Seattlest roasted our first chicken only a year ago, but oh what a year it’s been. Like many in our progressive, nature-loving town, we’ve had our day in the vegetarian camp, but eventually we had to face the facts: from Copper River salmon to Salumi salami, from grease-bombs at Dick’s to the Palace Burger Royale, we love partaking of the flesh. Early spring means Dungeness crab, and summer is synonymous with barbeque; but when the days turn cold and rainy, we turn to roasted chicken. With Thanksgiving fast approaching, turkey may be on our minds, but it is chicken that gets a slot on our daily plates.

Few dishes are simpler or more satisfying, or appear in more cookbooks. But as with many things, the quantity of roasted chicken recipes too often trumps their quality. Our favorite method—and the most astoundingly simple we’ve used—comes courtesy of a very good (and food-savvy) neighbor to the south, and it yields a lip-lickingly luscious chicken, a rare bird indeed. San Francisco’s Zuni Café has long been known for roasting tender, succulent chickens, and thanks to the Zuni Café Cookbook, Seattlest now is too. The method rests on three requirements: a small chicken, advance salting, and high heat. Using a small bird ensures that it will roast quickly and evenly at high heat, making for a golden, glassy-skinned result; and salting at least 24 hours in advance—a dry equivalent of brining—yields wondrously juicy, tasty, and tender meat. If you have a hot oven, a sturdy pan, and plenty of salt, oh Seattle, what a season it will be.

Simplest Roasted Chicken
Adapted from The Zuni Café Cookbook, by Judy Rodgers

Take care to wash your hands and all work surfaces well after handling raw poultry.

One small chicken, about 3 to 3 ¾ pounds
4 sprigs fresh thyme, rosemary, or sage, each about 3 inches long
Fine sea salt, about ¾ tsp per pound of chicken
About ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

One to two days before roasting, season the chicken. First, remove and discard any giblets or lumps of fat stashed inside the cavity. Rinse the chicken, and thoroughly pat it dry inside and out with paper towels. Place the chicken breast side up in an 8- or 9-inch square glass or ceramic dish. Approaching from the edge of the cavity, slip a finger under the skin of each breast, making two small pockets. Slide an herb sprig into each pocket, and place the other two sprigs inside the cavity. Season the chicken liberally all over with salt and pepper, using your hands to massage the spices into the skin, concentrating more on the meaty breasts and thighs than the bony wings and ankles. Sprinkle a bit of salt inside the cavity. Tuck the wing tips behind the shoulders, cover the chicken with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 24-48 hours.

To roast the chicken, preheat the oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit. Choose a shallow, flameproof roasting pan or dish barely larger than the chicken; a 9- or 10-inch cast iron skillet is perfect. Preheat the pan on the stovetop over medium heat. Wipe the chicken dry with paper towels, and set it breast side up in the pan. It should sizzle. Place the pan in the middle of the oven, and listen and watch for the chicken to sizzle and start browning within 20 minutes. The skin should blister a bit, but it shouldn’t blacken or smoke; if it does, reduce the oven temperature by 25 degrees. Conversely, if the chicken isn’t browning, raise the temperature by 25 degrees. After about 30 minutes, gently turn the bird over. Roast for another 15-20 minutes, depending on size, then flip it back breast side up for another 5-10 minutes. Total roasting time will be 50 minutes to an hour.

Remove the chicken from the oven, transfer it to a cutting board or plate, and allow it to rest for 10-20 minutes before cutting it into pieces.

Serves 3-4, with plenty of bones left over for making stock.