Laurie Colwin's Roast Chicken

By Pilar Viladas

Updated Nov. 30, 2023

Laurie Colwin's Roast Chicken
Kirsten Luce for The New York Times
Total Time
2 hours 15 minutes
Rating
4(137)
Comments
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Here is a straightforward roast chicken recipe from the writer Laurie Colwin, who swore by simplicity — in the kitchen and in life. Not many people will take the time to stuff and truss a chicken, and Ms. Colwin famously abandoned the practice when she found her child making spider webs with her expensive trussing string. Try the trussing and stuffing sometime, though. A little time, simply spent, rewards with tender meat and a savory stuffing, an easy feast for a night at home.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 13- to 3½-pound chicken
  • 3 to 4cups cubed whole-wheat bread
  • ½cup porcini mushrooms
  • ¼ to ⅓cup broth
  • Salt and fresh ground pepper
  • Paprika
  • 1tablespoon olive oil
  • 1tablespoon melted butter or water or broth for basting
Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Combine bread and mushrooms in a bowl and toss with broth. Season to taste. Stuff chicken and secure with poultry pin or toothpick. Place in roasting pan and sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika. Baste with olive oil. (If desired, surround it with carrots, potatoes, onions, garlic and a red pepper.)

  2. Step 2

    Roast for about 2 hours, basting frequently with melted butter and pan juices. The chicken is done when the leg bone wiggles and the skin is the color of teak.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
137 user ratings
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Comments

Ellen Serber

I lived across the street from Laurie Colvin during our high school years. She was a good friend. It always makes me happy to see her recipes in print.

Linda Criss

"The call comes as new figures show that 44% of people always wash chicken before cooking it – a practice that can spread campylobacter bacteria onto hands, work surfaces, clothing and cooking equipment through the splashing of water droplets."Jun 17, 2014

Tom

The USDA says, "Washing raw poultry, beef, pork, lamb, or veal before cooking it is not recommended. Bacteria in raw meat and poultry juices can be spread to other foods, utensils, and surfaces."

So, yes, it would be a favor to everybody to edit older recipes to reflect the new state of knowledge, since the bacterial situation of the modern chicken has fallen so far.

MJ

Roast chicken is best with some kind of stuffing: it adds flavor and moisture to the bird. Some years ago I switched to stuffing chicken with either lemon or apple. It’s easy, and adds both moisture and flavor to the chicken. Salt and pepper, inside and out. Wash and cut fruit in half lengthwise, then stuff in the cavity. Tie the legs, roast per the recipe or as you prefer. BTW, add any herbs you like, and, yes, the fruit may not fit perfectly. Doesn’t matter: it will still be delish.

Cynthia

One of my favorite authors. Her books and recipes were a great comfort and help to me as a young mother, and still resonate today. I miss her voice.

Patricia Garcia

Unbelievable that no one tried the recipe, and are only concerned about campylobacter bacteria. I am 83yo and have never cooked a chicken that I didn't rinse well before. I cooked chicken (usually 3 per meal) for a family of 7 for many years and never killed any of them...didn't even make them sick. But, I was very practical, and cleaned my sink, hands, etc. before continuing to cook. Common sense is so uncommon these days. It's a shame you can't get past it, to cook this lovely chicken.

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