Cider Brined Chicken with Cinnamon and Orange
Ingredients
- 2 quarts apple cider plus 1 cup
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
- 16 whole black peppercorns
- 6 garlic cloves smashed
- 6 scallions white parts only, trimmed, split length wise
- 6 1/4-inch thick ginger sliced, unpeeled
- 2 3-4 inch cinnamon sticks plus more for garnish
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 1 3-4 lb. chicken
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2 large oranges quartered
- melted unsalted butter or vegetable oil (for basting)
Instructions
- Bring 2 quarts of cider, 1 cup of salt, and the next 10 ingredients to a boil in a very large (16-quart) pot, stirring to dissolve salt and sugar. Let cool to room temperature.
- Stir in 1 1/2 gallons of cold water. Add chicken to brine and press down to submerge. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Remove chicken from brine and pat dry with paper towels; discard brine. Season lightly inside and out with salt and pepper. Place chicken, breast side up, on a rack set in a large heavy roasting pan; stuff with oranges and tie legs together with kitchen twine. Let stand at room temperature for one hour.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine the remaining one cup of cider and three cups of water in a roasting pan. Brush chicken with butter and flip breast side down.
- Roast chicken, breast side down, basting occasionally, for one hour. Using paper towels, flip chicken. Roast, basting occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees, (1–1 1/2 hours longer). Transfer the chicken to a platter. Let rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.
- Meanwhile, strain the juices from the roasting pan into a saucepan, reserving the apples. Simmer over medium heat until the juices have thickened, about 10 minutes. Serve the cider jus alongside the chicken and apples and garnish with cinnamon sticks.
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