Miso Butter Roast Chicken

A whole bird rubbed under the skin with white miso butter, roasted hot until the skin shatters and the pan juices go glossy.

Dry-brine overnight if you can. Uncovered in the fridge, salted. That's the difference between good skin and the skin people fight over.

Ingredients

• 4 lb whole chicken, patted very dry
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 3 tbsp white miso
• 1 tbsp honey
• 4 garlic cloves, grated
• 1 lemon, halved
• 2 yellow onions, thick rings
• ½ cup chicken stock

Method

1. Salt the chicken all over, inside and out. Refrigerate uncovered at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.
2. Heat the oven to 450°F. Mash the butter, miso, honey and garlic together.
3. Loosen the breast and thigh skin with your fingers and push two-thirds of the miso butter underneath. Rub the rest over the outside. Stuff the lemon in the cavity.
4. Set the chicken on the onion rings in a skillet and roast until the thigh reads 165°F, about 55 minutes. Tent with foil if the skin darkens too fast.
5. Rest 15 minutes. Set the skillet over medium heat, add the stock and scrape up the browned bits until glossy. Carve and spoon the pan sauce over.