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This Roast Chicken is my go-to recipe! This technique consistently yields tender, juicy meat along with crispy skin every single time!
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Do you have a New Year’s resolution? I don’t normally take part in this cultural practice, but this year I have one or two for TGG.
The first one is something that I have been wanting to change for quite some time (almost 11 years to be exact). September 19, 2010, was my first published post. I was new to the blogging world, new to writing, and completely new to photography, but I was most certainly not new to my passion for the culinary arts. For that post, I wanted to share our/my most beloved recipe, a simple roast chicken. I don’t think I have made anything more in my kitchen than a roast chicken.
As you know, it has been featured on my Sunday dinner menus countless times, but I make it more often during the week, often paired with a Bibb Lettuce Salad with House Vinaigrette or used in another recipe. What is my resolution, you ask? I am finally getting around to updating the photo. I was so proud of the original at the time, but now it just makes me cringe!
As for the recipe, I haven’t changed a thing. This is the one. But, having said that, feel free to change or omit the garlic and herb at the end. Perhaps you’d like a roast chicken with just salt and pepper. Perhaps you’d like to try a different dried spice blend. As I always say- “Make it for you, make it your own”. Making those changes will only affect the flavor profile of the final product. It is the method that is the key to the perfect roast chicken.
See my kitchen tip HERE on how to shred chicken the easy way!
See my recipe HERE for Quick Chicken Stock (made with leftover carcass).
Original blog post text from 9/19/2010-
Wait, back to my last meal. Not only would there be a roast chicken, but I would be surrounded by my family in my home, and the meal would never ever end.
Roast Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 good quality, fresh 3 ½ – 4 pound chicken (I like Bell & Evans)
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- A few sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2-3 medium cloves of garlic, unpeeled and smashed
Instructions
- Position oven rack in the lower-third of the oven and preheat to 475ºF.
- Rinse the chicken thoroughly, inside and out, then dry with paper towels. Remove any lumps of fat from inside the cavity. Season the cavity with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Truss the bird with kitchen twine or simply tuck the wings under the breast and tie the drumsticks together. Generously season the entire chicken with salt and pepper and place in a roasting pan or large cast iron skillet.
- Once the oven is heated place the chicken in the oven and close the door for 50 minutes. Don't turn, baste, or even sneak a peek. (Half way through cooking turn on your range vent. Cooking at a high temperature can cause smoke.) After 50 minutes, take the chicken out of the oven and check the temperature. The best place to do this is the thickest part of the thigh. You'll want a temperature of 155ºF and it will continue to rise another 10 degrees while resting. If not, place the chicken back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes. Once the chicken is done, remove it from the oven and add the thyme sprigs and smashed garlic to the pan juices (careful of splattering and spitting). Baste the chicken with the flavored drippings. Set the chicken on a carving board and let the it rest for 15-20 minutes before carving. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
