Easy Roast Chicken
Learn how to roast a chicken with simple tricks for irresistibly crisp, golden skin andjuicy, tender meat every time.
Servings: 4 servings
Equipment
- Roasting pan
- Parchment paper or aluminum foil
- Kitchen twine (optional but recommended)
Ingredients
- 4-5 pound whole chicken
- Salt to taste (regular not coarse salt)
- Toppings/seasonings of choice like herbs, spices, lemon juice, or glaze like 1 lemon and dried tarragon
Instructions
- Line a roasting pan with parchment paper or foil so that the entire bottom and halfway up the sides is covered.
- Remove whole chicken from packaging, along with the bag of internal giblets if it’s included.
- Pat chicken all over with paper towels, so the skin is as dry as possible.
- Place chicken in the lined roasting pan, breast-side up.
- At the back end of the chicken where the cavity opening is, locate the uropygium, the small, rounded knob that sticks out at the very end of the chicken. Trim it off with a sharp knife, along with the 2 loose flaps of excess fat on either side. Removing it helps the chicken cook and brown more evenly.
- For the best results (although not mandatory), using kitchen twine, tie the legs snugly together by wrapping the twine around both legs just above the ends of the drumsticks.
- Generously sprinkle chicken all over with salt.
- Place whole pan in the fridge, uncovered, for at least 2 hours (up to 12 hours). The salt will dry out and flavor the skin and meat!
- Adjust oven rack to the 3rd position (lower-middle position) to prevent juices from spattering and smoking. Preheat oven to 400℉.
- Remove chicken from fridge (no need to let rest at room temp), and place directly in the oven on the lower-middle rack. Roast for 1 hour. Carefully and quickly add toppings/seasonings (i.e. the juice of a lemon all over skin and then sprinkle with dried tarragon). Roast for another 10-25 minutes, or until the chicken reaches 165℉ in the thickest part.
- Let rest for 10-15 minutes before carving, and digging in with plenty of pan sauce!
Video
Notes
- Lining the roasting pan is an important step, or else the pan juices will splatter inside the oven causing smoke.
- Salt the chicken generously but not too much (with regular salt, not coarse sea salt).
- The ideal time for chilling your salted chicken is 6-8 hours, but 2 hours is sufficient and up to 12 works great too!
- Resist the urge to stuff your chicken! Anything more than a few herbs (like stuffing or veggies) will lengthen the cook time. And anything placed in the cavity of the chicken doesn’t really flavor it (it’s mostly a myth)!
- Want to roast potatoes and veggies with your chicken? Place them on a separate baking sheet (but ideally on the same rack) in the oven. Potatoes and veggies in the same pan can steam the chicken, leading to soggy skin.
- A list of topping/seasoning ideas is listed in the Ingredients and Variations section above! Like extra crispy skin? Stick with brushing a thin layer of butter or olive oil on the skin at 1 hour and then sprinkling with your choice of herbs/spices.
- You can place the chicken on a rack in the roasting pan if you prefer a crispier bottom, however it won’t yield quite as much pan drippings.
- The total time above reflects the prep and cook time. With refrigeration time, the total time is at least 3 hours and 35 minutes.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving (plain, salted) | Calories: 527kcal | Protein: 46g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 184mg | Sodium: 753mg | Potassium: 463mg | Vitamin A: 343IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 2mg