As we know, the best recipes are exchanged virally – spread by word of mouth. Similar to that hair shampoo commercial of yesteryear depicting a handsome, young woman touting how beautiful the shampoo made her hair, she was forced to share her secret with others by "telling her two friends, who then told their two friends, and so on and so on…"

Allow me to share my secret chicken roaster recipes with you – uncommonly good recipes that have been tweaked and adjusted to yield the moistest of flesh, the freshest of ingredients and a peaceful calm that settles at the table because the dishes are so good no one is talking!

Mind you, these recipes are not your typical chicken recipes. They seem whacked but are truly delicious. Consider this a practice run for the soon-to-be-unveiled Thanksgiving turkey, a larger version of the roaster, if you will. I like to think of the roaster like a turkey that was put in clothes dryer – shrunken by the heat.

Each of these recipes cooks better in an oven with a convection setting. The circulating heat allows for more even cooking at a lower temperature. As always, most of the fresh ingredients are available at our farmer's market and local vendors.

Chicken in Heavy Cream over Haricots Verts

There should be a health warning on this dish! Jamie Oliver has to get base credit for this, but I did make a few modifications that make this beyond "South Beach friendly."

1 young roaster chicken, rinsed
6 lemons, cut in halves
1 cup or 2 good bunches of fresh sage
1 quart of heavy cream
1/2 to 1 lb Gruyere cheese
2 lbs green beans (haricots verts)

Use a good-sized pot or dutch oven (something that is oven safe and can hold a whole chicken). Place the chicken in the pot. Squeeze and rub the lemons over the chicken, then put the lemons into the cavity. Do the same with the sage – squeeze and grind it up in your hands and rub it all over the chicken. Shove the leaves and stems into the cavity.

Fill the pot 1/3 of the way with the cream (just enough to cover the thighs).

The trick here is slow cooking. Set your oven to the convection setting at 350º. Place in the oven for the better part of one hour. When the chicken is done (use a meat thermometer) remove it from the pot and set aside. In your pot you should have a mixture that looks like loose cottage cheese. This is the result from the citric acid from the lemon which reacts with the cream to create a loose cheese.

Place the pot on the stove on low heat and drop in the Gruyere cheese. Use a whisk and blend it for 5 minutes. It will solidify and thicken the more you whisk. If you like it thicker and creamier, by all means, add more Gruyere. When you're done, you should basically have lemon/sage flavored string cheese. It's a gift from God.

Steam lightly a bunch of haricots verts. Slice a chicken portion and place on top of the haricots verts. Scoop/heap/drizzle, whatever moves you, some of the cheese mixture over it. Sit back, enjoy and feel your arteries clogging. Makes 6 servings.

Fallen Down Drunk Brew Butt Chicken

If you're new to the concept of the Beer or Brew Butt Chicken you can learn more about it here: http://usadeepsouth.ms11.net/beerchicken.html

As simple as the concept is, you'd be surprised to learn that a good Beer or Brew Butt Chicken requires some experience. It's harder than it looks. Over the years, I've discovered that some of the best Brew Butt fans are the BBQ set – the folks that do biker/motorcycle runs and events. These guys and gals are the pros! I've heard all of the feedback one could get on the subject regarding various techniques, mini theses on the right spices, and which beer brands work best.

Although BBQ grills are probably where this dish originated, I think a convection oven works best. This recipe will yield a chicken outlandishly moist.

Two important things to remember: 1) You have to get the beer to temperature without boiling it, so slow cooking is a must; and 2) You have to use a good dark beer. Don't use Guiness. You don't cook with Guiness. You drink Guiness. Also, inside a Guiness can is an apparatus that keeps it draft fresh…avoid this, as it could create a problem with high heat.

1 young roaster chicken
1 can of dark beer with can, room temperature (I use an Amber Bock)
4 cloves of garlic, crushed

Open the can and then punch 2 more dime-sized holes in the top of the can. Leave the can 3/4 full of beer (go ahead and have a sip for inspiration). Crush the garlic cloves, drop them into the open beer can, and insert it open end first into the chicken cavity. Sit the chicken up on the can in a roasting pan to capture the juices. If the legs are placed forward, the chicken will usually sit right up on the can without any help needed. If help is needed to keep it straight, prop with oven-safe cups/saucers.

Cook at 350º for 45 minutes, then tip it over on its belly. Cook for 10 more minutes, then flip it over on its back for another 10 minutes or until the meat is cooked. It should be pretty close to finished when you can twist the leg bone (bikers don't use thermometers).

Serve with some mashed potatoes and fresh corn on the cob. Makes 6 servings.

Butter & Parsley Chicken Lather

One chicken and two other ingredients – it can't get easier than this and it's tasty! Simple and classic.

If you know how to butterfly the bird, this is a great recipe for that. Lay flat on roasting pan. (It also works fine if the roaster is kept whole.) Again, slow cooking is a must so that the butter will not burn.

1 young roaster chicken
1/2 pound butter (Amish, English or European), room temperature
2 cups flat leaf parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

In a bowl, blend the chopped parsley and butter. Add a few good pinches of sea salt and cracked black pepper.

Push the butter under the skin of the chicken, particularly around the breasts. Lather the outside of the bird with the mixture as well. Place in a baking pan.

Cook at 325º, check it after 90 minutes, and then check it every10 minutes or until done. If you can twist the leg bone, it's ready. The bird will be golden brown and moist. Ready to go right to your table with any side dishes you desire.

Makes 6 servings (or just 1 for some).

Serving suggestion – Let it cool and pick at it with your fingers during an entire Redskins game. Simple pleasures.

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