I’d never heard of cooking a whole chicken inside a brown paper bag before, so I was curious to try this recipe from Sara Foster's Southern Kitchen (Random, Apr.). Foster assures readers that the bag traps enough steam to make the chicken supermoist while at the same time letting enough escape to allow the skin to get golden brown. I was skeptical about the skin getting properly crispy but was pleasantly surprised; it was perfectly browned and crackly. There was a huge amount of accumulated juices at the bottom of the bag for gravy, and when I went to carve the chicken, it was so tender that the meat fell right off the bones, something I’ve never experienced with a roast chicken before. Unlike many recipes that call for changing the oven temperature partway through, this one has you cook the chicken at 400˚F the entire time, so you can just pop it into the oven and forget about it until it’s done. Cleanup was so easy: just transfer the chicken and juices to a rimmed baking sheet or platter and throw out the bag. A method I’m glad to have learned about and will definitely use again!

Brown Bag Chicken from Sara Foster’s Southern Kitchen: Soulful, Traditional, Seasonal

Serves 4

One 3- to 3 ½-pound chicken

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 onion, cut in half

4 sprigs fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon hot Hungarian paprika

Preheat the oven to 400˚F.

Rinse the chicken, pat dry, and remove any excess fat. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper to taste inside and out. Place the onion and rosemary inside the cavity and rub the outside of the chicken with the paprika.

Lay a standard-sized brown paper grocery bag on its side and place the chicken inside, tying the top of the bag closed with kitchen string. Place the bagged chicken on a rimmed baking sheet in the lower third of the oven, so you have plenty of room at the top. Cook for 1 ½ hours, remove the chicken from the oven, and carefully open the bag to release the steam. Check for doneness by inserting an internal thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh; it should read about 165˚F and the juices should run clear when the thigh is pierced with the tip of a knife. Let rest for about 10 minutes before carving. Slice the breasts and cut the wings, legs, and thighs into pieces. Serve warm.