Sammy Hagar Roasts a Mean Chicken
I was just reading an interview in Rolling Stone with “Red Rocker” Sammy Hagar and he loves to cook as much as I do. I have roasted many chickens in my time, but never like the one Sammy describes in the interview. Below, is an excerpt from Sam’s interview where he describes the recipe. I’m going to give this a run this weekend and report back on Monday.
I roast a mean chicken. I had a book called Are We Having Any Fun Yet? There’s a recipe in there called Antonio’s Chicken. It’s the simplest thing in the world. You just take the chicken and you just kind of smash it down, the whole chicken, you push the breast down and flatten it out, just a little bit. Don’t cut it open. Leave it whole. Wash it, dry it, squeeze lemon juice all over it, put salt and pepper in the cavity, and rub oil or butter if you want — I’m an olive oil guy — on the outside.
Heat your oven as far as it will go: 500/550. And make sure it is 100 percent ready to go. Put that thing in a pan in the oven, shove it in, and leave it there for 45 minutes. Don’t even look at it. You’re going to freak out if you look at it. It’s bubbling up. “It’s going to burn!” It ain’t gonna burn.
Then turn it down to 175 for another 45 minutes. You can leave it, though, after that. You can leave it for five hours and it won’t dry out because 175 doesn’t cook it anymore, but it keeps it the right temperature so the moisture stays in and the skin stays crunchy. And you pull that fucker out when you’re ready and you don’t even have to use a knife. You just peel the leg off and it’ll pop right out. That’s the best chicken in the world. Take the juice in the bottom, put a tiny bit of wine over the top of it, and I’m telling you. That’s it. That’s the best chicken in the world.
Bon Appetit
