History

The Selland family has been a Sacramento institution since 1991 when Randall Selland and Nancy Zimmer opened The Kitchen, which later moved to 915 Broadway in Land Park and earned the city's first Michelin star in 2019. The Selland Family Hospitality Group added Ella Dining Room downtown in 2007, OBO' Italian Table and Bar in East Sacramento in 2016, and the Selland's Market-Cafe counters across Land Park, East Sacramento and El Dorado Hills. The daily rotisserie chicken at all three Selland's counters is the signature plate, brined overnight and turned slowly until the skin crackles. The chicken comes with seasonal market sides from the Capay Valley and Sacramento River Delta farms.

Make it at home

Yield Serves 4Hands-on 20 minTotal 24 hrDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 1 whole free-range chicken (1.6 to 1.8kg)
  • 40g sea salt
  • 20g brown sugar
  • 2L cold water
  • 4 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 1 lemon, halved
  • 30g unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Sea salt and black pepper to season
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika

Method

  1. Dissolve salt and brown sugar in the cold water in a deep container. Submerge the chicken in the brine. Refrigerate 12 to 24 hours.
  2. Lift the chicken from the brine. Rinse, pat very dry inside and out. Set on a rack on a baking tray and refrigerate uncovered 4 hours (this dries the skin for crispness).
  3. Heat the oven to 220C. Stuff the cavity with the garlic, thyme, rosemary and lemon halves.
  4. Rub the softened butter under the breast skin. Brush the outside with olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and smoked paprika.
  5. Roast on a rack 50 to 60 minutes until the thigh reads 75C and the skin is deep gold.
  6. Rest 15 minutes before carving. Carve at the table for the Sacramento Selland's table presentation.

Tip from the editors. The overnight brine and the uncovered dry in the fridge are non-negotiable. They are why the Selland's chicken skin crackles where a regular roast chicken stays rubbery.

This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.

Where to eat sacramento selland's rotisserie chicken

Sacramento Selland's Rotisserie Chicken in Sacramento

Selland's Market-Cafe East Sacramento ★ 4.3

American$$east-sacramento

Selland's on H Street, East Sacramento, is the family-owned daily counter from the Selland Hospitality Group, rotisserie chicken and wood-fired pizza.

Signature: Rotisserie chicken, Wood-fired pizza

Order: Rotisserie chicken, the seasonal pizza, the daily soup

Tip: Counter ordering, no reservations. Family-friendly. Also on Broadway in Land Park and at El Dorado Hills.

5340 H Street, Sacramento, CA 95819

Selland's Market-Cafe Broadway ★ 4.2

American$$land-park

Selland's on Broadway in Land Park, Sacramento, is the family counter on the same block as The Kitchen, rotisserie chicken and farm-vegetable plates.

Signature: Rotisserie chicken, Sandwiches

Order: Rotisserie chicken, the seasonal grain bowl, the farm-vegetable sides

Tip: Counter ordering, no reservations. Quick lunch and dinner. Same block as The Kitchen flagship.

915 Broadway, Sacramento, CA 95818

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