- I think everyone needs to know how to roast a chicken.
Do you know how to roast a chicken?
Roast chicken is the ultimate kitchen staple, and while yes
you can buy a rotisserie chicken at the market
you can't control the seasonings
on that store bought version as you can at home.
And by the way, I use the term seasonings pretty loosely
because often on those store bought versions
the seasonings look a little something like this.
My homemade easy roast chicken recipe
on the other hand has just three ingredients,
chicken, olive oil, and wholesome seasonings.
We're also not getting fancy with today's recipe.
There's no stuffing the chicken,
no setting it on a bed of vegetables,
and really no chopping or prep work involved at all.
Today's recipe is all
about mastering the best whole roasted chicken
with flavorful, crispy skin, and ultra juicy meat
and simple is often best.
So let me show you how to make it.
To get started, you'll need a four to five pound chicken.
I'm using an organic bird today because that's how I roll
and you'll wanna take the chicken out
of the fridge about 30 to 45 minutes
before roasting so that it can come to room temperature.
This just helps the chicken cook more evenly in the oven.
When you remove the chicken from its plastic wrapping
you'll likely have a bit of liquid that also seeps out
so just make sure you've got a plate underneath
to catch that.
Also, don't forget that chicken, like turkey,
will have a packet of giblets in the cavity
and you'll wanna remove that before roasting.
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit
or 220 degrees Celsius, and we're going to roast
at a consistent temperature today rather
than start high and then lower the temp
because this recipe is all about simplicity.
And then move your oven rack
to the lower one third of your oven.
In terms of equipment
you just need an instant read thermometer
which you'll use later, and an oven safe pan.
I prefer cast iron for this
as its heavy duty and disperses the heat evenly.
So once your chicken is at or nearly at room temperature
you'll need to soak up all that residual liquid
and pat it dry with a paper towel.
Extra moisture is the arch nemesis of crispy skin
so really do try to get the chicken as dry as possible.
Now, as I mentioned at the beginning
we're not going to stuff the cavity with anything today
so you can go ahead and truss the legs.
To do that, slide some kitchen twine underneath the legs
and then do a figure eight
by wrapping the twine back across and under the legs again.
Then pull it tight to pull the legs together
and tie it in a knot.
If you have some extra twine
you can just use scissors to snip that off.
Place the chicken in your pan
and then drizzle just a small amount,
about a tablespoon or so of olive oil
or avocado oil on top of the chicken.
You don't want too much oil because again
you don't want moisture, but you do want just enough
so that you have a thin even layer all over
and under the bird for your seasonings to stick.
So in terms of seasonings, add a good amount
of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
and then about a half a teaspoon of Italian seasoning.
If you don't have this spice blend
you can add individual spices
such as dried basil, thyme, and oregano.
You could even add dried garlic
or really any other spices you prefer.
This is where you get to tweak the recipe to your liking.
Once you've rubbed those spices all over the chicken,
place the chicken in the oven and roast it
for 70 to 90 minutes, depending on the size of your bird.
I always check on it a bit early just to double check,
but this chicken was close to five pounds
and it took about 85 minutes to cook.
Now this part isn't required,
but if you want the most golden crispiest skin,
baste the chicken about halfway through
with the juices from the pan.
There may not be a lot of juices at first
but you'll find that more accumulate in the pan
as the chicken continues to cook.
And when I open the oven door to baste the chicken,
I also like to turn the pan because most ovens have hotspots
and it's common for the back
of the oven to cook faster than the front.
So this just ensures an evenly golden bird as well.
Now the chicken is about 10 minutes from being done
and I'll baste it again,
and all I have to say is look
at how gorgeously golden the skin is getting now.
Use your instant read thermometer in the thickest part
of the thigh to take the temperature
and it should read 165 degrees Fahrenheit
or 74 degrees Celsius.
If you place the thermometer in the breast meat
it should read a lower temperature,
about 155 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit
or 68 to 74 degrees Celsius when it's done.
And remember, the chicken will still increase
in temperature as it rests.
So now comes the hardest part, and that's being patient
and letting it rest for a good 15 minutes.
You can baste the chicken one last time if you'd like
but otherwise don't touch it.
Giving the chicken time to rest allows the juices to
redistribute in the meat so that your meat stays all nice
and juicy, and that's what you want
rather than having those juices end up
all over your cutting board when you slice into it.
This roast chicken recipe is a weeknight favorite
because it's a no fuss easy chicken recipe.
But if you want a slightly fancier roast chicken recipe
you can find one in my cookbook.
Let me flip to the page and give you a sneak peek.
My cookbook roast chicken recipe is perfect
for meal prep because while that's the theme of my cookbook,
and because it's two whole roasted chickens
with fennel, pear, and onion on a sheet pan.
This recipe is perfect
if you want to eat one chicken right away for dinner
and then save the other one for later.
But back to our current roast chicken recipe.
Once it's rested, transfer the chicken to a cutting board
and then carve it up the same way you'd carve up a turkey.
If you haven't watched my easy no fuss turkey recipe
make sure to watch that because it's the best darn
Thanksgiving Turkey you'll ever make.
For this chicken, you can easily
just pull off the wings and set those aside
then remove the twine that's around the legs.
Use a sharp chef's knife to slice
between the breast and the thigh and remove the entire leg
and then repeat that process on the other side.
(soft music)
To remove the breast, slice down just off center
from the breast bone and at a slight downward angle.
When you're done, you'll have two chicken breasts,
two legs, and two wings.
And then comes my favorite part, which is
that I then get to enjoy all of the remaining
little pieces of meat that may have gotten left on the bird.
It's sort of my immediate snack
before I serve up this roast chicken recipe to others.
And besides, you know I'm all about preventing food waste.
But today I'm meal prepping
and storing this chicken rather than serving it up.
And truth, the chicken wings never make it into storage.
Those crispy little pieces always get devoured right away.
So once I'm done with my nibbles
I'll put the legs and breasts into a container
for easy dinner recipes throughout the week.
Or if you prefer, you can store this chicken
for up to three months in your freezer.
Once that's done, I'll save the chicken carcass
in a plastic bag in the freezer
so that I can also make bone broth in the future.
And yes, I now realize I have to make a video
of my homemade bone broth recipe for you as well.