Roast Chicken Recipe

Preheat

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Position a rack in the lower-middle of the oven so the chicken will have room to roast and brown.

Remove the chicken from the refrigerator 30–45 minutes before roasting to take the chill off for more even cooking. Pat the entire chicken dry inside and out with paper towels — dry skin is essential for crisping.

Check the cavity and remove any giblets or neck packaged inside. Tuck the wing tips under the body to prevent burning.

In a small bowl, combine kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, paprika and dried thyme. Mix well to form the seasoning rub.

Loosen the skin over the breasts by sliding your fingers gently between the skin and meat, working from the neck opening toward the breast. Be careful not to tear the skin.

Rub about 2 tablespoons of the softened butter under the loosened breast skin, spreading it evenly over the breast meat. This adds flavor and promotes browning.

Rub the remaining butter over the outside of the chicken skin. Drizzle the olive oil over the skin and rub so the seasoning will stick and skin will crisp.

Sprinkle the seasoning mix evenly over the outside of the chicken, including the legs, thighs and cavity opening. Use any leftover seasoning to season the cavity lightly.

Cut the lemon in half. Squeeze one half over the cavity, then place both lemon halves inside the cavity along with crushed garlic cloves and the rosemary and thyme sprigs.

If using vegetables, spread the carrots, onion, celery and potatoes in a single layer in a roasting pan or large ovenproof skillet. Drizzle with 1–2 teaspoons of olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. These will act as a rack and absorb pan juices.

Place the seasoned chicken on top of the vegetable bed, breast side up. If not using vegetables, place the chicken directly on a rimmed baking sheet or in a roasting pan on a rack.

Transfer the roasting pan to the preheated oven. Roast at 425°F (220°C) for 15 minutes to jump-start browning.

After 15 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 375°F (190°C). Continue roasting until the internal temperature reaches 160°F (71°C) in the thickest part of the thigh without touching bone — about 40–60 more minutes for a 3.5–4.0 lb chicken (total cooking time ~55–75 minutes). Start checking at 40 minutes after reducing temperature.

If the skin is browning too quickly, loosely tent the chicken with foil for the remainder of the roast. If using a thermometer with a probe, you can leave it in and monitor while it roasts.

When the thigh reaches 160°F (71°C), remove the chicken from the oven. Transfer to a cutting board and loosely tent with foil. Let rest 15–20 minutes; during this time the carryover heat will raise the internal temperature to about 165°F (74°C) and juices will redistribute.

Pour any pan juices from the roasting pan into a small bowl or fat separator. Skim off excess fat if desired and spoon the juices over carved pieces.

Carve the chicken: remove legs and thighs, then slice the breast meat against the grain. Serve with roasted vegetables if used.

Adjust salt to taste based on whether you use fine or coarse salt. Kosher works well; if using table salt use about half the amount.

For extra crispy skin, pat the chicken very dry and refrigerate uncovered for an hour or overnight before rubbing with oil and seasoning.