Roast chicken will always have a very special place in my heart. It’s one of the first ‘fancy’ meals I learned to make around the age of 16, and I’ve been working on mastering it ever since. Now, as a 26 year-old it still feels grown up, but no longer like some sort of great feat. I’m hear to show you that you too can master a roast chicken. Heck, maybe even on a weeknight!
I’ve made everything from Martha’s classic roast chicken to Alison Roman’s more modern anchovy-butter slathered bird (very excellent, highly recommend), and have now landed on this version.
In my rendition you salt the chicken a day ahead and leave it uncovered in the fridge. This basically acts as a dry brine making for a juicy bird, and dries out the skin so you can actually achieve a crispy golden skin (no sad aenemic birds here!). I also slow roast the bird, which takes a bit longer but I find that it consistently produces the best results, and is definitely worth it. For bonus points, stuff the cavity of the chicken with a combination of lemon, garlic and thyme. This classic flavour trio goes perfectly with chicken and flavours the meat and surrounding vegetables wonderfully.
To make a complete meal, surround the bird with vegetables. Hardy root vegetables, like carrots and parnsips work best but I am also a fan of using fennel.
You can get this ready in about 10 minutes (post day-ahead dry brine), throw it in the oven and continue to work from home with ease. The perfect comfort food during a crazy time.
Easiest Roast Chicken
serves 4-6
3-4 lb whole chicken ( I use PC Free-From chickens that are already trussed)
olive oil
kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper
1 small lemon
4 sprigs of thyme
3 cloves of garlic, smashed in their skins
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced into rings
1 lb carrots, sliced lengthwise
1 lb of other veg, such as fennel, parsnips, beets, squash or potatoes, roughly chopped
One day ahead of cooking chicken, remove plastic and pat dry with paper towels. Season chicken with plenty of kosher salt (be generous), and place in the fridge, uncovered, on the styrofoam tray. The following day the skin will be dry to the touch and the salt will no longer be visible. This helps dry out the skin so that it will crisp up in the oven and seasons the bird so that it’s nice and juicy.
Preheat oven to 325 F. Arrange onion slices along the bottom of a 13 x 9 baking dish. Prick the lemon all over with the tines of a fork. Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the lemon, smashed garlic cloves and thyme sprigs. Place the chicken on top of the onions in the centre of the baking dish. Drizzle the chicken with olive oil and spread it over the skin to evenly coat. Season the chicken all over with kosher salt and pepper. Again, be aggressive with the seasoning- it makes a big difference!
Arrange the sliced vegetables around the chicken, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt, pepper and some thyme leaves. Place the pan in the centre rack of the oven and roast for 2 1/2 hours until skin is golden brown and juices run clear. The internal temperature should be 165 F. Allow the chicken to rest for 20 minutes before serving so that the juices settle. Cover the pan with foil to keep the chicken and vegetables warm until ready to serve.