Easy Roast Chicken

Another supper special that brings almost as much joy as a hearty, succulent roast chicken with beautifully caramelised roasted vegetables. Made with love and a great amount of butter, potatoes are, to my mind, a real example of the comfort food. And while there are an awful lot of tricks to perfectly cooking a bird—like wet brining, dry brining, spatchcocking—none of them happens without some planning ahead. But often I simply can't do it any more.

While glossily browned picture perfect chickens with skin browned to a lovely tinge of gold discourage me into employing modern techniques for roasting without regret today. This simple roast chicken is just that: simple. As far as preparation goes, there's no forward prognosis of the cook time, or unique ingredients that need to be found. You can buy a chicken, you can buy it from the grocery and go and cook it at home. Easy as that.

What We Do Not Need is Bells and Whistles

What I love most about this recipe is just how easy it is to prepare. That, and it means you end up with a perfectly good roast chicken. After many years of roasting chicken I have discovered that cooking at 400°F provides moist, juicy, and crispy skin without needing to baste or monitor the chicken constantly.

Don't have a roasting pan? No sweat, neither do I! This can be done in a Dutch oven which I prefer 5-quart or larger, any big cast-iron pot or a rimmed baking sheet.

I prefer placing a chicken on veggies when roasting as it raises the bird and ensures it cooks a little evenly and browns. Also, you can still participate in this indulgence by eating the schmaltzy vegetables as a side dish. Carrots, turnips, parsnips and potatoes, whole garlic cloves, large chunks of onion and fennel all fit the bill here. Nice if even a large diced apple is put there. Just spare whatever you have in whatever condition it is.

A Guide to Preparing a Delicious Whole Roast Chicken

Although this recipe is incredibly easy, there are certain factors which should be taken into account in order not to fail.

• Start with a good chicken: Organic is best and air chills are preferred. Less than four pounds makes it delicate, not more than five pounds is acceptable. Double check the sell by date It should be refrigerated; if frozen, be sure to defrost it in the fridge and it can take up to 2 days to do so.
• Season well: It is also important that the cavity is seasoned and the outer skin of the bird peppered with some salt. Even more flavor is added by stuffing the cavity with other aromatics.
• Watch the clock: The last thing anyone would want for a chicken is to overcook it. It is to be checked even earlier by using the following calculation in the recipe below. It will help you if it will be explained that the cook time might differ due to the capacity of your oven.
• Use a thermometer: In my view, this is not negotiable. The old wives tales of observing whether the juices runs clear is not very efficient, and neither is the feeling the chicken with ones fingers for doneness; a thermometer is the only way you'll know if the chicken is safe to consume without overcooking it.
• Give it a rest: And do not omit the resting time at the end of the straining process. Otherwise you have to cut into a boiling hot chicken and after dropping it half of its moisture content you have to burn your fingers. Besides, it will just take you the right amount of time to set the table put a salad on the table, open some wine.
• Make stock: Don't toss out those bones! After dinner remove all the uneven skin over the carcass and put the whole carcass in a zip-top freezer bag. Freeze until you're ready to make chicken stock.

For Bonus Points, Use Butter

If you do not have the time, or feel like being even more lazy then you don't need to apply butter. Though, if your two handed time permits to spare another three minutes plus the willingness to get your hands dirty it makes loads of difference. This way it also lubricates the meat from within and tenderizes it as the butter under the skin melts and bums the meat.

Ingredients

• 1 (3 1/2 to 5 pound) whole chicken
• 5 cups coarsely chopped vegetables (1 to 1 1/2-inch) which include carrots, onions, potatoes, parsnip, fennel, butternut squash, and turnips.
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 medium lemon, cut into 2 halves (if using a large lemon then 1/2 of it is enough)
• 1/2 of yellow or white onion, peeled and sliced into half moons
• 2 sprigs of rosemary or 1 small bunch of thyme, optional
• 3 tbsp butter, softened (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Position the rack with the middle of the oven. Take it out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for a while unwrapped.

Prepare the pan:

Place the roughly chopped vegetables directly into the pot whether a Dutch oven, a roasting pan or a rimmed baking sheet sufficient to hold chicken. Mix with the oil and then sprinkle some amounts of salt and pepper. Utterly, and this even when it is in a layer of uniform distribution. If you're using roasting pan or sheet pan, position the vegetables to be slightly larger than the chicken so it can rest on top.

Prepare the chicken:

If you happened to buy a whole chicken, take out the giblets from the chicken's body and discard any fluid in the platters. Stuff firmly patting dry inside and out with Paper Towels.

Make sure to sprinkle cavity of chicken with generous amount of salt and pepper. Season with lemon, onion and rosemary or thyme if used. In the case of the butter, just loosen the skin covering the breast and rub them on the meat. Take any remaining butter and spread it on the palms of your hands then rub this onto the skin of the bird. Season with salt plentiful across all dishes and with pepper comparatively lesser. If you're using a salt cellar, this will be about 3 good pinches; if you're using a grinder, it's about 8 full turns of the grinder. If you don't season food this way, it will look like more salt than you are accustomed to consuming.

Fold the wings down so they give off the impression that they don't even exist. Put the chicken with the breast facing up, on top of the vegetables.

Roast:

Put the chicken into the oven and bake till the juices run clear and the internal temperature reaches 165°F, this should take approximately 15 minutes per pound. This depends on the weight of your chicken, total cooking time ranging from 50 minutes to 1 hour and 40 minutes. You need to begin checking them for doneness 10 minutes prior to the time indicated and then in intervals of 10 minutes if necessary. Timed it using a food thermometer to make sure the internal temperature of the breast (without touching the bone) and of a thigh is exactly as desired. The two temperatures should reach at least 165°F as required by the USDA.

Rest and serve:

Tent the bird lightly with foil and baste periodically with the pan juices; let the chicken sit for 20 to 30 minutes before carving (not necessary to cover). Take the lemon from the chicken and pour it over the vegetables. Serve alongside, if desired.

Refrigerated turkey meat will last for 3-4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.