Our Perfect Roast Chicken is moist, juicy, and flavourful with hints of citrus and herb from the cavity-filled bird basking in the steam of lemon and rosemary.
Roasting a whole chicken sounds a lot more complicated than it is. To start, there's the question of whether to wash your chicken or not, to brine or not brine, or to use a wood or plastic cutting board. While these questions are based on personal preference, the perfect roast chicken should always be simple, and delicious, of course.
In our home, the key to an always moist, juicy, and flavourful chicken (in our opinion) lies in layering a few springs of rosemary, cloves of garlic, and slices of lemon in the chicken cavity that cooks while releasing steam from the inside of the bird out. Whether it's a Tuesday weeknight meal or a Sunday Supper, there's nothing more comforting than a perfect roast chicken.
How to Make the Perfect Roast Chicken
1. Dry: If you love crispy chicken skin, this is the most important step to ensure an outer shell that crackles with every bite. The easiest and best way to dry the chicken is to place it on a pan or plate and leave it in the fridge for at least two hours or up to 24 hours. If you need to roast the chicken right away, dry the outside of the chicken with a paper towel.
2. Bring to Room Temperature: This is an important step that often gets overlooked. When cooking chicken while cold, the outside meat gets dry before the inside cooks. Allowing the chicken to sit out of the fridge for 30-45 minutes will bring the bird to room temperature resulting in a juicy chicken.
3. Season: For maximum flavor inside and out we mix a tablespoon each of salt and finely chopped rosemary, and a teaspoon of fresh black pepper. Season the bird liberally first in the cavity, and rub the skin with the remaining salt. Add a few small lemon wedges, a sprig of rosemary, and a couple of garlic cloves to the cavity resulting in the ultimate flavor steam for your chicken.
4. Roast: A hot oven and patience make for a perfect roast chicken with a super crispy skin. Set your oven to 450° and allow it to preheat for at least 15 minutes before roasting. Place your chicken on the rack of a roasting pan. For a complete meal, place vegetables, such as baby potatoes, carrots, and quartered onions around the chicken and season with olive oil, salt, and pepper. The vegetables will soak up the juices from the cooking chicken for maximum flavor. For an average chicken (3 ½ pounds) roast for 45 minutes before checking the temperature. We use an instant meat thermometer to test the chicken for an internal temperature of at least 165°.
5. Rest: Once the chicken is done, tent it loosely with aluminum foil and allow it to rest for at least 15 minutes. During this resting time, the chicken distributes the juices back into the meat resulting in a moist bird.
Recipe Card
Perfect Roast Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken about 3.5 lbs
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon rosemary finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ lemon cut in small wedges
- 2-3 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 sprig rosemary
Instructions
- Dry the chicken by placing in the fridge, uncovered for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours. If you are in a crunch for time, you can dry the skin with paper towel.
- Bring the chicken to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 450°.
- Mix together the salt, chopped rosemary, and pepper in a small bowl. Season the inside of the chicken liberally with the seasoning, then stuff with the lemon wedges, garlic, and rosemary sprig. Rub the outside of the chicken with remaining salt.
- If cooking vegetables with the chicken, add them to roasting pan and season with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Place the chicken on your roasting rack or directly on top of the vegetables.
- Roast the chicken for 45 minutes. Check the temperature - the internal temperature of the thickest part of the meat should be 165° for safe eating. Return to oven if necessary to reach temperature.
- Once chicken is cooked, loosely tent it with aluminum foil and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes before carving.
Natalie says
This article makes roasting a chicken seem so easy! I don't know why it seemed hard to me but I'm glad I came across this article. The vegetables got amazing flavour from cooking in the chicken's juices!
Chef Sous Chef says
Thanks Natalie! The vegetables are definitely amazing!