Crispy Roast Chicken with Spicy Plum Sauce

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I know we’re not quite in Sunday roast territory yet. It’s currently 30° C here and I’m happy to bask in it. I am by no means trying to show summer the door. But I am starting to feel the tug of the comfort foods I left back in April. You know, plates of pasta, rich aromatic soups, a simple roast with lots of mashed potatoes? So, I decided to brave the hot oven and make this Crispy Roast Chicken with Spicy Plum Sauce. See? I at least stayed seasonal with the plums. And if you’re not ready to roast a chicken yet, I get it. Go throw another burger on the barbie and live your summer fantasy. But trust me, fall is coming and when it gets here, you’ll be happy this chicken is waiting for you. 

The first thing we’re going to do is dry brine our chicken. This is the first step towards crispy skin excellence. I love a good dry brine because it achieves the aims of brining without water logging your chosen ingredient. Dry brining has another advantage – it doesn’t require much space. No garbage bag full of wet brine, no specially purchased turkey-sized cooler. Dry brining is also economical. You can be as fancy with your dry brining as you want. All you really need is salt. Can you add other spices? Absolutely! But if all you want is a delicious crispy skinned chicken, then salt is the only ingredient required. Well, you also need a chicken.

We’re going to spatcock this chicken. Remove the backbone and open it like a book, pressing the breastbone until you hear a pop. I like to spatcock my chicken for two reasons. The most practical reason is a spatchcocked chicken cooks more evenly and exposes more skin to the dry heat of the oven. Crispy skin fans know this is the move. And the second reason is the backbones are great for making stock. So I just stash them in the freezer until I have enough. 

Now go in with your salt. I used regular old kosher salt for this. Make sure you work it into all the nooks and crannies. Pay particular attention to the leg joints. Those areas love to evade seasoning. And don’t forget to flip the chicken over and season inside the cavity. I can’t give you a specific measurement for the salt but I can suggest you be generous. I mean, don’t go crazy, you shouldn’t lose sight of the chicken. You won’t be wiping the dry brine off at the end of the process, so bear that in mind. Don’t add more salt than you wish to consume.

Transfer the chicken to the fridge and chill for 24 hours. I do this on a cool rack to encourage airflow around the bird. I know you’ll want to cover the bird once it’s in the fridge but resist the temptation. We want the skin to really dry out for optimal crispiness. Dry brine sort of makes its own wet brine by drawing out the moisture from the meat. This is far more concentrated in the meat’s own flavors than any simmered wet brine could be. Then once it’s done its flavouring magic, we want it to evaporate. And a covered chicken is going to have a lot of trouble doing that. The finished skin of a properly dry-brined bird will have a tackiness to it. It will also have a slight rosiness. All normal and, above all, good! 

Now, let’s roast that bird! Preheat the oven to 425°F. Yes, I know that is a lofty temperature, especially in this weather. But crispy chicken skin is worth the sacrifice. Pop the chicken into a cast iron skillet while the oven is preheating. We want the chicken to come up to room temperature before introducing it to the oven. Place the chicken in the oven and let it roast for 35-45 minutes or until the thighs reach an internal temperature of 165°F. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving.

While the chicken is roasting, leave the plums to do their thing. And what is their thing you ask? Well, they’re going to braise in a mixture of rice vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, and gochugaru. Cut the plums in half and place them cut-side down in a skillet. Pour the vinegar mixture over the plums and bring it up to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Let the plums cook for 10-15 minutes or until they start to fall apart. Fish the plums out of the skillet and discard them. Make a cornstarch slurry and whisk it into the plum-flavoured vinegar mixture and stir until it is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. 

Now, I like glazed chicken as much as the next girl. But I must confess I prefer the allure of crispy chicken skin. So rather than brush the plum sauce over the chicken while it roasts, I advocate for keeping the sauce and bird separate until just before serving. That way you get some sauciness and crispiness on your plate. Heck! If you’re not keen to make an impressive entrance, serve the chicken and sauce separately and leave it to your guests to apply as desired.

And that’s everything you need to know about this Crispy Roast Chicken with Spicy Plum Sauce. A saucy and crisp take on the classic roast chicken dinner. 

Enjoy!