Basic Roast Chicken
- Cuisine: American
- Course: Main Course
- Features: Kid-Friendly
Summary:
You can't go wrong throwing a chicken -- or two -- into the oven on any night of the week.
Here's the basic technique; the flavoring we leave up to you. Some cooks stuff the cavity with halved lemons or sprigs of fresh herbs, others combine butter or oil with citrus zest, garlic and/or chopped herbs and spread it under the skin and over the meat. Suit yourself.
(4 servings)
Ingredients:
- 3 1/2 to 4 pounds chicken
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, salted butter or 4 tablespoons unsalted butter plus 1/4 teaspoons salt, at room temperature
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Remove the giblets from the cavity of the chicken. Rinse the chicken inside and out and pat dry with paper towels. Fold the wing tips back behind the neck end. Transfer the chicken to a small roasting pan. Using your fingers, spread the oil or butter evenly over the skin of the chicken.
Roast the chicken in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 375 degrees. Roast for another 15 minutes. Then cover it loosely with aluminum foil. When the chicken has roasted for a total of about 30 minutes, begin checking the temperature. The chicken is done when the temperature in the thickest part of the thigh registers 180 degrees. The total cooking time will be about 60 minutes.
When the chicken is done, remove it from the oven and set aside to rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, pour the pan juices into a fat separator cup or a measuring cup. After 1 to 2 minutes, the fat will rise to the surface and the juices will be on the bottom. Remove and discard the fat. Cut the chicken into quarters or carve as desired. Serve the chicken with the defatted pan juices spooned over.
Recipe Source:
From former Food section recipe editor Stephanie Witt Sedgwick.
E-mail the Food Section with recipe questions.
