In the original Joy of Cooking, Irma Rombauer wrote, "The chicken is a world citizen." Those words of wisdom have certainly withstood the test of time. They may even be truer today than they were in 1931. The draw of chicken is obvious: it's low fat, inexpensive, and easy to prepare--yet it can also be so... dull. As the star of its own volume in Joy's All About series, it truly shines.
1 whole chicken (about 3 1/2 pounds) or 2 rock Cornish hens (at least 1 1/2 pounds each)
Duxelles, or Spinach-Ricotta Stuffing (recipes follow)
1 to 2 tablespoons melted butter
Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Remove the neck and giblets from chicken, then rinse and pat dry.
Prepare Duxelles or Spinach-Ricotta Stuffing.
Butterfly the bird(s). Inserting your hand at the wing end of the breast, loosen the skin over the breast and around the thigh and drumstick. Generously pack the stuffing under the skin, first pushing it over the drumstick and thigh and then over the breast*. Cut a 1/2-inch slit in the skin on either side of the breast, about 1 inch from the tip, and slip the end of 1 drumstick into each opening. Smooth the stuffing with your hands to give the bird(s) a plump but natural shape. Place the bird(s) skin side up on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Brush with the melted butter.
Roast until the thickest part of the thigh exudes clear juices when pricked deeply with a fork and registers 170 to 175 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, 45 to 50 minutes for the chicken, 25 to 30 minutes for the hens.
*PLACING STUFFING UNDER THE SKIN Stuffing placed between the skin and breast meat of a bird flavors it and helps keep it moist while cooking. Fine-textured stuffings work best. They are easy to handle when stuffing and easy to carve through when cooking is done.
Easing in your hand at the neck end of the bird, loosen the skin over the breast and around the thigh and drumstick. Move as far down the breast as you can go without tearing the skin.
Pack the stuffing evenly down the length and across the width of the breast, wrapping the flap of the skin at the neck end of the bird over the stuffing.
