Roast Chicken {Flavia's Fundamentals}
I think there are still many people who are intimidated by the idea of roasting a whole chicken, and I can empathize. I felt the same way when I was first teaching myself basic recipes and learning new techniques. I started making roast chicken not too long after Peter and I were married. I don't remember exactly when, but I do remember forcing myself to stop feeling fearful and nervous about cooking something a little unfamiliar. I knew I loved cooking, so I knew that there was no room for fear in the kitchen. I did a little research in cookbooks and online and in no time, roast chicken became one of my "go-to" recipes.
Knowing how to roast a chicken is something all home cooks should know how to do. It's casual enough for a weeknight dinner, but just as wonderful for a dinner party with friends and family. Leftovers can become chicken salad, chicken soup or a myriad of other dishes. Plus, once you know how to roast a small three-pound chicken, you'll know exactly how to roast a twelve pound turkey for Thanksgiving!
Let's get started! The recipe and method will be listed at the end of the post.
The ingredients: 1 whole chicken (about 3 lbs.) 1 lemon, 1 small onion, 1 bunch of thyme, extra-virgin olive oil, 3 T. unsalted butter, 2 tsp. kosher salt, 1 tsp. black pepper
Wash your chicken under cold running water (inside and out) and be sure to remove the neck and giblets from the cavity (if they are included). You can either discard them or freeze them to make stock/gravy at a later time. Some people don't think it's necessary to wash a chicken before cooking it, but I always like to give it a quick rinse. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
You can use a roasting pan to cook your chicken, but I prefer to roast my chicken on a broiler pan. If you use a broiler pan, here is a great tip: Fill the bottom of the broiler pan with about 1 inch of water. This will prevent the fat and drippings from burning and sticking in the lower half of the pan and will make clean-up so much easer.
If you use a roasting pan, place your chicken on a roasting rack if you have one and pour a little bit of water in the bottom of the roasting pan. If you don't have a roasting rack, slice up a couple of onions and place them on the bottom of the roasting pan. Set your chicken on top of the onions. The sliced onions will act as an aromatic bed for your chicken to cook on and will prevent the chicken from sticking to the pan.
Remember to always wash your hands, sink, utensils, counters and any other surfaces thoroughly with soap and hot water after handling raw poultry to prevent cross-contamination.
Put 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and 2 teaspoons of thyme in the bowl with the butter.
Mash all the ingredients together using a fork.
It will look like this when you are finished.
Peel the onion and chop it into quarters. Cut the lemon into quarters.
Sprinkle a little bit of the salt and pepper inside the chicken.
Tip: Place the salt and pepper in separate, smaller bowls so you do not cross-contaminate your main salt and pepper containers when you are working with the chicken.
Stuff the cavity with the quartered onion and lemon and tie the legs together with kitchen twine.
Next, use your fingertips to gently loosen the skin away from both breasts and hold the loosened skin with your other hand to help you separate it from the flesh. Do not cut or rip away the loosened skin --you will use it to cover the breast meat, so it needs to stay attached to the bird. You are just making a small pocket for the next step...
Coat the breast meat with all of the butter mixture. It's a messy job, but worth it! This makes the breast meat flavorful and juicy while the chicken roasts. I learned this trick from Cooks Illustrated magazine.
Place the loosened skin back over the chicken breasts.
Tuck the wing tips under the breasts. This will prevent them from burning as the chicken roasts.
Tie a piece of kitchen twine around the upper part of the chicken to keep the wings in place. This also keeps the chicken in a compact shape which will help it cook evenly.
Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil on the chicken.
Rub the olive oil evenly all over the chicken.
Sprinkle the entire chicken with the remaining salt and pepper. Place the chicken in a preheated 450 degree oven and roast for about 1 hour, or until an instant read thermometer registers an internal temperature of 165 degrees when placed between the leg, and thigh area. For a great tutorial on how to place your thermometer correctly into the chicken, watch this video on Kitchen Daily.
When the chicken is finished roasting, carefully transfer it to a cutting board and let it rest for 10 minutes to allow all the juices to redistribute. For an excellent tutorial on how to carve a chicken (or a turkey), watch this video on Kitchen Daily.
See? Roasting a chicken isn't that hard! I hope it becomes one of your ""go to" recipes too.
Buon Appetito!
Roast Chicken
1 3lb. whole chicken, rinsed and patted dry
3T. unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. fresh thyme
1 small lemon
1 small yellow onion (or half of a larger one)
2 T. extra virgin olive oil.Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Remove the neck and giblets from the chicken's cavity (if included) and wash the chicken (inside and out) under cold running water. Pat dry with paper towels. Set the chicken in the roasting pan or on the broiler pan and set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the butter, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and 2 teaspoons of thyme. Mash everything well using a fork and set aside.
Quarter the lemon and the onion and set aside.
Sprinkle some of the salt and pepper inside the cavity of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the lemon and onion quarters. Using kitchen twine, tie the chicken legs together securely.
Carefully loosen the skin from both sides of the chicken breasts using your fingers. Do not cut or rip off the skin--you simply want to create two small pockets. Smear the butter-thyme mixture evenly on top of the chicken breast flesh and place the loosened skin back over the chicken breasts.
Tuck the wing tips under the chicken breasts and using a piece of kitchen twine, tie the upper part of the chicken to keep the wings securely in place. This will also keep the chicken in a compact shape for even cooking.
Pour 2 tablespoons of the olive oil on top of the chicken and rub it evenly all over. Sprinkle the entire chicken with the remaining salt and pepper.
Place the chicken in the preheated oven and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted between the leg and the thigh registers 165 degrees.
Remove the chicken to a cutting board and allow it to rest for 10 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute before carving.
Remember to wash your hands, sink, cutting boards, utensils, counters and any other surfaces thoroughly with soap and hot water after handling raw poultry to prevent cross-contamination.
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You know, I have NEVER roasted a chicken....it does scare me a little. But your post will definitely help!
I made roasted chicken two nights ago. The best part is there's always leftovers for a delicious salad or pasta dish. I did of course, forget to tie it all up which made things a little tricky. I'll have to re-read this next time i make it. Thanks for these great tips!