At this point, you can find a perfectly good roast or rotisserie chicken in almost any supermarket in the country. And in a pinch, my goodness, they are lifesavers. I will never be one to turn down a store-bought roast chicken, whether you are picking it up on the way home for a quick hot dinner or storing it in the fridge for use later in the week (10 Things To Make With Leftover Shredded Chicken, anyone?)
However, this is what you miss out on: the aroma of a roast chicken in your own home, as well as the bragging rights. And it’s SO simple. Every Friday night, Ina Garten cooks a roast chicken for Jeffrey, which is amazing in a lot of ways. And Ina is well-versed in human preferences. The epitome of the best straightforward comfort food is roast chicken.
You’ll be celebrating that “aha” moment when you realize how joyous this simple pleasure can be once you start roasting your own chickens. Leftovers can be used in recipes all week long. It won’t take you more than two minutes to realize that roasting two chickens simultaneously adds about five extra minutes to the cooking process. If that isn’t a wise use of the extra cooking time, I don’t know what is. To ensure that the chickens have enough space to cook and brown evenly, roast them on a sizable baking sheet or roasting pan.
You can season the chicken in any number of ways. Although roast chickens enjoy a variety of flavors, from Mediterranean to Asian to Indian to Middle Eastern, there is never anything wrong with using just salt and pepper. It’s a wonderful way to experiment with some of the spices and condiments in your kitchen that haven’t been properly utilized.
Updating Our Classic Roast Chicken Method
While Kitchn’s original instructions for a straightforward roast chicken are excellent, we’ve discovered that a few minor adjustments result in an even better chicken. You’ll find those updates in the recipe below.
A four- to five-pound chicken is commonly referred to as a broiler-fryer and will easily serve four to six people.
The chicken is done when it registers 165°F in the thickest part of the thigh. The wings and legs will wiggle loosely and the juices will run clear.
Total roasting time will be between one and one-and-a-half hours — the exact cooking time will depend on the size and type of your chicken.
5 Steps for Glorious Roasted Chicken
Make sure the chicken is dry: We do not recommend rinsing your chicken before roasting. Washing may spread bacteria from the chicken to the sink and across other food prep surfaces, and we want the chicken’s skin to be as dry as possible so it will cook up crisp. Once you’ve got the chicken out of its packaging, pat it completely dry inside and out with paper towels.
Be generous with the salt: A tablespoon of salt may seem like too much for a small chicken, but you want to be incredibly generous with the salt on the skin and inside the chicken’s cavity to ensure that some of the seasoning works its way past the skin into the meat. Salting keeps the chicken juicy too. Oil or butter on the chicken before roasting is optional.
Truss the chicken: Trussing is a traditional method for tying the chicken’s legs together. Although techniques for bigger poultry like turkey require tying up the whole tail end, for a simple roast chicken, just bring the drumsticks together with kitchen twine. This really just keeps those drumsticks from drying out while the breast cooks through, and makes the whole chicken cook more evenly.
Roast with patience: A roasted chicken is simple, but it is not quick. The chicken will roast for a minimum of one hour, but you can help the bird along by leaving it alone. There’s no need to baste or bother or probe the chicken for one hour.
Rest before carving: Rest the chicken for at least 15 minutes before carving. This allows the chicken to continue to cook, redistribute its juices, and cool down enough for you to carve it after it rests.
Why I love this recipe:
Simple – No brining, cooking upside-down, or anything unusual. Such a small amount of prep work and even the most beginner cook can make this!
Meal-in-one – The chicken cooked with potatoes, carrots, and onion to be a complete meal!
Budget Friendly – If you are looking for an inexpensive meal to feed a crowd, look no further! This oven roasted chicken is healthy, inexpensive, and will satisfy even the pickiest eaters. Be sure to use the leftover chicken bones to make homemade chicken stock for chicken noodle soup!
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