Salt-Crust Chicken

Name: Salt-Crust Chicken
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Global
Ingredients: 1 chicken, about 3 1/2 pounds; 2 fresh bay leaves; 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled; 4 kilograms kosher salt (three 3-pound boxes); 4 servings Salsa Lucía; 5 fresh thyme sprigs

Salt-Crust Chicken is a gluten free, dairy free, and primal recipe with 4 servings. This recipe covers 7% of your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals. One serving contains 16 calories, 1g of protein, and 0g of fat. If you have chicken, bay leaves, salsa lucía, and a few other ingredients on hand, you can make it. From preparation to the plate, this recipe takes about 45 minutes.

Instructions

Heat an horno or home oven (with the rack positioned in the lower third of the oven) to approximately 500°F.

Equipment you will use

Oven

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.

Ingredients you will need

Whole Chicken

Equipment you will use

Paper Towels

Put the thyme, garlic, and bay leaves in the cavity and truss with kitchen twine.

Ingredients you will need

Bay Leaves

Garlic

Thyme

Equipment you will use

Kitchen Twine

Empty the salt into the sink (or a large basin or bucket if working outdoors).

Ingredients you will need

Salt

Pour 2 cups of water over the salt and, using your hands, toss to combine.

Ingredients you will need

Water

Salt

Add more water as needed, a cup or two at a time, tossing until the mixture has the consistency of damp snow.

Ingredients you will need

Water

Make a 1-inch-deep bed of salt in a roasting pan and tamp it down.

Ingredients you will need

Salt

Equipment you will use

Roasting Pan

Place the chicken in the center. Stick the probe of a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh. Cover the chicken completely with the remaining salt, tamping it down so that it is completely encased.

Ingredients you will need

Meat

Salt

Equipment you will use

Kitchen Thermometer

Transfer the chicken to the oven and roast for 35 to 40 minutes; the internal temperature of the thigh should read 175°F.

Ingredients you will need

Whole Chicken

Equipment you will use

Oven

Spread newspapers on the counter next to the sink.

Ingredients you will need

Spread

Remove the pan from the oven, place on the newspaper, and let rest for 10 minutes (the internal temperature will rise to about 185°F).

Equipment you will use

Oven

Frying Pan

Crack the salt crust with a rolling pin or mallet, lift off the pieces, and discard them. With a pastry brush, brush the remaining salt away from the chicken. Carefully pull off the skin from the breasts and legs. Slice off the breasts from the bone and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Slice the meat from the legs and thighs.

Ingredients you will need

Meat

Bone

Salt

Equipment you will use

Pastry Brush

Rolling Pin

Arrange the meat on a warm platter and spoon the salsa over the chicken.

Ingredients you will need

Meat

Salsa

From Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentine Way by Francis Mallmann. Copyright © 2009 by Francis Mallmann; photography © 2009 by Santiago Solo Monllor. Published by Artisan, a division of Workman Publishing Company.