ROAST CHICKEN: This is the first of a few recipes for roasting whole chicken. Please try them all.

ROAST WHOLE CHICKEN WITH GINGER & GARLIC:



1 x 4 lb. chicken, at room temperature

2 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

4 whole cloves garlic + 1 minced clove

1 tbsp. freshly grated ginger roots + 12 thin ginger slices

1 onion and 1 lime, quartered

2 serrano chilies, seeded and sliced

½ cup chicken stock

1 tbsp fish sauce

salt and freshly ground pepper

1 tsp. tapioca or cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp. water



Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Rinse and pat dry chicken thoroughly. Insert 2 fingers underneath the skin and loosen the skin all over the bird. Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste.

In a small bowl, mix butter with the minced garlic and grated ginger and season mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Spread half of this mixture evenly under the skin and the rest over the chicken.

Set the chicken, breast side up, on a rack in a roasting pan. Scatter the onion and lime quarters, the whole garlic, ginger and chilli slices over the chicken and add ½ cup water to the roasting pan. Sit roasting pan in the lower third of the oven.

Roast for 20 minutes; then turn chicken over with tongs and roast for another 20 minutes. Turn the chicken back to breast-side up and pour ½ cup water into roasting pan. Roast for 10-20 minutes longer or until an internal thermometer, inserted into the inner thigh, registers 160 to 17o degrees, according to personal preference. Be careful not to overcook.

Remove chicken from pan, tilting to drain the cavity juices into roasting pan, and transfer it to a cutting board to rest for 10-15 minutes.

Skim fat off pan juice and set roasting pan over high heat on the stove. Add chicken stock, stirring and scraping up brown bits in the pan, and cook until liquid comes to a boil. Add fish sauce and adjust seasoning. Add in enough starch solution to thicken sauce slightly.

Carve chicken into serving pieces. Strain sauce into gravy boat to serve with chicken.