How I Learned to Roast a Chicken
(plus a few tips and recipes)
Roast chicken has never been my thing. Dry, boring, pass. As a kid, I dunked any cut of meat that was put in front of me into either ketchup or barbecue sauce. Even now, I tend to steer away from meat + vegetable + starch meals toward soups, stews, curries, and casseroles. Mostly it’s just preference, but I’ll admit that part of it is laziness; I’m notorious for trying to turn every dish into a one-pot meal, and I rarely want to coordinate multiple sides on a weeknight.
But I always sort of wanted to try to roast a whole chicken. It’s such a classic meal, and I felt that success on this front would be proof that I was officially a good home cook. I read about Buttermilk Chicken in Samin Nosrat’s Salt Fat Acid Heat, which got me mulling over the idea. But last spring as everyone else was making sourdough and I was finishing unboxing my kitchen, I saw Smitten Kitchen’s Roast Chicken with Schmaltzy Cabbage (pictured below) on Instagram. She swore it was easy, she used a small chicken, and for the first time in my life, I thought “I could do that. I should do that.”
So I did (a month later; I have to work up to these things). I read at least 3 articles and 4 more recipes to consider all possible pitfalls. I discovered that people argue over all sorts of things - must you truss the legs? which is best - brine or dry rub? is it necessary to set it out an hour before it goes in the oven? should it be basted? (More on all of this later!)
That Smitten Kitchen recipe, like many roast bird recipes, has you baste occasionally. It was casual - just check in with the bird every now and then, scoop some butter onto the top, flip the cabbage halfway through. But I was on the phone with my mom as my little friend finished roasting, and I was nervous and chattery. Was it done? Would it be good?
I won’t wax poetic, but Joey ate half the chicken that very night, and I was converted from my roast-chicken-ambivalence. Here’s the photo. Apologies for the quality and framing - it was just for my mom! I didn’t know back then that I would start a blog, much less that I’d ever want to write such a thing as this.
The next time I roasted a chicken, I added some more herbs and spices to the overnight rub (I particularly enjoy the Penzey’s Galena Street blend when I’m feeling lazy).
This process went on every few months throughout the summer, each attempt a little different but ultimately successful. I eventually realized that I didn’t love cabbage, but brussels sprouts are like baby cabbage, and I like them better. Totally worked, and I haven’t looked back.
Generally speaking, a small chicken is the perfect choice for a two-person household that loves leftovers. When Thanksgiving rolled around and we decided to stay put for the holidays, I went all-in on our spread, and a roast chicken on a bed of brussels sprouts was the hero of our meal.
Now roasting a chicken has moved from my leisurely weekend cooking project to a casual weeknight dinner, and I realized I’m officially comfortable with it. I have some thoughts and tips, should you desire to join me in my obsession.
My Chicken-Roasting Tips
Get a small bird (3-5 pounds). The thought here is that small chickens can handle higher heat and aren’t as lean as bigger chickens are. In summary: more skin per ounce of meat, more fat = more flavor, and it roasts in under an hour. I’m trusting the experts on this, and I haven’t tried anything larger than 5 pounds. I’ve been buying Springer chickens, which as far as I can tell are a Southeastern US thing but are so good. Yes, the bird itself seems to matter. My Aldi chicken just wasn’t quite as good.
Don’t skip the overnight prep. Whether you decide to go for a brine or a buttermilk soak or simply rub it down with salt, don’t skip this step. It just will not be as good if you do your prep an hour ahead. According to Nosrat, the salt “disables proteins, preventing them from squeezing liquid from the meat as the bird cooks.” (This applies to all meat! Always salt your meat ahead of time! Use more salt than seems natural!)
Dry rub or brine? Either! I don’t think one is superior to the other - I’ve made chickens both ways, and they’ve all been delicious. Do what sounds best to you, and then try something different the next time!
Do you need to let the chicken sit out for an hour to warm up? The idea here is that a slightly warmed chicken will roast more evenly, and that intuitively makes sense to me. However, I have only managed it once and haven’t noticed a problem when I haven’t. I just pull out the chicken when I’m prepping the vegetables and pre-heating the oven. So either 15 minutes is enough time to do the trick or this doesn’t really matter enough for a non-chef to notice.
Roast your chicken on a bed of something. There are things you can do with the drippings on their own, but to me that all feels too fussy for a non-holiday. Why bother when those drippings could be turning vegetables into something you’ll pluck hot out of the pan while the bird rests? I’ve gone all-in on brussels sprouts here, and I won’t go back. But I mixed small potatoes into our Thanksgiving dish, and they were excellent. I recommend melting a little butter in the bottom of the dish so nothing chars before the juices start flowing. Also, back to the “I’m lazy” thing: it’s a built-in side dish!
Don’t stress too much about the skin. So many articles are crispy this and succulent that, with lots of fussing about technique and chemistry. This recipe has you flip the bird halfway through to crisp both sides of the chicken. But I think as long as you’re roasting at a high heat (400ºF or up) and you’ve done the overnight prep, you’ll be okay. I will say: of all my birds so far, the Smitten Kitchen schmaltzy cabbage recipe yielded the crispiest skin.
