The Best Roast Chicken You’ll Ever Make (Restaurant-Quality) | Epicurious 101, by Epicurious on YouTube. 8 min 4 s.
- Video length
- 8 min 4 s
- Time to do it
- About 1 hour 30 minutes, plus
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Pat the chicken completely dry inside and out with paper towels. Rub about 1 tablespoon of kosher salt over the skin and into the cavity, then leave it uncovered in the fridge overnight.
Take the chicken out 30 to 45 minutes before cooking so it loses its fridge chill. Set a rack in a roasting pan and heat the oven to 450°F.
Tie the legs together with kitchen twine and tuck the wing tips under the body. Set the chicken breast side down on the rack and season the back with pepper.
Roast breast side down for about 20 minutes, until the back is browned. Pull the pan out, turn the chicken breast side up with tongs, and return it to the oven.
Keep roasting until the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F to 175°F on a thermometer and the juices run clear, roughly 45 to 60 minutes in total.
Move the chicken to a board and rest it loosely covered with foil for 15 minutes. Pour the pan drippings into a jug so the fat separates for gravy.
Cut the twine. Pull each leg away from the body until the hip joint pops, then cut through the joint to free the leg and thigh. Repeat on the other side.
Cut down along the breastbone and follow the ribcage to lift off each whole breast. Slice the breast across the grain and cut the wings free at the shoulder.
Tips and common mistakes
Skip rinsing the raw chicken, since splashing water spreads bacteria around the sink.
A thermometer in the thigh is the only reliable doneness test, so start checking at 40 minutes.
Dry skin and a hot oven give the crispest result, so do not cover the bird while it roasts.
Keep the picked carcass in the freezer and simmer it later for stock.
Questions
How long does a 4 lb chicken take to roast?
Plan on 45 to 60 minutes at 450°F, depending on your oven and how cold the bird went in. Start checking the thigh with a thermometer at 40 minutes.
Do I have to salt it overnight?
No, but the overnight dry salt is what seasons the meat deeply and dries the skin for crisping. If you are short on time, salt it in the morning and roast that evening.
Can I roast vegetables in the same pan?
Yes. Scatter onion, carrot and lemon halves under the rack so they catch the drippings. Spoon off the fat before using the juices for gravy.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
