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A perfectly cooked roast chicken is a thing of beauty. The ultimate comfort food. It seems like a simple thing but it is deceptively difficult to achieve. Why is it so hard? The ideal thigh temperature is 185 F or higher. The ideal breast temperature is 150-165 F. If you cook your chicken (or turkey) on a rack in a pan, the breast always cooks faster and dries out before the thighs reach their optimal temperature. If you cook the chicken breast to perfection, the thighs are still bloody, or tough. I’ve come up with a simple solution to this challenge (hint: do not cook your bird on a rack) plus instructions on how to get it perfectly seasoned all the way through. You will need a couple of things for this method. Things that you should already have in your kitchen, but if you don’t it’s time to invest in them.
You need:
A kitchen scale, (or you’ll need to do some math).
A leave-in probe thermometer
A cast iron brazer or (if you need to substitute) a medium oven-proof heavy-duty frying pan
The Steps:
- Dry brine your roast. Rub the bird all over (especially under the skin of the breast and inside the cavity) with salt and seasonings at least 8-24 hours before cooking it and leave it uncovered in the fridge to dry. For the seasonings use 3 grams of salt and 1 gram of sugar per pound of bone-in chicken, plus any other dry seasonings you want.
- Stuff the cavity loosely with onion, celery, and other aromatic herbs and vegetables.
- Tie the legs together with kitchen twine
- Place empty brazer/frying pan in the oven and preheat oven to 375 F
- Once preheated, remove the pan and add 1-2 T oil. Add the chicken, it should sizzle in the pan when you do, rub oil over the top.
- Insert the probe of your leave-in thermometer into the center of the breast and set the alarm to sound at 150 F. Yes, I mean it, 150 F (not 165 F).
- Rotate the pan with the bird in it at least once during cooking, especially if you do not have convection.
- When the alarm sounds, remove the bird from the pan and transfer it to a cutting board. Do not cut it or remove the thermometer yet. Let the bird sit for at least 10 minutes while you make a delicious gravy or sauce with the browned drippings stuck to the bottom of the pan.
- After 10-15 minutes, cut the bird and serve it.
A note on cooking time. People always want to know how long something will take to cook but there are simply too many variables that it is impossible to give a precise time. Variables like how powerful your oven is, convection or no convection, how many times you open the oven door to admire it, and how full you pack the cavity or the pan. If you want a perfectly cooked roast, just use a leave-in probe thermometer and take the guesswork out of it. That being said, for a ballpark time so you can plan out the rest of your meal prep, I made this recently in a very weak oven with no convection and it took about 2 hours for a 5 lb bird. In a professional oven with convection, it would probably take about 1 1/4 hours.
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The Most Delicious Roast Chicken In the World
- Prep Time: 10 minutes + 8 hours or more
- Cook Time: 1 1/4 to 2 hours
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Method: Roasting
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Cooking a perfect roast chicken is a skill all home cooks should have in their back pocket. This recipe makes it easy. The same technique can be used for your roast turkey.
Ingredients
1 5 lb whole chicken, patted dry (see note if your bird does not weigh 5 lbs)
15 grams salt (2 1/2 teaspoons, fine)
5 grams sugar (1 heaping, fine)
Optional Seasonings to taste:
Herbs de Provence
Black pepper
Paprika
Garlic Powder
a couple of sprigs each: fresh thyme, fresh sage, rosemary, etc
1/2 medium onion, cut into a couple of 1-inch wedges
3 smashed garlic cloves
1/4 medium carrot, cut lengthwise and then in half crosswise
1 celery stalk, cut lengthwise and then in half crosswise
Instructions
- 8-24 hours before cooking the bird
- In a small bowl, combine all your dry spices. Rub the bird all over (especially under the skin of the breast and inside the cavity) with the salt and seasonings.
- Stuff the cavity loosely with onion, celery, and other aromatic herbs and vegetables. Any extra onion, celery can be added to the pan so don’t feel like you have to overstuff it.
- Tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Place the chicken in the fridge uncovered.
Approx 2 1/2 hours before dinner time
-
- Place empty brazer/frying pan in the oven and preheat oven to 375 F
- Once preheated, remove the pan and add 1-2 T oil. Add the chicken breast side up, it should sizzle in the pan when you do, rub oil over the top. Add a couple of chunks of onion, carrot, and celery to the pan around the chicken (not under it) if you want to (but don’t fill it up too much and slow the cooking)
- Insert the probe of your leave-in thermometer into the center of the breast and set the alarm to sound at 150 F.
- Rotate the pan with the bird in it at least once during cooking, especially if you do not have convection.
- When the alarm sounds, remove the bird from the pan and transfer it to a cutting board. Do not cut it or remove the thermometer yet. Let the bird sit for at least 10 minutes while you make a delicious gravy or sauce with the browned drippings stuck to the bottom of the pan. Do not rush this 10-minute resting period. It is critical not only for flavor and texture but also for food safety.
- After 10-15 minutes, cut the bird and serve it. Since you’ve left the thermometer in, you’ll notice that the temperature has risen to 160-165 F which is plenty safe.
Notes
Spices
In this recipe, I included my go-to traditional roast chicken spice mix. You can flavor your chicken any way you want. Try Chinese 5 spice for an Asian twist or Cumin-Ancho-Oregano-Garlic Powder for Mexican. Just don’t mess with the salt and sugar.
Don’t Leave the Thermometer Probe against the bone
I stick the probe into the center of the breast until it hits bone and then I back it out about 1/2 -1 inch. Bone conducts heat differently than meat does. You’ll get an inaccurate read if you leave the tip of the probe in contact with the bone.
Can I use an Instant Read Thermometer
I don’t recommend it. An instant-read thermometer requires constantly opening the oven and poking holes in your roast. Holes that allow all the flavorful juices to escape and the likelihood that you will miss the exact perfect moment to take the bird out of the oven is pretty high.
If you don’t have a leave-in Probe Thermometer, you are better off cooking your bird to 185 F or higher in the breast (until the thighs wiggle easily in their sockets). It will be fork-tender and delicious, but not really juicy. Just whatever you do, don’t let the finished breast temperature be between 168-180 F. That’s the dry dead zone.
If your bird is not 5 lbs.
Weigh your bird or note the total weight of your bird before you throw the packaging away. Multiply that weight (in lbs) by 3 for grams of salt and by 1 for grams of sugar. If you don’t have a scale, use the salt and sugar labels to calculate how many grams are in a teaspoon and then calculate the total amounts from there.
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