Roasted Chicken Recipe
This Roasted Chicken delivers juicy garlic-herb flavor with crispy skin, proving roasting is the ultimate way to cook meat.
Ingredients
- One 3 ½ to 4-pound roasting chicken, giblets removed
- 4 teaspoons coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 peeled shallot, sliced in half
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 6 to 8 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Pat the chicken dry on all sides with paper towels, including in the inside cavity.
- Place the chicken on a rack over a sheet tray or plate, and evenly and generously season all sides of the chicken and in the cavity with the salt and pepper. Feel free to rub it in as well.
- Put the chicken on the rack in the fridge, uncovered, for 4 to 24 hours.
- Remove the chicken and, using a toothpick or skewer, make about 15 to 20 little pierces or punctures, only going as deep as breaking through the skin in each part, so the thighs, drums, breast, wings, and even the back side.
- Stuff the chicken cavity with the shallot, garlic, rosemary, and thyme.
- Fold the wings back behind the back and truss the chicken to keep it packed in tight and to cook it more evenly.
- In a large carbon steel or cast iron skillet, add the olive oil and heat it over high heat until it begins to lightly smoke.
- Place the chicken breast side down into the pan, and as soon as it’s in there, I turn the heat down slightly to medium-high. Let it stand for only about 2 minutes. Using a thick wooden spoon, hold it upright for that same amount of time, about 2 minutes, and then I’ll repeat the process on the other side of it for the same amount of time.
- Flip it so that it’s breast side down, turn the heat down to low, and add in the butter and baste the chicken for about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip it over and baste the top for about 1 to 2 minutes. Drain off as much of the butter as you can.
- Add the chicken to the pan and place it in the preheated oven on a lower third rack and cook for 45 to 50 minutes or until it reads 155° to 160° in the thickest part of the breast.
- Let it rest at room temperature for 10 to 12 minutes before carving and serving.
Notes
Searing the chicken in a sizzling hot skillet before placing it in the oven is the secret to the best roast chicken recipe. The high heat in the pan instantly starts the browning process, which only gets better after basting the skin with melted butter. You’ll end up with deeply flavorful, golden skin that oven heat alone can’t deliver.
Short on time? If you don’t have time to dry brine the chicken, just season the skin with salt and pepper before searing the bird on the stove. The skin won’t be as crispy, and the flavors won’t be as complex, but the roast chicken will still be good. For an even quicker method, check out my Easy Roast Chicken recipe.
Pierce the skin: Making small, shallow punctures in the skin (all over the thighs, drumsticks, breast, wings, and backside) after brining helps release fat as the chicken roasts in the oven, leading to crispy skin and juicy meat.
Roast with vegetables: You can roast your chicken over a bed of carrots, onions, and red potatoes if you’d like. First, toss the vegetables in olive oil, salt, and pepper, then dump them into the bottom of a roasting pan. Roast the chicken on a wire rack placed inside the pan so the drippings can drip over top of the vegetables.
How to tell when it’s done: The best way to tell if your roasted chicken is done is with a meat thermometer. Pierce the thickest part of the breast with the thermometer. When it reads between 155ºF and 160°F, it’s ready to come out of the oven. As it’s resting, the temperature will rise to a perfect 165ºF.
Carving roasted chicken: Refer to my guide, How to Carve a Chicken, before slicing and serving the meat.
Make-Ahead: The chicken is best served as soon as it’s done resting. If you’re not quite ready to serve it, cover it with foil and place it in a low-temperature oven for up to 30 minutes.
How to Store: Store the carved and cooled chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 days.
How to Reheat: Place the chicken pieces on a baking sheet, cover them with foil. Warm in a 375°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until heated through.
Nutrition
Calories: 161kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 0.4gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 1863mgPotassium: 30mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 0.1gVitamin A: 341IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 16mgIron: 0.4mg