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.