The Best Roast Chicken You'll Eat Today

Before I roast a chicken I soak it in vinegar for 10 minutes.  Have for years.  It started a while back when I read this book, and the Italian guy said he always does it.  I tend to listen to Italian people in the kitchen.  

After it sits I rinse the chicken & pat it dry.  I like to put different things under the skin, but even if I don't I still separate the skin away from the meat.  I think it helps the skin get crispy because of the air pocket it creates.  Today I put sage leaves and thin slices of lemon under the skin, then covered with olive oil & SnP.  For the first half of the cooking I roast it breast down, then when I turn the heat up I flip the bird.  It helps the white meat stay nice & in the end the skin is still pretty.  Which matters.  A lot!  We eat with our eyes first.  

Also, the apples and focaccia DID end up together! 

 I made a quick veg saute, then added the focaccia until it began to brown on the corners.  A little wine deglazed the pan, and then I scooped it into the hollowed apples.  

 I think apples are amazing when prepared savory and not sweet.  Cider gravy was my first revelation of this a few Thanksgivings ago.  

I served the apples and chicken with a marinated celery salad.  I really enjoy celery salads and cucumber salads.  They are so often passed over, as toppings for a lettuce.  But all you have to do is slice them thinly, and then let them sit in a simple vinaigrette while you make the rest of your meal.

It's such a straightforward thing, roast chicken.  Yet if you do it poorly you hate it.  However...if you do it well, it may just become your favorite comfort food.