Why should I roast a chicken in a crust?
…asks reader Owen — he has a perfectly good roasting pan! That’s a good question. The answer is because, other than being kinda cool, it provides a different flavor and texture compared to conventional roasting. A chicken baked in a salt crust is essentially steamed, which means the meat has a very tender and succulent quality. The salt in the crust also steadily seasons the meat during roasting. It doesn’t season the meat as thoroughly as as a brine will, but it’s a noticeable improvement over standard roasting. Plus maybe not everybody out there has a good roasting pan, Owen! A salt crust gives you a way to roast if all you have in your kitchen is a cookie sheet.
Does a salt crusted chicken taste noticeably salty?
You’d think so but nope, not even as salty as a brined chicken. It’s just…seasoned.
Thanks Mari, a lot of people are wondering that, I’m sure.
– Joe
Hey Joe, intresting idea, although I have to admit
I’m kind of a skin man myself. After all, we eat the
skin when its fried! When I roast a bird, I uncover
the pan, and let the skin get nice and crispy the
last half hour or so. Somtimes even putting the
oven on broil. A lot of the fat melts out this way.
This sounds like a nice change of pace though,
especially visually, when you take the chicken out
of the crust. Hey, maybe you should change your
name to “Joe poultry”. Just kidding.
I’ll think about that, Ben! But yes, I do like the skin of a roast chicken as well. This is just a different effect, along the lines of one of those clay ovens. Joe Poultry indeed…