Do you need to pat the chicken dry? You can if you want. This is another in-pursuit-of-crispy-skin technique. The idea is that keeping the skin as dry as possible prevents steam and thus results in crispier skin. I tried it the first few times, but now I skip it, and I haven’t noticed a difference.
Do you need to baste the chicken while it roasts? It kind of depends on what you’re going for, but not necessarily. I’ve found that I’m a fan of it, because it allows more moisture to get to the veggies underneath, and the butter really does give you crispy skin. But Nosrat’s recipe doesn’t require it (she credits the sugars in the buttermilk); the skin was perfect, and it was our juiciest bird yet. If you’re skipping it and also roasting on a bed of vegetables, I’d consider pulling the bird out about halfway through, tipping out some of the juices into the veggies, and moving everything around a little bit.
Stop worrying about the aesthetics. I’ve given up on the wing tips - some people cover them in little foil protectors, some people tuck them, some people snip them at the joint. I ignore them, because I’m not planning to eat them anyway. I also don’t truss the legs - it doesn’t seem to matter. The thought is that trussing keeps the breast from dying out by closing off the cavity. I’m currently making the juiciest chicken I’ve ever eaten sans trussing, so I’ve decided the effects must be too marginal for me to notice. I will never know if I’m wrong, because I will never bother to do it (I feel strongly about this one, actually).
You kind of can’t beat cast iron for roasting a chicken. Joey got me this one for my birthday, and I christened it with roast chicken. It’s the perfect size to get a good amount of vegetables in, and the perfect depth for maneuvering, basting, etc. I don’t imagine I’ll ever buy a roasting pan. (If I ever host a big Thanksgiving, I think I’m making multiple chickens… I’ll figure that out later.)
Do you need to rest the chicken? Yes. Ten to fifteen minutes should do the trick, but this is another “not optional” bit. It keeps the meat moist, and you should be doing it for all big cuts of meat! Here’s why.
A Few Roast Chicken Recipes for Your Consideration
A small collection to peruse, test, and make your own.
Smitten Kitchen’s Roast Chicken with Schmaltzy Cabbage | This is such a good starter recipe, bordering on no-fail. It’s so simple, lending itself to infinite adaptations.
Samin Nosrat’s Buttermilk-Marinated Roast Chicken | This is the one that it seems all the foodies have made at least once, and I get it. It really doesn’t get much easier than this in terms of technique. Chicken, salt, buttermilk, ziplock bag. You’ve got this.
Zuni Cafe’s Roasted Chicken with Bread Salad (here’s a simplified version adapted by Smitten Kitchen) | I haven’t tried this one yet, but I keep thinking about it. I’ll get to it. I’ve definitely incorporated some of their tips into my technique.
The Woks of Life’s Five Spice Roast Turkey | I made my version of this as a chicken for Thanksgiving, and it was an instant classic (my adapted recipe is below). It’s a great example of adding more flavors and spices into the mix. I’ve finally learned that chicken can shine on its own; but it can also be enhanced in so many ways, and this is a fun twist.
Chinese Five Spice Roast Chicken
Adapted from The Woks of Life
INGREDIENTS
Small chicken (3-5 lbs)
3 Tablespoons butter, divided
1 pound brussels sprouts, halved or quartered
MARINADE
6 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons salt
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce (or soy sauce)
2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoons five spice powder
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon sesame oil
DIRECTIONS:
The day before roasting: combine the wet rub ingredients in a blender or food processor. Pulse until there are no more large chunks of garlic.
Remove chicken from its package. Pull out the giblets and any other innards (reserve for chicken stock). Put the chicken in a large bowl or gallon-sized ziplock bag and pour the wet rub over the meat. Make sure you get every crevice, including the inside of the bird. Cover the bowl or seal the bag, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
Remove the chicken from the refrigerator up to an hour before roasting, or at least while you prep the brussels sprouts. Preheat the oven to 425ºF
Heat a 12” cast iron pan on the stove or in the oven. When it’s hot, melt 1 Tablespoon of butter to coat the bottom. Layer brussels sprouts on the bottom of the pan, letting them overlap to create a small mound. Place the chicken breast-side up on the bed of sprouts. Tuck the wings in. Reserve the marinade.
Roast the chicken for 45-60 minutes. Melt the remaining 2 Tablespoons of butter in a small bowl. Add a few tablespoons of the reserved marinade. Spoon this mixture over the chicken and sprouts a few times during roasting. If you find that your chicken is browning too quickly, reduce the heat to 400ºF.
Your chicken is done when done when a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 155 degrees, or 165 degrees in the thigh. Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for 10-15 minutes in the pan. Carve as desired, and serve with the brussels sprouts.
NOTES:
Substitutes: soy sauce for dark soy sauce; Mirin or dry sherry for Shaoxing wine; ground black pepper for white pepper
Feel free to add other vegetables to the bed of sprouts. New potatoes or baby potatoes are a great addition
