How To Roast a Chicken without Burning Down the House {Recipe}

Roast chicken with veggies is one of our favorite family meals. It is delicious, comforting, and a classic. It’s even a great dish to serve at a dinner party. Any cook worth her weight needs to know how to roast a chicken.

The good news is that even the laziest, most inexperienced cook can roast a chicken if they follow a few simple guidelines.

1. Season the bird really well.

2. Keep it moist.

3. Don’t burn the house down.

See. It’s the perfect dish for the aiming low-er.

But first, a chicken lesson from Julia Child. Meet the Chicken Sisters…

And, that is why Julia is America’s most beloved chef. OK, back to roasting a chicken. Here’s the cast…

Ingredients:

Whole Chicken {4-5 pounds}

Potatoes, cut into wedges

Onions, cut into wedges

7 garlic cloves, whole and peeled

Carrots, sliced into chunks

Olive Oil, 2-3 Tbsp

2 lemons

Fresh Thyme

Kosher salt

Pepper

Directions:

The first thing you want to do is select a chicken to be your guinea pig. If this is your first chicken roasting experience, I suggest choosing a smaller bird. It’s easier to cook evenly. Start out with a 4 to 5 pound bird. Here’s our little lovely…

Mike–that’s my husband–thinks it’s funny to make the chicken dance around. Men.

Once your chicken has done a little jig, then it’s time for a bath. Remove the giblet bag from the cavity {if there is one–sometimes there is not}. Rinse the entire chicken inside and out with cold water. Then, pat the entire chicken dry. Do not skip this step. The chicken must be dry.

After the spa treatment, liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Squeeze lots of lemon juice inside the chicken.

Stuff the chicken with several sprigs of fresh thyme, 2 garlic cloves and the leftover lemon halves that you squeezed into the chicken.

Liberally season the outside of the chicken with salt and pepper. Do not add any oil or anything else to the skin. This will give you {I mean, the chicken} crispy, delicious skin.

Using kitchen twine, tie the two legs together. It’s like the chicken version of a chastity belt.

Tuck the wing tips under the chicken.

Now, to the veggies. Lay them in a single layer in a roasting pan. Add the rest of the garlic cloves, some thyme sprigs, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Then, place the chicken in the roasting pan–either right on top of the veggies or on a rack that sits in the pan.

Roast at 400 degrees for 1.5 to 2 hours until your chicken is browned and lovely. About halfway through the cooking process, stir the veggies around.

Serve with the roasted vegetables…

 

How to know when your chicken is done:

1. A thermometer reads 165 degrees when inserted between the leg and breast.

2. Wiggle the leg. If it pulls apart from the rest of the chicken, it is done.

3. It’s not bloody. No seriously. Prick the chicken. If the juices are clear, then it is done. It it pours blood, then it’s not.

Until next time, “Bon Appétit!”