How to roast the perfect chicken
If there’s one dish every home cook strives to get right, it’s this one, and for good reason: A roast chicken easily feeds a family, it makes both white- and dark-meat lovers happy and leftovers can be used for everything from sandwiches to tacos to potpie (and even stock, from the bones).
Here’s how to achieve that winning combination of crisp skin and juicy meat — down to the exact thermometer and type of salt you should use.
Mix and match
The roasting technique may be set in stone, but you can get creative with flavor. The only rule: Use a robust herb, an allium and a citrus. While you really can’t go wrong with any combo, here are three great ones.
1. Rosemary + red onion + orange
2. Sage + shallots + Meyer lemon
3. Oregano + white onion + lime
Heat check
Old-school dial-face thermometers can be slow and imprecise, and noncontact infrared lasers are fast, yet pricey. But digital ones are quick, accurate and easy on the wallet. Try the Taylor Classic Instant Read Pocket Thermometer ($7.50, webstaurantstore.com).
Buy the best bird
A few extra bucks per pound can mean a million-dollar difference when it comes to flavor and texture. We recommend heritage chickens, which are raised with ample outdoor space on a diet of both grass and feed. An organic bird that’s been air-chilled (as opposed to cooled in water), such as one from D’Artagnan, is a great alternative because it will yield crispier skin.
Super salt
Distributing salt evenly is important when seasoning. The coarse crystals of kosher salt are easier to sprinkle than fine table salt, which slips through your fingers. Try Diamond Crystal, for its extra-large and craggy granules.
A cut above
For a step-by-step guide to carving your bird, visit marthastewart.com/carving-chicken.
For more recipes and additional tips, visit www.marthastewart.com. Questions or comments should be sent to: askmartha@marthastewart.com.
Roast chicken
- Whole chicken
- Lemons
- Fresh thyme
- Unsalted butter
- Yellow onion
- Kosher salt
- Peppercorns
1. Salt the chicken. Salting the day before is the key to getting the crispiest bird: It pulls moisture from the skin, leaving it taut and ready to brown. To start, pat a 3- to 3 1⁄2-pound chicken dry and season the cavity and skin with 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt each. Place it on a rimmed baking sheet that’s lined with a rack. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 12 hours and up to 24. You can amp up the taste by adding a teaspoon of ground coriander, cumin or paprika to the salt.
2. Season and stuff. Now, it’s all about infusing the bird with flavor. Start by sprinkling the cavity with 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper. Then pierce 1 lemon all over with a fork; put it inside the cavity with 6 thyme sprigs. Rub 3 tablespoons softened butter evenly over the skin, season with another 1/4 teaspoon pepper and tie the legs firmly with twine. On a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment, overlap 1 thinly sliced lemon and 1 thinly sliced onion to create a base slightly larger than the chicken. Set the bird on top of this “rack,” which will collect the chicken fat as it drips. Strip the leaves from 3 more thyme sprigs and scatter them over the chicken. Let the bird stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, which will help it cook evenly.
3. Roast and rest. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Roast the chicken 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees, rotate the sheet and continue cooking until a thermometer registers 160 degrees, 25 to 35 minutes. (For the most accurate reading, insert it in two places: the thickest part of the breast, then the thigh, near but not touching the bone.) Let the chicken stand 10 minutes (the temperature will rise to 165 degrees) — this allows the juices to redistribute, creating tender meat. Serve, with the roasted lemon and onion slices.
This story was originally published September 12, 2016 at 4:04 PM with the headline "How to roast the perfect chicken."