COOKING WHOLE CHICKEN IN OVEN RECIPES

Steps:

• Combine water, 2 tablespoons salt, sugar, peppercorns, fennel seed, lemon wedges, garlic, thyme sprigs and bay leaves in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and stir until the salt is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Place ice in a 5-quart bowl or pot and pour the brine over it. Let cool, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add chicken, making sure it is completely submerged in the brine. (Add more cold water and use a plate to weight it down if necessary.) Refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours.
• To roast chicken, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top. Coat the rack with cooking spray.
• Remove the chicken from the brine and place it on the prepared rack. Pat it dry with a paper towel.
• Zest the remaining lemon and juice it to get 2 teaspoons. Combine the zest and juice with oil, pepper and the remaining 1 teaspoon thyme and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Loosen and lift the skin from the breast and legs with your fingers and rub the paste under and over the skin. Truss the chicken with kitchen string (see Tip).
• Roast the chicken for 1 hour. Rotate the pan, and increase the heat to 400 degrees F. Cook until an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees F in the thickest part of the breast, 25 to 30 minutes more. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400. Season the chicken aggressively with salt and pepper. Heat the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large, heavy, oven-safe sauté pan or Dutch oven set over high flame, until the butter is foaming. Sear the chicken in batches, skin-side down, until it is golden and crisp, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Then turn the chicken over, and repeat on the other side, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate to rest.
• Pour off all but a tablespoon or 2 of the accumulated fat in the pot. Return the pot to the stove, over medium heat, and add the onion. Cook, stirring frequently with a spoon to scrape off any browned bits of chicken skin, until the onion has softened and gone translucent, approximately 5 minutes. Add the garlic, and stir again, cooking it until it has softened, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Add the paprika and the flour, and stir well to combine, then cook until the mixture is fragrant and the taste of the flour has been cooked out, approximately 4 to 5 minutes.
• Add tomatoes and broth, whisk until smooth and then nestle the chicken back in the pan, skin-side up. Slide the pan or pot into the oven, and cook until the chicken has cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly, approximately 25 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, set a large pot of heavily salted water to boil over high heat. Cook noodles in the water until they are almost completely tender, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Drain the noodles, and toss them in a bowl with the remaining butter, then toss again to coat.
• Place the chicken on top of the noodles, then add the sour cream to the sauce, stir to combine and ladle it over the whole.