New Kitchen Gadget

A couple months ago I got an email from Williams Sonoma that they had Staub Vertical Chicken Roasters on sale. I ordered it, but it was back ordered. It took a couple of months for it to show up, but it finally did. We laughed so hard at it we almost couldn't get it into the oven.

Before we put it on the roaster with my husband's hat (remove before cooking!), I brined a 4 lb. chicken in salted water with a bay leaf, peppercorns, garlic cloves (I didn't bother peeling them, I just cut them in half and added them), a lemon cut in half, a few sprigs of fresh thyme, and a sprig of parsley. I brined it for about 12 hours. Then I took it out of the brine and let it sit, uncovered, in the fridge for about 12 hours.

I preheated the oven to 450, put the chicken on the roaster, took it's hat off, and put it in the oven for 20 minutes. Then I turned the temperature down to 425 and continued roasting until it was done, about 40 minutes more. I basted it a couple of times with the juices that collected in the roaster.

The chicken was done perfectly, cooked all the way through but still very juicy and tender.