Classic Roasted Chicken
Cook Time
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 hour
Ready in: 1 hour 15 min
Yields: 1 Whole Chicken
The Basics
This recipe is pretty basic at it's core, but the subtle details are what make this chicken stand out.The technique of inserting the garlic and herbs underneath the skin is an example of this principle. Most of the ingredients will be familiar to most cooks, and available in almost any grocery store.
Moisture is Key!
The basic principle of getting a chicken to be moist is to make sure it's been patted bone dry inside and out, believe it or not. This allows the skin to form a crisp shell, keeping the inner moisture locked in. You will also end up adding moisture inside the bird with other ingredients, as you will see in the video.
Ingredients
- 1 Whole Chicken
- 3-4 med sized Lemons
- 4-5 cloves Garlic, (about 2 tbsp when chopped)
- 2 large sprigs Fresh Rosemary
- 1 tsp Oregano
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1/4 tbsp Salt
- 1/2 tbsp Black Pepper
- Water for roasting pan, (as needed)
Instructions
- Pat chicken dry, preheat oven to 450° Pour 1 cup water into roasting pan, adding more as needed
- Prep ingredients: Zest and then half lemons, chop garlic and rosemary.
- Coat chicken with the salt, herbs and spice mixture, applying above and below skin.* Add lemon zest *if you wish to add butter under skin do so at this time.
- Put rosemary stems and lemon halves inside the bird
- Place in oven uncovered for 15 minutes
- Remove chicken from oven, turn oven down to 350°
- Flip entire chicken upside down Tent chicken with aluminum foil and return to oven for 40-60
- When there is 10 minutes of cooking time remaining, remove tent and turn oven up to 375°
- Remove chicken from oven and rest for 15 minutes before serving
