An oven is an amazing thing. A magic box that you put things in and delicous comes out. You can have no culinary skill. I being a case in point. Well, the oven can fix that. Roast chicken is a very simple succulent juicy entree that can go with a variety of sides.
Ingredients
- 1 whole medium to small chicken
- salt and pepper
- parsley for garnish
Prep
Preheat the oven to 425 F. Remove your chicken from packaging and rinse it out.
ProTip: Most chickens sold whole come with giblets and a neck. Probably not the set that your particular chicken was born with, but that’s besides the point. They’re usually stored in the body cavity. Remember to remove these and set them aside for gravy or sauteing.
Pat the chicken dry. Sprinkle a good amount of salt and pepper into the body cavity. Truss the chicken if you have some butchers twine.
Trussing the chicken pulls the legs to the body, which makes the density of the bird more consistent and results in more even cooking, but if you don’t have twine it’s fine. It’ll still be edible.
Liberally salt and pepper the outside of the bird, place it in a shallow roasting pan and we’re good for prep.
Cooking
Put the chicken in the oven. Thats it! That simple. You’re well on your way to giving Thomas Keller a run for his money. At this point you may start drinking or entertaining or whatever you like. The most important thing to do is to not open the oven. Don’t baste it. Don’t open the door to say hullo. Let the oven do its magic.
At about 45 minutes start checking the chicken for doneness. The chicken will be done when the breast meat has reached 165C or the juices from the body cavity run golden and clear, not pink. If its not done at the 45 minute mark give it another 10-15 minutes and check again. Let the chicken rest for 15-20 minutes.
Garnish with some parsley and carve.
