This is a foolproof method for how to roast a whole chicken, yielding immaculately crispy skin and incredibly juicy meat. Try it once, and you may never go back to buying prepared rotisserie chicken from the deli again&mdash;because honestly, it&rsquo;s almost as easy to make this incredible version at home. The secret to getting super-crisp skin when roasting a chicken is getting it as dry as possible before going into the hot oven. And yes, that means skipping rubbing the chicken with oil or butter. Chicken skin naturally contains fat, you don&rsquo;t have to worry about that, but what you do want to worry about is patting the chicken down all over with paper towels, making sure the skin is as dry as possible. Any moisture left on the bird is going to contribute to creating steam in the oven, which works against your mission for perfect golden crispness. In fact, that&rsquo;s why we only place aromatics (like citrus fruit, thyme, and garlic) inside the cavity of the chicken&hellip; not only does this infuse the meat of the bird with flavor as these ingredients release their aromas, but it keeps any steam that they create within the chicken. Be sure to generously salt both the exterior and interior of your chicken before roasting. When it&rsquo;s time to  slice and serve, you should definitely consider spooning the rich, savory pan drippings over your roasted chicken&mdash;next to the crisp skin, some (i.e. we) might argue they&rsquo;re the best part. 

Simple Whole Roasted Chicken

(4-lb.) whole fryer chicken

salt

black pepper

orange,

lemon,

thyme

garlic

Preheat oven to 425&deg;F. Rinse and dry chicken thoroughly with paper towels. Sprinkle inside and outside of chicken evenly with salt and pepper. Stuff chicken cavity with orange pieces, lemon quarters, thyme sprigs, and garlic cloves, and tie chicken legs together with kitchen twine. Place chicken on a lightly greased wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast chicken, rotating pan occasionally, until a meat thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh registers 165&deg;F to 170&deg;F, 45 to 55 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.


I have always been hesitant to roast a chicken. Years ago I did it, but the grease splattering in my oven was too much.  Have you had that problem?

I use this technique all the time &amp; the results are excellent ;however, I take the chicken out of the oven at a temp of 155 degrees &amp; let it sit covered for approx 15-20 minutes.  I slice off the legs &amp; if the meat needs a tweek near the bone, I dip the legs in hot gravy joint side down.  This leaves the breast meat cooked perfectly.  I like my breast meat with a slight pink blush.  If you had suggested a lower temp, the recipe would have gotten 5 stars.

This is a foolproof method for how to roast a whole chicken, yielding immaculately crispy skin and incredibly juicy meat. Try it once, and you may never go back to buying prepared rotisserie chicken from the deli again.

simple whole roasted chicken

Total: 1 hours, 5 minutes

Servings: 5

Cost: $5.31 /serving

Author : Nicole McLaughlin

Ingredients

Instructions

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