Real food. Simple secrets from the pros. By Adam Rapoport


You need to level the playing field and get all those pieces cooking at the same speed. I got this recipe from my friend Mitchell Davis. He’s not a professional chef—and I mean that in a good way. He doesn’t have a team of cooks at his disposal, but he still managed to crank out three great cookbooks from a tiny New York apartment kitchen with a twenty-one-inch stove. And though he can deftly prepare all sorts of highfalutin stuff, what he does best is the kind of hearty, homey, not-exactly-low-cal dishes that he grew up eating.

The trick to his roast chicken is how he starts it off: in a covered pot at a low temperature. This creates a pressure-cooker situation, so the meat essentially steams through, cooking evenly. It’s similar to the technique you’d use on short ribs to achieve that falling-apart tenderness. And that’s how this recipe turns out; the meat comes off the bone with the slightest tug.

While it’s roasting, the bird sits on a bed of onions, which absorb its drippings, turning them sweet, salty, and luscious. I like to think of them as the icing on the cake. Because icing is great and all, you first have to nail the cake itself.



Impossibly Moist Roast Chicken with Melted Onions**

1 Chicken, about 4 pounds

2 Large onions, peeled and chopped


  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees; set the rack at the bottom third.

  2. Rinse the chicken and pat it dry. Take the neck and all that other good stuff out of the cavity, and place the bird in a not-too-big roasting pan with the chopped onions. It should fit relatively snuggly in the pan; this helps prevent the onions from burning or drying out.

  1. Generously salt the bird all over, using more salt than you think you need. "It’s not like you’re salting something at the table," Davis says. "As my mother would always say: Salt it like the road."

  2. Place the bird breast-side down on the onions (this way, the juices run into the breast as the chicken cooks, making it juicier). Cover it tightly with foil or the pot’s lid.

  3. Put the chicken in the oven and cook it covered for 40 minutes.

  4. Turn the temperature up to about 400 degrees and remove the top. Cook for about 15 minutes more, till the skin begins to brown.

  1. Remove the pot from the oven, and with two large spoons (one inserted into the cavity), flip the bird over. Place it back in the oven and roast it for 20 to 30 minutes more, or until the skin is golden and crispy— all told, about one hour and 20 to 30 minutes.

  2. Remove the pan from the oven. Tilt the bird so the cavity’s juices run into the onions. Place the chicken on a plate, cover it loosely with aluminum foil, and let it rest.

  1. Place the roasting pan on the stovetop over medium heat and simmer the onions till they take on the color of applesauce (the ones above aren’t quite there yet), stirring occasionally. If they begin to stick to the bottom of the pan, pour in a little water and scrape the pan.

  2. At this point, you can carve the bird and serve it with the melted onions. But really, the longer the bird sits, the better and moister and tastier it gets. It doesn’t have to be hot; room temperature is great. Make it a couple of hours before dinner, and serve it whenever you’re ready. Don’t expect any leftovers.