John Wulff

šŸ”šŸŒ³ Picking Chicken

First published February 8, 2026

This has become our Friday night staple, and one of Abigailā€™s favorite dinners. We call it ā€œPickā€™n Chickā€™nā€ because we pick at the hot bird straight from the oven, eating the prime parts (oysters, back skin, tail) before the rest makes it to the table. Sometimes we donā€™t even make it to the table and the whole bird gets picked bare standing over the pan. Thatā€™s how I know I really nailed it.

Iā€™ve tried rotisserie, spatchcocking, and everything else imaginable. Nothing produces a better bird than the PoulTree, a simple stainless steel rod that suspends the chicken breast-down over a cast iron skillet of vegetables. The drippings baste everything below while hot air circulates around the bird, crisping the skin all over. Itā€™s so consistently awesome, the geniuses at PoulTree are to be commended. About 75 minutes at 400 convection, pull it when the thigh joints hit 170Ā°F. I use a ThermoWorks RFX so I can watch the temperature from the couch.

PoulTree Roaster ThermoWorks RFX Starter Kit

Total time: 25+ hours (24 hours dry brine, about 75 minutes roasting)

Steps

Dry brine (24 hours ahead)

  1. Pat 1 whole chicken (3-5 lbs) dry with paper towels.
  2. Season generously all over with kosher salt, including inside the cavity.
  3. Place uncovered on a sheet pan or plate in the refrigerator for 24 hours. The skin will dry out and tighten, which is what you want.

Prep and roast (about 75 minutes)

  1. Preheat oven to 400Ā°F convection.
  2. Halve 1 bag baby potatoes so you get some exposed potato to crisp up nicely. Toss them in the PoulTreeā€™s cast iron skillet with a good amount of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Baby potatoes are the baseline, but mushrooms, radishes, garlic cloves, leeks, fennel, or anything else thatā€™ll take an hour of roasting and chicken drippings are great additions.
  3. Slide the chicken onto the PoulTree rod tail-end first, breast-side down. If you have fresh hard herbs (rosemary, thyme, sage), stuff them in the cavity, though honestly it doesnā€™t make a huge difference. Set the rod in the skillet over the vegetables.
  4. Insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh, near the joint.
  5. Roast until the thigh joints reach 170Ā°F, about 75 minutes. The skin will be crispy all over since itā€™s suspended in the convection heat.

Rest, ravage, and serve

  1. Leave the chicken on the rod and let it rest for 15 minutes.
  2. While it rests (or immediately, nobodyā€™s judging), attack the back of the bird over the pan. The oysters, the back meat, the crispy skin along the spine: eat it all with gusto standing right there. This is the cookā€™s reward.
  3. Scoop the potatoes and vegetables onto serving plates, carve off pieces of the breast and legs, and lay them on top.

The Routine

Save all the bones. Pick off any leftover meat and reserve it, then throw everything else into a stockpot. This has become a weekly rhythm: dry brine a bird on Thursday, roast on Friday night, make stock on Saturday. Itā€™s a beautiful routine.

Shopping List

Meat

  • 1 whole chicken (3-5 lbs)

Produce

  • 1 bag baby potatoes
  • Optional additions: mushrooms, radishes, garlic cloves, leeks, fennel

Pantry

  • Kosher salt
  • Pepper
  • Olive oil
  • Optional: fresh hard herbs (rosemary, thyme, sage) for the cavity