Roasted Chicken Recipe
Simple roasted whole chicken seasoned with salt, pepper, herbs, garlic, and butter.
Equipment
- Oven
- rack
- sheet tray or plate
- large carbon-steel or cast-iron skillet
- Toothpick or skewer
- thick wooden spoon
- Tongs
- Instant Read Thermometer
Ingredients
Ingredients
- One 3 1/2 to 4-pound roasting chicken giblets removed
- 4 teaspoonscoarse salt
- 1 teaspoonground pepper
- 1 peeled shallot sliced in half
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 6 to 8 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 tablespoonsolive oil
- 4 tablespoonsunsalted butter
Instructions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Pat the chicken dry inside and out with paper towels.
- Season the chicken evenly and generously all over and inside the cavity with 4 teaspoons coarse salt and 1 teaspoon ground pepper; rub the seasoning into the skin and cavity.
- Place the chicken on a rack set over a sheet tray or plate and refrigerate, uncovered, for 4 to 24 hours.
- Remove the chicken from the fridge. Using a toothpick or skewer, make about 15 to 20 small punctures through the skin only (do not pierce deep into the meat), distributing them over the thighs, drumsticks, breast, wings, and back.
- Stuff the chicken cavity with the peeled shallot (sliced in half), the 4 garlic cloves, 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, and 6 to 8 sprigs fresh thyme.
- Tuck the wing tips behind the back and truss the chicken so the legs are secure and the bird is compact for even cooking.
- In a large carbon-steel or cast-iron skillet, add 3 tablespoons olive oil and heat over high until the oil begins to lightly smoke.
- Carefully place the chicken breast-side down in the hot skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-high and let it sear without moving for about 2 minutes.
- Using a thick wooden spoon or tongs, hold the chicken so one side rests against the pan (propping it upright) and sear that side for about 2 minutes. Then prop the chicken on the opposite side and sear that side for about 2 minutes.
- Return the chicken to a breast-side-down position, reduce the heat to low, add 4 tablespoons unsalted butter to the pan, and baste the underside of the chicken with the melted butter for about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the chicken so the breast is up and baste the top for about 1 to 2 minutes. Drain off as much excess butter from the pan as you can.
- Place the skillet with the chicken on the lower third rack of the preheated oven and roast for 45 to 50 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 155° to 160°F.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest at room temperature for 10 to 12 minutes before carving and serving.
Notes
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.
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.