So you decide to make a chicken, and a chicken is a chicken is a chicken – not exactly.

In Japan Poulet de Bresse is banned because of the “bird flu” out break but Bresse is one of those 5-star chickens that is unlikely to come in contact with any kind of diseases, let alone bird flu. But the highly contagious H5N8 virus is transmitted by birds on migration routes south for the winter, and farmers are worried and cautious in Europe. But I doubt H5N8 will touch Bresse farmers because the farmers who raise Bresse birds are simply fanatical about the all aspects from the embryo. You can hardly get near the farm to see the birds in their coops and the farmers are religious about these birds and for a good reason.

Back to the story Alex and what I wanted to tell you is when you roast a chicken try this:

Step#1: Take the bird and lift the skin using rubber gloves. Fingers go under the skin and you lift is by prying your fingers throughout the breast. This is a Chinese secret used by modern day chefs who are keen to have a crispy chicken and a great tenderness.

Step#2: Then once the skin is lifted, take a syringe and inject the breast. Using 200ml of water use 6% of the total weight and dilute salt into the water by heating it slightly over a low heat. Yes 6-grams of salt for 100ml of water and get into 50-50 into the right and left breast and then you are ready for step #3.

Step#3: Take a tea kettle and boil water. You can hang the chicken from the sink’s faucet or just hold not up and pour the water over the breast and the back and legs and wings to render the fat. The rendering will make it tight and the elasticity disappears.

Step#4: take shoyu, paprika and garlic powder and a sprinkler of turmeric and place it into a bowl. Using a brush, you paint the chicken’s skin until all the surfaces are covered.

Step#5: Take the chicken and hang it in the fridge over night. If you cannot hang it make sue it’s breast up and use some sticks, spoons or whatever to suspend it over a small rectangular shallow pan. The idea is to have it suspended so it can dry.

Step#6: after a night in the fridge take it out 1.3 mins before cooking and give it another surface painting as in step #4. Then take a probe and place it into the breast. Set the oven to 75°C and wait until the core reaches 59.5 degrees and remove it from the oven.

Step#7: set the oven at 210°C and when the oven is ready place the bird back into the oven and brown the skin. The chicken’s core is what counts and during the browning process you are just managing the skin but the core does rise but don’t worry because the chicken will be very juicy.