I just stumbled into (by way of extensive trial-and-error) the best roasted chicken I have ever made, and dare I say, one of the best chickens I have ever eaten, and I didn’t even have to deep fry it!

The Penultimate Chicken

(I might try to make one better after this)

1 young/roaster chicken (4 to 4.5-pounds)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small shallot, minced
2 tablespoons Chinese (or dijon) mustard
2 tablespoons Magic Hat #9 (or an IPA… both are light color ales, and you get to drink the rest while you cook!)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon Sriracha
1/2 teaspoon Chinese 5-spice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1. Preheat the oven to 425. Spatchcock (or butterfly, a technique explained below) and rinse the chicken.

2. Combine all other ingredients in a small container with a tight-fitting lid and shake to emulsify.  Turn the bird breast-side down and spread about a third of the mixture inside the bird.

3, Heat a large, oven-safe skillet over high heat (Let it get really hot. I promise it’ll be OK) and put in the bird, spread open, breast side up.  Let it cook 5 minutes in the pan while you rub the remaining mixture on the exposed side of the bird. After 5 minutes, put the whole pan in the oven for 30. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes before carving.

Below is a great instructional video on spatchcocking a chicken, but for this recipe, stop watching at 2:12 or so.  You shouldn’t cut the bird in half.

I just got a package via USPS that takes full advantage of the priority mail boxes that ship at a flat rate regardless of weight. It was a remarkably heavy Æbleskiver pan from Aunt Else. Normally, heavy things are irritating, but with a cast iron pan, it’s fantastic. I know I’m usually one to rail against single-use kitchen gadgets, but this is a keeper.  It’s a high quality product that will last forever. Plus, it does more than just make Danish pancake balls… it makes Japanese pancake balls too! Takoyaki are essentially the same as aebleskiver, but made with octopus instead of apples or other fruit filling common to the Danish variety.

Along with the pan, they included a bag of aebleskiver mix, and an insulated cover for the pan handle, which I’ve been using on my oven-safe skillet as well.

Alright, I won’t leave you hanging, it was love at first (tongue-scalding) bite.  I made a few batches for friends with cocktails this weekend, choosing filling to compliment each drink, and it was a hit.

The technique is not intuitive, but there is an instructional video (below)