Easy Roast Chicken Recipes

THE BEST ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Mix butter, garlic, thyme, rosemary, lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together in a bowl.
• Loosen skin on chicken breast; rub butter mixture between skin and breast meat. Press on the skin to distribute evenly. Rub oil, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper all over; place lemon halves inside cavity. Set in a baking pan.
• Roast in the preheated oven, basting after 30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink, about 1 hour. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone, should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Let rest before carving, about 15 minutes.

JUICY ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Place chicken in a roasting pan, and season generously inside and out with salt and pepper. Sprinkle inside and out with onion powder. Place 3 tablespoons margarine in the chicken cavity. Arrange dollops of the remaining margarine around the chicken's exterior. Cut the celery into 3 or 4 pieces, and place in the chicken cavity.
• Bake uncovered 1 hour and 15 minutes in the preheated oven, to a minimum internal temperature of 180 degrees F (82 degrees C). Remove from heat, and baste with melted margarine and drippings. Cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest about 30 minutes before serving.

EASY ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Tie chicken legs together with kitchen twine (tuck wings under chicken, if desired, for a neater presentation). Place chicken on a rack set in a roasting pan (or on a rimmed baking sheet).
• Rub chicken all over with butter; season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Roast until an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees when inserted in the thickest part of a thigh (avoiding bone), 45 to 50 minutes. Serve, or let cool before refrigerating, up to 3 days, covered.

PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the onions, carrots, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.
• Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.

STUPID SIMPLE ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Place chicken into a roasting pan and insert lemon halves into the cavity; spread kosher salt over outside of chicken.
• Roast in the preheated oven until skin is browned and crisp, the juices run clear, and an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh, not touching bone, reads 160 degrees F (70 degrees C), about 1 hour. Let chicken rest for 15 minutes before carving.

SIMPLE SLOW ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Combine the paprika, black pepper, garlic salt, parsley, and marjoram in a small bowl. Pour the red wine into a roasting pan with lid; set aside.
• Place the celery and quartered onions into the cavity of the chicken. Rub the chicken with the reserved spice mixture, and set into the roasting pan.
• Cover, and bake the chicken in the preheated oven until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, 4 to 5 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 180 degrees F (82 degrees C). Remove the chicken from the pan, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area for 10 minutes before serving.

PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Let chicken and 1 tablespoon butter stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove and discard the plastic pop-up timer from chicken if there is one. Remove the giblets and excess fat from the chicken cavity. Rinse chicken inside and out under cold running water. Dry chicken thoroughly with paper towels. Tuck the wing tips under the body. Sprinkle the cavity of the chicken liberally with salt and pepper, and set aside.
• In the center of a heavy-duty roasting pan, place onion slices in two rows, touching. Place the palm of your hand on top of lemon and, pressing down, roll lemon back and forth several times. This softens the lemon and allows the juice to flow more freely. Pierce entire surface of lemon with a fork. Using the side of a large knife, gently press on garlic cloves to open slightly. Insert garlic cloves, thyme sprigs, and lemon into cavity. Place chicken in pan, on onion slices. Cut about 18 inches of kitchen twine, bring chicken legs forward, cross them, and tie together.
• Spread the softened butter over entire surface of chicken, and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Place in the oven, and roast until skin is deep golden brown and crisp and the juices run clear when pierced, about 1 1/2 hours. When chicken seems done, insert an instant-read thermometer into the breast, then the thigh. The breast temperature should read 180 degrees and the thigh 190 degrees.
• Remove chicken from oven, and transfer to a cutting board with a well. Let chicken stand 10 to 15 minutes so the juices settle. Meanwhile, pour the pan drippings into a shallow bowl or fat separator, and leave onions in the pan. Leave any brown baked-on bits in the bottom of the roasting pan, and remove and discard any blackened bits. Using a large spoon or fat separator, skim off and discard as much fat as possible. Pour the remaining drippings and the juices that have collected under the resting chicken back into the roasting pan. Place on the stove over medium-high heat to cook, about 1 minute. Add chicken stock, raise heat to high, and, using a wooden spoon, stir up and combine the brown bits with the stock until the liquid is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Strain the gravy into a small bowl, pressing on onions to extract any liquid. Discard onions, and stir in the remaining tablespoon of cold butter until melted and incorporated. Untie the legs, and remove and discard garlic, thyme, and lemon. Carve, and serve gravy on the side.

REALLY EASY ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• KIDS: The writing in bold is for you. ADULTS: The rest is for you. Cut the string off the chicken. Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Get your child to use a pair of scissors to cut the elastic or string holding the chicken together.
• Stuff the chicken. Stuff the lemon halves in the cavity of the chicken with the garlic and herb sprig (if using).
• Time to get your hands mucky. Sit the chicken in a large roasting tin and use your hands to smear the butter all over it.
• Easy-peasy vegetables. Tip the carrots and potatoes into a large bowl, drizzle over the oil and toss everything together with your hands.
• Scatter the vegetables around the chicken. Scatter the vegetables in an even layer around the chicken, then season everything. Put the chicken in the oven and roast for 30 mins. Remove from the oven and give the vegetables a stir, reduce the heat to 200C/180C fan/gas 6, then return to the oven for 50 mins more.
• Test if the chicken is cooked. Remove the chicken from the oven. Using a cloth, pull the leg - if it easily comes away from the body, there is no sign of pink and the juices run clear, the chicken is cooked. If you have a digital cooking thermometer, it should read above 70C. Take the chicken out of the tin.
• Make a lemony sauce. Scoop the vegetables into a serving dish. Using a spoon or a pair of tongs, remove the garlic, lemon and herbs from the chicken and put them in the roasting tin. Squash them down well with a potato masher to release all the juice from the lemons.
• Strain the sauce. Pour in the chicken stock and soy sauce and give it all a good stir. Get the child to hold a sieve over a jug while you lift up the pan and strain the juices into the jug. If you want it piping hot, reheat in a pan or in the microwave.

