The Perfect Roast Chicken Recipes

WHOLE ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven and a roasting tray to 220ºC/425ºF/gas 7.
• Pick and finely chop the soft herbs, halve the lemon and tear the bay leaves.
• Rub inside the chicken cavity with sea salt, then carefully grab the skin at the tip of the chicken breasts, making sure that it doesn't rip, and pull up gently. With your other hand gently separate the skin from the meat of the breast - it's normally connected by a little bit of tissuey-type stuff, and you can either leave this attached in the middle and make two little tunnels either side or you can try to cut away the middle.
• Sprinkle a little salt down the gaps that you have made, push in most of the chopped herbs and drizzle in a little oil.
• Push the lemon halves into the cavity along with the bay and rosemary sprigs, then pull the skin of the chicken breast forward so that none of the flesh is exposed, tuck the little winglets under, and tie up as firmly as possible.
• Rub a little oil all over the chicken skin, scatter over the remaining chopped herbs and season very generously with salt and black pepper. Slash each thigh about 3 or 4 times to allow the heat to penetrate directly.
• Remove the hot tray from the oven and drizzle with a little oil. Put the chicken into the tray, breast-side down and leaning to one side, then place in the oven. Roast for 5 minutes, then lean it to the other side, still breast-side down. Cook for another 5 minutes, then place the chicken on its bottom and cook for 1 further hour, or until golden and cooked through - the skin should be really crispy and the herbs will flavour the meat- this really must be the best roast chicken. Trust me - it's not fiddly, it's pukka.

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.

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.

PERFECT ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• After removing giblets (discard or save for another recipe), salt and pepper inside of chicken.
• Stuff the cavity with thyme, lemon quarters and garlic halves.
• Brush the outside of the chicken with melted butter.
• Salt and pepper outside of chicken.
• Tie the legs together with string (good idea to soak string in water prior so it won't burn in the oven) and tuck the wings under the body.
• Cook in oven for 1 1/2 hours or until done.

PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Rinse and pat chicken thoroughly dry with paper towels. Mix margarine, garlic salt, black pepper, thyme, parsley, and rosemary in a bowl and rub the outside of the chicken thoroughly with the margarine mixture. Place any remaining margarine mixture into the cavity of the chicken. Place chicken into a glass baking dish.
• Bake chicken in the preheated oven until browned and the juices run clear, about 2 hours. An instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh, not touching bone, should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
• In a 9 by 13-inch roasting pan, add the carrots, celery and onions. Season the chicken both inside and out with the kosher salt and white pepper. Squeeze the lemon halves over the chicken and place the rinds inside the cavity. Place the bay leaves inside the cavity. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, rosemary, olive oil and butter. Rub the chicken both inside and out with the garlic rosemary blend and place in the roasting pan.
• Place the pan in the oven and roast the chicken for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the juices run clear. To test this, insert a thermometer in the thickest part of a leg. It should register at 160 degrees internal temperature. Remove the chicken from the oven and allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes before carving.
• Pour off excess fat from pan and return to heat. Whisk in chicken stock, roasted garlic, white wine and chopped rosemary, scraping up the bits on the bottom of pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Reduce gravy by half, until thickened.
• Serve chicken with gravy on the side.

PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
• 2. Rinse chicken inside and out, then pat dry. Remove excess fat from the cavities and season with salt and pepper. Place half of the lemon inside. Tie legs together with kitchen string and place in a roasting pan.
• 3. In a saucepan, melt the butter with the olive oil over low heat. Squeeze the remaining lemon half into the mixture. Brush over the chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Bake in the center of the oven, basting often with the drippings, until juices run clear when the thigh is pierced with a sharp knife, about 1 hours. The temperature should be 175°F when a meat thermometer is placed in the thickest part of the thigh.
• 4. Remove chicken from the oven and transfer to a carving board; let rest for 10 minutes. Remove the lemon from the cavity and squeeze it into the pan juices. Stir in the water. Bring the pan juices to a low boil, scraping up the brown bits, and cook until the sauce is reduced, about 2 minutes. Defat the sauce.
• 5. Carve the chicken and arrange on a large platter. Pour the sauce over it and garnish with watercress. Serve immediately.

PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• One day before serving, I pat the chicken dry, inside and out, using paper towels. Remove any excess fat from the chicken's cavity.
• Combine the salt, herbs and black pepper. Sprinkle evenly all over the chicken and inside the cavity and rub the mixture into the skin.
• Place the chicken on a rack which sits in a baking pan and place, uncovered, in the fridge overnight. See Note 7
• Remove the chicken from the fridge about one hour before roasting to bring it to room temperature. If it is a hot day, remove it about a half hour before cooking.Meanwhile, line a roasting pan with non-stick baking paper. See Note 8
• Preheat your oven to 230C (450 F).
• Place two of the onion quarters inside the cavity of the chicken. Pat the chicken dry. Do not rub the salt off.
• For more even cooking, truss the chicken using your method of choice. I use a simple method. I tuck the wings behind the back of the chicken. Then, cross the legs and secure them firmly with kitchen twine.
• Place the remaining vegetables in the roasting pan and toss with 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil. The vegetables form a trivet on which to place the chicken.
• Brush the chicken all over with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and place, breast-side up, on the bed of vegetables.
• Put the chicken in the oven and reduce heat immediately to 200 C/400 F.Roast for about 1 hour 10 minutes. The cooking time will depend on the size of the chicken and varying temperatures of ovens.To check that the chicken is done, insert a sharp knife between the thigh and the chicken body. When cooked, the juices should run clear. Alternatively, use an instant-read thermometer. It should register at 75C (165 F) when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, but not touching the bone.
• Once cooked, remove the chicken from the oven, transfer to a warm plate and cover loosely with foil. Let rest for 15 minutes before carving.
• Serve with the vegetables in the pan. If you wish, use the juices from the pan to make gravy.

PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450F and cover a roasting pan with foil.
• Thoroughly dry the chicken with paper towels, inside and out. The goal is to have as little steam as possible.
• Salt and pepper the chicken inside the cavities and under the wings.
• Truss the bird to ensure it cooks evenly, the wings and legs don't burn and the breasts are semi-covered and will not dry out as quickly.
• Salt and pepper the chicken with a nice, liberal sprinkle. This will result with a crispier and more flavorful skin.
• If using paprika, sprinkle it on now.
• Place prepared chicken, breast side up, in the middle of a roasting rack that has been placed in the roasting pan. Using a roasting rack ensures the chicken will cook evenly and won't stick to the pan.
• Do not baste the bird or open the oven door until 60 minutes have passed.
• After 60 minutes, test the internal temperature in the thickest part of the thigh. *See notes
• The chicken is done when internal temperature reads 170-175F. (Note: Thomas Keller states the chicken is done at 165F, but I prefer 175F.) (**Julia Child's recipe calls for chicken to cook between 170-180F and some other recipes say 180F.) P
• Keep in mind, chicken breasts cook more quickly than thighs.
• Turn off oven, remove chicken from oven and transfer it to a cutting board to rest 15 minutes. Do NOT touch for 15 minutes. Let the chicken rest to allow the juices the chance to soak into the meat instead of ending up on the cutting board.
• While the chicken is resting, remove and discard any gelatinous fat from the roasting pan. Remove the foil, but let the chicken drippings to drip back into the pan. Add ¼ cup unsalted butter and herbs to pan drippings, stir well and place the pan back into the oven to let the herb butter mingle a few minutes.
• After chicken has rested, cut it into serving pieces and serve with the warm herb butter.
• Enjoy!