Roasted chicken is one of those amazing meals that seems so daunting at first, but where it quickly becomes evident how truly simple it is. Spend some time in the prep (15-30 min) and a little time towards the end of cooking (2 min every 10 minutes) and you’ll have a meal that will leave your guests and family in awe of your abilities!
Go on, give it a try! Your taste buds will thank you.
Roasted Chicken
The tricks to a perfect chicken are in stuffing the inside with citrus. It leaves a nice hint of flavor, plus the juices from the lemons and oranges help keep the chicken moist. Start by coating the inside with plenty of salt and pepper, stuff in a lemon and an orange, a few garlic cloves and some fresh herbs. Keep all those lovely ingredients locked inside your chicken by using a toothpick or two to pull together the flaps of fat.
Another trick is to spoon accumulated juices from the pan back over chicken. Basting the chicken every 10 minutes (after letting it cook for about 50 minutes) is a great way to make sure your chicken has the moisture and flavor that will rock your world.
A few vegetables- carrots, onions and/or potatoes- at the bottom of your roaster are a heavenly touch. They hold the flavor so nicely, plus they help keep the chicken from sticking to the pan. If you don’t have any veggies no need to worry. They’re not necessary, just a nice treat.
When placing the chicken in the roaster I highly recommend laying it breast side down. The breast is the first part of the chicken that can go dry and laying it down helps to retain lots of flavorful drippings and moisture in that part.
In order to get that nice crispy top on your chicken breast you can flip the chicken 15 minutes before it is done cooking.
Carve your chicken with true flare using this guide from Yuppie Chef. Serve it warm and with all those good fixings.
Don’t forget to use the drippings from your chicken to make gravy! Recipe below.
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- 1 3-4 lbs Chicken, Whole innards removed
- 2 Carrots, medium cut into medium pieces
- 1/2 Onion sliced
- 1 Lemon peeled and halved
- 1 Orange peeled and halved
- 5 leaves Fresh Thyme
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
- Salt & Pepper
Ingredients
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- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Make sure there is enough room between the racks in the oven to fit the roaster and chicken.
- Remove any giblets. Reach inside the chicken cavity to remove the bag of giblets. They can be roasted alongside the chicken in the roaster to add additional juice and flavor to your drippings (and gravy).
- Wash chicken, remove any remaining feathers and excess fat. Pat dry.
- Liberally apply salt and pepper to the inside cavity of the chicken. Stuff the inside of the chicken with the garlic cloves, thyme, and the lemon and orange halves. Using a toothpick pull the fat flaps together at the base to hold in the moisture and the citrus pieces.
- Rub the outside of the chicken with the olive oil and top with salt and pepper.
- On the bottom of the roaster place the sliced onions and carrot pieces. In order to keep your chicken breast as moist as possible, lay the chicken breast down into the pan.
- Cook the chicken for 50 minutes. Stick the thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh. It is done cooking when it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Flip over the chicken so that the breast is now on top in order to crisp it up. Using a spoon scoop up the juices from the bottom of the pan and pour over the chicken to add flavor and moisture.
- Check the chicken every 10 minutes and repeat last step until chicken registers the correct temperature. The trick to the perfectly moist chicken is to keep coating it with the dripping juices from the pan.
- Once done, remove chicken and allow to sit for 10 - 15 minutes. Remove inside flavorings. Save all the juice and brown fond that has pooled on the bottom of your pan. This will make an amazing gravy.
- Carve and serve with the roasted carrots and onions. Enjoy.
Chicken Gravy Recipe
Using the remaining chicken drippings from the pan you can create a simple and incredibly rich gravy. Just add water and flour over heat and stir.
Ingredients
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- After roasted a chicken remove the chicken and any vegetables from the roaster. Leave all drippings in roaster.
- Allow roaster to cool down and pour in two cups of water. Let sit for 10 minutes to loosen up the fond that's stuck to the bottom.
- Using a wooden spoon, scrape up the fond and stir together all the drippings so that the water becomes dark with flavor.
- Place water mixture on stove at low heat and slowly add in the flour. Stir until flour is completely mixed in and the gravy becomes a smooth, thick consistency. Serve warm over chicken, rice or potatoes.
- Note: This makes a very thick gravy. If you like it thinner or have lots of guests, feel free to add another cup of water. If you have leftovers add some more water to the gravy mix when you reheat. This way it won't become too thick and you'll have more to share.
That is one good looking chicken! Rawr.
But seriously, I love this idea! Mix it up a little, right?
Haha, Exactly Haley! Plus who doesn’t need a excuse to eat roasted chicken!