Sautéed and roasted chicken

These chicken preparations combine two techniques, sautéing and roasting. We use the top of the stove for browning and the oven to finish the cooking. But because we use high heat throughout—you must keep the oven temperature at 500°F for this technique to work—the chicken develops a dark, crisp crust, stays moist within, and cooks very quickly. In fact, the basic technique here will allow you to cook a 3-pound chicken in less than half an hour (larger birds, of course, will require more time)—and the results will be gorgeous.