An appealing alternative
Stop settling for dry rotisserie chicken from grocery store
It happens to all of us. We finish our commute after a long day of work with no idea what to have for dinner. All too often, I pop into the local supermarket and settle on a rotisserie chicken. And I mean settle. Dry, bland, boring. Plus, all that plastic packaging feels wrong. We skip the fried chicken on the “hot bar” for nearly the same reason — unseasoned, dry meat.
This fall, I vow to stock up on fresh chicken parts so I have some on hand for weeknight cooking. I timetested myself: I can roast half a dozen chicken pieces in less than 30 minutes — the same amount of time it takes to drive to the market, pick up a cooked bird and drive back. If I line my roasting pan with foil, the cleanup is barely more than rinsing the plastic containers to recycle.
I’ve gained a lot in those 30 minutes too. The house smells great, the oven warms the room and I have delicious, moist and juicy pieces left over for the next night’s meal.
My absolute favorite cut of chicken? The thigh. The meat has great flavor, stays juicy and reheats well. Thigh meat also tastes terrific pulled into shreds for tacos, sandwiches and salads.
All a chicken thigh needs for a great outcome is a rubdown with seasonings. Salt and fresh pepper yield versatile meat, but employing all the rubs I procure on vacations and at specialty shops keeps things interesting.
You can master fast-roast chicken pieces with just a couple of tries. Then you’ll wonder why you ever settled for supermarket rotisserie chicken.
Fried chicken never goes out of favor — it solves weekday dinner challenges, proves a multigenerational favorite at large gatherings and inspires all manner of innovation. I’m currently crazy about a version I enjoyed at a local sushi spot; the batter was laced with Japanese togarashi spice.