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December 13, 2025 
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Good morning! Today we have for you:
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| Genevieve Ko’s roasted orange chicken. Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Prop Stylist: Caroline Dorn. |
Roast chicken is always a great idea
I roast a whole chicken nearly every weekend. And after many years of burnished birds, I never tire of it. It’s as much for the ritual as it is the delicious finished product, and that ritual looks like this:
- When I get home with the chicken, I dry-brine it with salt and pepper and whatever spices I’m feeling at the moment. Right now, I’m on my second jar of this, with no signs of stopping.
- The chicken hangs out in the fridge for a day or two. I feel proud of myself every time I open the door and see it there, getting all flavorful and juicy.
- I roast the chicken. At this point, I might add some sliced potatoes underneath, scatter around some root vegetables, add a glaze. I go wherever my whims (the contents of fridge and pantry) take me.
- When the chicken is done roasting and is resting, my husband and I rip off the wings and stand over the sink to eat them, making “mmm” sounds. The dog stares at us with big boba eyes.
- After dinner, the bones and carcass go into a pot of water to make a slapdash stock. Netflix, take it away.
- And when the TV clicks off, the dog reminds me with enthusiastic tail-wagging that there’s stock on the stove that needs to be put away. For his diligence, he receives the bits of chicken that remain tenuously attached to those bones. The stock goes in the fridge, and we go to bed.
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To make Genevieve Ko’s beautiful roasted orange chicken, that ritual remains the same (only I won’t use spices when I dry-brine the bird, just salt and pepper). For how easy this recipe is, and how basic the ingredients, the results feel like a magic trick — a burnished, lacquered bird with a citrusy-sweet, gingery glaze.
The plump tangerine wedges that roast alongside the chicken are a treat — they turn so tender, and the peels soften and lose their bitter edge. If any of your dinner companions don’t want to eat theirs, you have my full permission to reach across the table and snag them for yourself. (This is a ritual of mine specific to this chicken.)
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Want more roast chicken guidance? Ali Slagle, my friend and yours, has assembled seven tips for making excellent roast chicken. And, naturally, her article comes with several reader-favorite, so-good recipes (see: Samin Nosrat’s buttermilk-brined roast chicken; Colu Henry’s roast chicken with maple butter and rosemary).
Today’s specials
Braised pork with lemon, olives and tomatoes: Let’s keep with these low-effort, high-reward vibes we have going and turn next to this new braise from Melissa Clark. Boneless pieces of pork shoulder get a long, gentle bath with tomato, garlic, cinnamon, olives and (optional, but not really) anchovies. Add polenta or rice on the side, and you have a really nice winter supper. (You can find more cheap and impressive main dishes for your next dinner party here.)
Lemony roasted mushroom pasta: I recently conducted a very low-risk cooking experiment: What if, instead of slicing my cremini mushrooms for my rice stuffing, I just tore or kind of smushed them apart with my fingers into craggy chunks? I was very pleased with the results; those craggy chunks created more surfaces to catch my seasonings and gave the dish a pleasing, rustic aesthetic. I will thus be tear-smashing my mushrooms for this Hetty Lui McKinnon dish, and I invite you to join me.
Radicchio Caesar salad: Radicchio has to be the winner of the effort-to-impressive ratio in the salad world — it wows just by being its boldly colored, crisp, full-flavored self. Add an assertive Caesar dressing and that’s a perfect, simple winter salad, ready to pair with pork tenderloin or seared fish or — hear me out — roast chicken.
And before you go
It’s the second Saturday of December — you thought I wouldn’t end this newsletter with something sweet? Here are 25 easy holiday desserts for your consideration, all of which are quick to throw together and certain to delight. I have my eye on this one-bowl lemon and olive oil cake — winter is for citrus fruits, after all — and these vegan chocolate cupcakes, which boast five stars and rave reviews.
Thanks for reading!
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