Now that the cooler weather is arriving and it seems safe to have the oven on for a few hours at a time, it may just be the perfect time to roast a chicken and enjoy the delectable smells of roasting meat in your home! Not to mention the delectable tastes of that tender juicy meat! Even when it’s just Steve and I eating dinner, I like to roast a chicken that is 5-6 pounds and nothing smaller. There are SO many ways to use roast chicken meat in soups, salads, sandwiches etc, that I’m more than happy to have any left over chicken to eat throughout the week.
To me the most unpleasant part of making roast chicken is dealing with the raw side of things…..but once you get used to it, it’s not so bad. I remember the first time I made a whole bird I didn’t realize that all the organs were tucked nicely inside the cavity, OOOPS! So be sure to pull all those lovelies out and do with them what you like. (When I’m lazy, they go in the trash! But sometimes I cook them up and add their broth to my gravy for extra flavor.) I always rinse off my whole bird and then be sure to dry it well with paper towels.
There are loads of ways to make a roast chicken, but my regular go-to method is with lemon, thyme, olive oil, salt and pepper. Very simple! And that, honestly, is one of the beauties of roasting a whole bird, this simple method rewards you with amazing flavor, tenderness, juiciness and just transports you back to a cozy Sunday night dinner.
One of the MOST important steps in making roast chicken is the salting, (Thank you Samin Nosrit for explaining this so well in your Salt, Fat, Acid Heat book!) and so you’ll want to factor in some time for your prepped chicken to rest to enable the salt to work its’ salty thing. If you can prep your chicken the night before, great! If you’re like me and it’s hard to remember to do that so far in advance, prepping in the morning will be good too! And if you can only prep a few hours in advance, still do your best to take advantage of the gifts of salt and time.
Once you have your lemon and herbs tucked into the cavity and you’ve lubed and liberally salted everything it’s time to put the finishing touches on your roast before sticking it into the oven. These quick steps are meant to help keep your chicken from drying out by having all the wings and legs tucked in close to the bird. So, do your best to get those wings tucked underneath and then cut a piece of kitchen string about 8-10 inches long (or you can substitute baker’s twine, unwaxed and unflavored dental floss, twisted aluminum foil) and tie the legs together at the ankles. No fancy sailing knots needed here, just a basic bow will be fine.
And now you’ve basically completed all the necessary prep! At this point your chicken either needs to go into the refrig and wait until roasting time (cover lightly with foil or plastic wrap, both to be removed before roasting) or go straight into the hot oven. When I prep my chicken in advance, I usually try to rest it on the counter for about an hour or so (if time allows) to let it warm up a bit before placing it in the oven. Once your oven is preheated, pop that roast in the oven, step away and wait for the heavenly roasty smells to start filling your kitchen! Roast your chicken for about 1 1/2 hours and check for doneness by ensuring that the juices are running clear (not red or pink) and that the internal temperature is 165 degrees.
Where do you take the temperature??? Well, I’m so glad you asked! The thermometer needs to be placed in the meatiest portion of the thigh, (I place it on the inside part towards the breast) ensuring that it is not touching bone or in that space between the thigh and the breast.
Delectable Roast Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 5-6 lb Chicken
- 1 Lemon, cut in half
- 1 Large sprig Thyme
- 1-2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
- 1+ Tablespoons Kosher salt
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
- If at all possible, prep your chicken the night before to give the salt time to work its’ way into the meat and create that ultimate juicy and tender roast chicken. (Alternatively, you can prep in the morning and if you forget, no worries, you can still cook your chicken. You’ll simply have a juicier end result if your chicken is salted several hours in advance.)
- Clean chicken by running it under some cool water and be sure to remove all of the giblets that may be in the cavity. (These can either be discarded or cooked for gravy.) Pat the chicken dry and place in cast iron skillet or other oven proof dish that is just slightly larger than your chicken.
- Salt (with about a 1 teaspoon of salt) and pepper the cavity. Follow up by squeezing in the lemon juice and placing the lemon halves and the herbs inside.
- Rub the entire chicken with the EVOO and then liberally salt the entire exterior of the bird. Sprinkle with freshly cracked black pepper.
- Tuck the wings underneath. Cross the “ankles” of the chicken and using kitchen string/twine (you’ll need about 8-10 inches) tie these together.
- If you are prepping in advance, place chicken in the refrigerator until ready to roast. If time allows, let rest on the counter for about an hour before placing in oven.
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Roast chicken for about 1 ½ hours, (time will vary depending on size of bird and how cold it was when placed in the oven) until internal temperature reaches 165°F. After removing from oven, cover with aluminum foil and allow to rest about 15 minutes before carving.