SIMPLEST ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Put a cast-iron skillet on a low rack in the oven and heat the oven to 500 degrees. Rub the chicken all over with the oil and sprinkle it generously with salt and pepper.
• When the oven and skillet are hot, carefully put the chicken in the skillet, breast side up. Roast for 15 minutes, then turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees. Continue to roast until the bird is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the meaty part of the thigh reads 155 to 165 degrees.
• Tip the pan to let the juices flow from the chicken's cavity into the pan. Transfer the chicken to a platter and let it rest for at least 5 minutes. Carve and serve.

EASY ROASTED CHICKEN THIGHS

Steps:

• In a bowl, toss chicken with oil and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper and marinate 1 hour (or up to a day).
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roast chicken, skin-side down, in an oiled roasting pan, 20 to 25 minutes; flip and roast 10 more minutes.
• Stir together mustard and honey and season with salt and pepper. Brush glaze onto chicken and broil 5 minutes.

MY FAVORITE SIMPLE ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450°F. Rinse the chicken, then dry it very well with paper towels, inside and out. The less it steams, the drier the heat, the better.
• Salt and pepper the cavity, then truss the bird. Trussing is not difficult, and if you roast chicken often, it's a good technique to feel comfortable with. When you truss a bird, the wings and legs stay close to the body; the ends of the drumsticks cover the top of the breast and keep it from drying out. Trussing helps the chicken to cook evenly, and it also makes for a more beautiful roasted bird.
• Now, salt the chicken-I like to rain the salt over the bird so that it has a nice uniform coating that will result in a crisp, salty, flavorful skin (about 1 tablespoon). When it's cooked, you should still be able to make out the salt baked onto the crisp skin. Season to taste with pepper.
• Place the chicken in a sauté pan or roasting pan and, when the oven is up to temperature, put the chicken in the oven. I leave it alone-I don't baste it, I don't add butter; you can if you wish, but I feel this creates steam, which I don't want. Roast it until it's done, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove it from the oven and add the thyme, if using, to the pan. Baste the chicken with the juices and thyme and let it rest for 15 minutes on a cutting board.
• Remove the twine. Separate the middle wing joint and eat that immediately. Remove the legs and thighs. I like to take off the backbone and eat one of the oysters, the two succulent morsels of meat embedded here, and give the other to the person I'm cooking with. But I take the chicken butt for myself. I could never understand why my brothers always fought over that triangular tip-until one day I got the crispy, juicy fat myself. These are the cook's rewards. Cut the breast down the middle and serve it on the bone, with one wing joint still attached to each. The preparation is not meant to be superelegant. Slather the meat with fresh butter. Serve with mustard on the side and, if you wish, a simple green salad. You'll start using a knife and fork, but finish with your fingers, because it's so good.

SIMPLE ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Put the chicken in a large roasting tin, then stuff the garlic and bay leaves into the cavity. Rub the outside of the chicken with butter, then squeeze over the lemon juice and add the lemon halves to the inside of the chicken. Season inside and out, then cook the chicken for 20 mins.
• Turn the oven down to 190C/170C fan/gas 5 and cook for a further 45 mins or until the chicken juices run clear when you pierce the thigh with a knife. Leave to rest for 15 mins before carving.

EASY ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Sit your chicken in a roasting tin. Ease the skin away from the breast and push the butter underneath the skin. Tuck a couple of fresh sage leaves in there too, if using.
• Sprinkle the skin with the sea salt and some black pepper. Pour water into the bottom of the roasting tin to fill it about 1-2cm deep.
• Cover the chicken with foil and roast for 1 hr. Remove the foil and continue to roast for 20-30 mins until the skin is golden, the chicken is cooked and all the juices run clear.
• Pour the juices into a jug to use in gravy. Put the chicken on a board and cover with foil and a clean towel or tea towel. Leave it to rest for 15-20 mins, then carve.

SIMPLE AND EASY ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 475°F.
• Wash chicken and pat dry with paper toweling.
• Coarsely chop the bulb of garlic (don't bother to peel cloves).
• Remove rosemary from 4 of the stems and chop coarsely; reserve the rest for later.
• Chop lemons into quarters.
• Put chopped garlic, chopped lemons and the chopped rosemary into the chicken's cavity.
• Rub the chicken skin generously with the butter or olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Place the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan and tuck remaining rosemary stems on the chicken, around wings and drumsticks.
• Roast chicken in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
• Decrease oven temperature to 375F and cook for 60-75 minutes more or until the juices of the chicken run clear (time depends a lot on weight).
• Allow chicken to sit at least 15 minutes before carving.
• Garnish with more fresh rosemary before serving, if desired.