Simple Roast Chicken

Serves 4 | Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 40-50 minutes

Roast chicken shouldn’t be complex. The basic framework includes a good chicken, seasoning ahead of time and high heat. Here’s a Green Sauce I love to serve with it too. Or with Charred Broccoli + Lemon.

Ingredients

For the roast chicken

One 3.5- to 4-pound chicken at room temperature, wing tips removed
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup chicken stock, water, or white wine for optional deglazing

For the green sauce (if making)

1 teaspoon cumin, toasted and ground
1 teaspoon coriander, toasted and ground
1 bunch cilantro (feel free to add in some other herbs too)
1 serrano or 1 jalapeño
3 cloves garlic
1 bunch scallions
Kosher salt to taste
1/4 (60g) extra virgin olive oil

Chef Tips

While store bought roast chickens do save some time and a little clean up. Every cook should know how to roast a chicken. The results are timeliness and it’s a lot easier than you think. This is a useful recipe when needing to use leftover chicken of any sort.

Preparation

Step 1 For the roast chicken

Place rack on second level from bottom of oven. Heat oven to 500°F (or for convection, reduce to 450°F).

Freeze the neck and giblets for stock. Reserve chicken livers for another use.

Step 2
Season the chicken all over, including the cavity with salt and pepper. When seasoning you want to be a little aggressive. This allows the salt to penetrate through the thickness of the meat and get a nice even tasting product. Even better, do this the night before and refrigerate (uncovered). This will produce a very crispy skin.

Step 3
Place the chicken in a 12 x 8 x 1 1/2-inch roasting pan (or cast iron skillet) breast side up. Place in the oven legs first and roast 45-50 minutes, or until the juices run clear. After the first 10 minutes, move the chicken with a wooden spoon or spatula to keep it from sticking.

Step 4 (for the green sauce )

Coarsely chop the herbs, chiles, garlic and scallions. Place in a food processor and pulse until you have a rough puree. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the ground spice and olive oil. Best the day it’s made.

Step 5
Remove the chicken to a platter by placing a large wooden spoon into the tail end and balancing the chicken with a kitchen spoon pressed against the crop end. As you lift the chicken, carefully tilt it over the roasting pan so that all the juices run out and into the pan.

Step 6
Optional: Pour off or spoon out excess fat from the roasting pan (or skillet) and put the pan on top of the stove. Add the stock or other liquid and bring the contents of the pan to a boil, while scraping the bottom vigorously with a wooden spoon. Let reduce by half. Season with a little lemon juice. Serve the sauce over the chicken or, for crisp skin, on the side.