Black Pepper Roasted Chicken

Preparation

1. Step 1

   In a large bowl, combine the salt, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and honey and mix well to make a marinade. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and put it in the marinade bowl. Rub the marinade on the chicken, going into every nook and cranny, inside and outside, and over and under the skin. Transfer the chicken to a gallon-size resealable plastic bag. Scrape every bit of the marinade into the bag, too. Seal the bag, and place it in the back of the refrigerator, where it is coldest, for 12 to 24 hours, flipping the bag a few times to make sure the marinade gets to every part of the bird.

   Step 2

   When you are about to roast the chicken, take it out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature. Position an oven rack at the very bottom of the oven, then preheat the oven to 400°F.

   Step 3

   In a mortar or small chopper, grind together the garlic, cilantro roots, and peppercorns to a smooth paste. Rub the paste all over the chicken the same way you did the marinade. Tuck the wings behind the bird’s back and tie the legs together at the ankles with kitchen string. Rub the outside of the chicken with the oil. Place the chicken on its side in a shallow baking pan (preferably fitted with a rack).

   Step 4

   Roast the chicken for 30 minutes. Turn down the temperature to 375°F, turn the chicken onto its other side, and continue to roast until the juices run clear when you pierce the inside of a thigh with the tip of a knife, 20 to 30 minutes longer. (If some parts of the chicken brown too soon during the baking, you can cover it loosely with an aluminum-foil tent.)

   Step 5

   Let the chicken rest in the pan for 30 minutes (no less than that) before separating into bone-in breast quarters, thighs, and drumsticks. Serve with sweet chile sauce and rice.