Cooking chicken for salt in the oven is simple and delicious!

Cooking features

Salt baking is a special method of cooking poultry in the oven. The resulting salt crust plays the role of a conductor of oven heat, evenly distributing heat and allowing all sections of meat to bake well. When using salt, there is no risk that one part of the dish will burn and the other, on the contrary, will remain raw. To properly fry the chicken you need to know how long it is pickled and cooked. Let's figure it out.

• To bake whole chicken choose a suitable shape or baking sheet - such that the carcass could freely accommodate in it.
• Before cooking, you need chicken rinse under running water and cut off excess subcutaneous fat.
• To prevent the carcass from baking, do not “fall apart”, tie her legs. Take a tight thread, wrap it around both legs, fasten it several times with the “eight” and tie the ends into a strong knot.
• Remember, in the case of salt, the “better is more than less” rule works. When the salt begins to absorb fat under the influence of heat, which will expire the chicken, the natural process of burning salt to the surface of the pan will begin. The thicker the layer, the better the salt cushion will protect the crisp from burning. Therefore, generously pour homemade salt until it covers the baking sheet with at least a centimeter layer.
• For cooking chicken in the oven better use coarse salt, and ideally, sea salt.
• Often, when baked whole, the meat is baked in uneven layers. Thin wings usually burn, but the heat does not reach large parts, on the contrary, and they remain moist. In order not to “burn” the wings, you can make small cuts on the chicken breast and fill in the ends of the wings. So, the carcass will not break up, and cuts will help the meat to bake better.
• If you want to check if the fried chicken is ready, pierce it with a sharp object in the thickest place - usually a breast or a leg of ham. Juice should flow from the puncture. If it is transparent, it means the chicken is ready, if it’s cloudy, then the carcass needs to be baked for another 5-10 minutes.

Chicken with Lemon

You will need:

• 1 chicken carcass weighing up to one and a half kilograms;
• 500 grams of coarse salt (if you use a large baking dish, the amount of salt can be increased);
• 1 lemon
• 2 teaspoons dried Italian or Provencal herbs (e.g. basil, oregano, thyme). Herbs can be combined at will.

Cooking

1. Sprinkle salt on a baking sheet evenly.
2. Blot the washed chicken carcass with a paper towel, then rub it with a mixture of dried herbs.
3. Wash the lemon, scald it with boiling water. Then, whole, without cutting, put it inside the carcass. Lemon will “give” its juices to meat and make it juicy and aromatic.
4. Place the bird on a “salt” pan and place it in a preheated oven.
5. Bake chicken with salt in the oven should be at a temperature of 190-200 degrees for an hour.
6. Before serving, do not forget to cut the thread from the legs, and also get a lemon from the carcass.

In a salt crust

An alternative to the “salt cushion” can be another way of cooking the whole chicken in the oven using salt - baking in a salt crust.

You will need:

• 1 chicken carcass;
• a pound of coarse salt;
• lemon peel;
• dry or fresh herbs.

Cooking

1. As for the previous recipe, the carcass must be washed and dried with a paper towel.
2. Next, prepare a homemade culinary seasoning - mix salt crystals with dry or fresh herbs. If the herbs are fresh, grind them and grind with salt. Add the grated lemon zest and mix well.
3. Pour aromatic salt in a thick layer on a baking sheet.
4. “Bathe” chicken carcass in a flavorful mixture. Check that each part of the bird is covered with a dense salt crust.
5. Cook in a preheated oven at a temperature of 170-180 degrees. After an hour, open the oven and check the chicken for the juice that flows from it.
6. Carefully remove the hot chicken from the oven, wrap it in foil and let it cool briefly.

With garlic and sour cream sauce

Another simple and tasty recipe for chicken in the oven for salt is a fragrant bird with garlic and sour cream sauce as in the photo.

You will need:

• 1 chicken carcass weighing one and a half kilograms;
• 500 grams of coarse salt;
• a handful of dill seeds;
• fresh or dried herbs;
• zest of one lemon;
• juice of one lemon;
• sour cream;
• horseradish;
• black pepper;
• 3 heads of garlic.

Cooking

1. Rinse the chicken carcass under running water and dry it on all sides with a towel.
2. Mix fresh or dry herbs with lemon zest. Crush dill seeds in a mortar, mix them with a pinch of black pepper and add them to herbs for a special piquant taste. Pour in a spoonful of olive oil and rub the resulting mixture into the chicken.
3. Peel the three heads of garlic and put the slices inside the carcass.
4. Put the chicken on a salt pillow we already know and bake in the oven at 190 degrees for one hour.

While the dish is baked, you can prepare a spicy sauce.

1. Mix a couple of tablespoons (with a hill) of sour cream with one tablespoon of horseradish.
2. Pour the juice of one lemon into the mixture and add a little pepper.
3. Add a little olive oil and mix thoroughly.

During serving, do not forget to remove the baked cloves of garlic from the finished chicken.

Salt chicken in the oven is a remarkably quick and easy way to cook poultry, which is suitable for both a regular dinner and a festive table. Amazingly soft meat and fragrant crisp will definitely not leave anyone indifferent!