A Few Ways to Roast a Chicken

One of my favorite meals is a properly roasted chicken with a few wholesome sides and lots of good friends. Our local grocery store, Harris Teeter, is known for putting whole chickens on sale every few months for $0.47 /lb, which inspires me to purchase a freezer full. They usually come out to just over $2.00 a piece, so you can't really beat it. I usually make 1 chicken for 2-4 people, any more than 4 people I'd make 2 chickens. Everyone likes leftovers. I carve it in the kitchen and arrange it nicely on a platter with herb roasted potatoes and some kind of roasted green vegetable. During the summer, it's sometimes fun to make some kind of fresh squash something, too. That's another post. A few ways to roast a chicken, after the jump!


Basic Roasted Chicken
Serves 4
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes - 1 hour 45 minutes

• 1 chicken, 4-5 lbs
• cleaned, giblets removed from the cavity, patted dry
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp softened butter
• 6 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 small onion, quartered
• 1 carrot, broken in thirds
• 2 stalks celery, broken in thirds
• 1 tsp chopped parsley
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Mash together the oil, butter, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and parsley.

Add the garlic cloves, celery, carrots, and onions to the cavity of the chicken. Tie the legs of the chicken together and bend the wings behind the bird.

Place the bird in a roasting pan. Smear all over with butter and seasoning mixture, distributing evenly. Roast for roughly 90 minutes until a meat thermometer reads 180 degrees in the deepest part of the thigh.

Allow to rest 10-15 minutes and carve.

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This next method makes for a very crispy skin, a little darker than the above recipe. It is not as complex in flavor, but is very quick and juicy. It is highly recommended for a weeknight meal with risotto to balance the crisp skin.

High Heat Roasted Chicken

Serves 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes to 1 hour

• 1 chicken, 4-5 lbs
• cleaned, giblets removed from the cavity, patted dry
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 head garlic, halved
• 1 lemon, quartered

Pre-heat the oven to 475 degrees. Make sure your oven is very clean before using such high heat. Fill the chicken cavity with the garlic and lemon, making sure not to over-stuff. It should be loosely full. Tie the legs with kitchen twine. Coat with vegetable oil, salt, and pepper and roast for 45 minutes to an hour, until a meat thermometer reaches 180 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh. Allow to rest for 15 minutes before carving.

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This last method makes for a very juicy chicken and allows for all sorts of flavors to be infused into the flesh of the chiken via an overnight brine. You can use the brine method for any of the two recipes above, but I prefer it for the first one because the aromatics are such a flavor boost.

Chicken Brine

For 1 Chicken

Inactive Pre Time: Overnight

• 10 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 cup white wine
• 3 quarts water
• 2 tbsp whole peppercorns
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup salt
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 4 cups ice

In a stock pot, bring the water to a boil. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes. Take off the heat and allow to cool. Add the ice. When the mixture is chilled, add the chicken and refrigerate overnight. Continue with the recipe of your choice.