Herb-Roasted Whole Chicken (Crisp Skin, One Hour)
A whole roasted chicken doesn't need much — just a punctured lemon tucked into the cavity, a head of garlic, fresh herbs, then leaving it alone in a hot oven. The two-temperature method (425°F to start, then 375°F to finish) gives you deeply browned, crackling skin without sacrificing the breast meat. About an hour, start to finish.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 (1.3 kg) 3-4 pound whole chicken
- 4 teaspoons (55 g) kosher salt I use Diamond brand or coarse sea salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 small head garlic sliced in half
- 1 small lemon or half of a large one punctured about a dozen times with a skewer
- 1 handful mixed fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme, tarragon, or rosemary
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 (220 C) degrees, for at least 20 minutes. Make sure the oven rack is set in the center of the oven.
- Pat the chicken as dry as possible with paper towels and place in a shallow casserole dish or roasting pan. A quarter-sheet pan is the perfect size for one whole chicken. I don't use a rack, but if you choose to, line the pan with a piece of foil or parchment.
- Put 2 teaspoons kosher salt, ½ teaspoon of the pepper, 1 small head garlic, 1 small lemon or half of a large one and 1 handful mixed fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme, tarragon, or rosemary into the cavity. Rub the remaining 2 teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper all over the skin — front, sides and back. Tie the legs together firmly with a piece of kitchen string. Drizzle olive oil into the pan, and turn the chicken breast side down.
- Roast the chicken for 25 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven and carefully turn it so the breast is facing up. Put it back into the oven, turn the temperature down to 375 (190 C) and roast for 25-30 more minutes. When it's done, the chicken will be sizzling and spitting, the legs joints will wiggle and the skin should be golden and crisp. You can take its temperature with a digital thermometer if you're unsure: 160-165 degrees before resting is my preference.
- Take the chicken out of the oven and let it rest, loosely covered with a piece of aluminum foil for 15 minutes. Carve and serve with reserved juices from the pan and the inside of the chicken.
Video
Notes
- No kitchen string? Close the cavity with a few toothpicks pushed through the skin on either side of the opening instead.
- If you're using table salt or Morton kosher salt instead of Diamond Crystal, decrease the total amount to 2 teaspoons.
- Leftover chicken is great sliced up in my chicken salad sandwich.
Nutrition
Calories: 452kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 36gFat: 32gSodium: 2460mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1g
