches with sides about 1-inch high. No stress if yours measures slightly different.
Usually, chicken fills the pan — cut-up parts rubbed generously with warm spices. I tuck plenty of vegetables around the parts to soak up the juices and transform into meltingly tender goodness.
Spatchcocked chickens (whole splayed-open chickens with their backbones removed) garner lots of attention on the internet for their dramatic appearance. The once-ubiquitous “cut-up whole chicken” not so much. Nor is it readily available in the supermarket. These days, drumsticks, thighs, breasts, even wings, are sold in separate packages. Mix and match as you see fit.
Wholec hickens typically cost less than cut-up parts. It’s easy to use kitchen shears to cut out the back bone and then a large chef ’s knife to split the bird in half through the breast bone. I find split chicken easier to work with than spatchcocked with all the juicy, tasty advantages of having the bones and skin. Alternatively, ask the butcher to remove the backbone and split (or quarter) the chicken.
Do save the backbones — they make “free broth” (that is, you already paid for the bones; it costs you nothing more to make broth). I freeze them until I have two or more, then make a light chicken broth that’s suitable for cooking rice, or as the base of a soup or sauce. Simply simmer the backbones (or wing tips or necks) in a small pot with water to cover by 2 inches. Heat to a boil; reduce to low, and simmer uncovered for about 45 minutes. Then cool and strain. Freeze in 1-cup containers for easy use later.
Brining chickens in a salt and sugar solution before roasting keeps the meat moist. A Greek yogurt marinade does this trick as well. I heavily season the yogurt with spices and garlic — in this case, black garlic, also known as fermented garlic. It’s super mild, shockingly black and aromatic. I like the “Japanese aomorie” version imported from Japan and sold at Trader Joe’s. It’s nicely bitter, a tiny bit sweet and easy to peel. If using ordinary fresh garlic, cut the quantity down by about one-third.
Two hours in this mix proves sufficient to add flavor and moistness to the chicken. Shake the chicken to remove most of the marinade and place the pieces on the baking sheet. I roast the chicken a few minutes to facilitate skin browning, then add the vegetables and dot the bird with a garlicky-herb butter.
When everything is tender, serve the chicken with the vegetables. A scoop of coconut rice makes quick work of any juices on your plate.
Leftover chicken can be shredded to top salads. Reheat leftover vegetables and rice together in a bowl. Serve topped w ith a fried egg for ad elicious, fast and economical weeknight dinner.