Every cook needs a roast chicken recipe in their recipe collection. It’s crazy simple but stunning as a finished meal. It’s the easiest but most impressive meal to serve guests, especially considering the low level of effort involved. I usually bake two at a time, serve one, and debone the other for my Chicken and Dumplings or Stacked Chicken Enchiladas. I mean, the oven is already on, my hands are already messy–it’s just a no-brainer when I’m feeding my brood. One chicken serves about 6 to 8.
The Ingredients
- 1 whole (5- to 7-pound) roasting chicken, giblets removed
- 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
- ½ large lemon, cut lengthwise into 2 wedges
- 1 bunch fresh thyme
- ½ medium yellow onion, skin removed and cut into 3 wedges
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 3 pounds bite-sized golden potatoes
The Method
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Start with the potatoes. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, add the potatoes. Cut any larger pieces in half so the potatoes are all a similar size for a more even bake. Toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper.
- Prep the chicken. Remove the giblets and rinse the chicken with cold water. Pat the chicken dry and liberally season the inside cavity with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Stuff the cavity with the lemon, onion, and thyme. Tuck the wings and tie the drumsticks together and bake at 425°F for 1½ to 1¾ hours until the internal temperature taken from the thigh, registers 160°F. Rest the chicken for 20 minutes before slicing.
Tips
- As the chicken rests, the temperature will continue to rise to 165°F without overcooking the meat. Be sure to let it rest; the muscle fibers relax and reabsorb moisture making the chicken juicier when served.
- If you’re not a huge fan of onions, swap them with a head of garlic sliced in half crosswise, exposing the midsection of the cloves, without separating them from the bulb. Add it to the cavity of the chicken along with the lemon and herbs and bake as directed.
