How to Roast a Chicken

“I love the commercials for Chick-Fil-A. The person who thought up that ad campaign (with cows showing up in the strangest places, touting signs that say “Eat Mor Chikin”) must be worth a fortune by now! Although I’m not one to eat at fast food restaurants, I get a kick out of those commercials… and I eat more chicken!

There are thousands, if not millions of different recipes for chicken, but my favorite is plain old roast chicken. I probably make it every other week. It’s very simple to do, even if you only have 3 ingredients to work with: a chicken, salt and pepper. From there, you can create many variations on the theme using a wide assortment of fresh herbs and other simple ingredients.” ~ Bobbi

This is one of our most popular recipes for a FINITE FOODIE. It calls for 3 simple ingredients!

Difficulty:

Easy!

Cost:

Moderate

Serves:8people

Serving Size:1/8 of a chicken, variable

Roast Chicken

Votes: 1 Rating: 5 You: Rate this recipe!

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Add to Meal Plan: Select Course to Add: BreakfastLunchSnackDinnerDessert This recipe has been added to your Meal Plan

You can make a delicious roasted chicken with 3 ingredients: chicken, salt and pepper.

• CourseMain Course
• CuisineAmerican

Tools:8x8-inch baking dish, kitchen twine (optional), aluminum foil

	Prep Time
	5 minutes

Cook Time	Passive Time
60-75 minutes	5-10 minutes

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time Passive Time 60-75 minutes 5-10 minutes

Difficulty: Easy! Cost: Moderate Serves:8people Serving Size:1/8 of a chicken, variable

Roast Chicken Votes: 1 Rating: 5 You: Rate this recipe! Print Recipe Add to Meal Plan: Select Course to Add: BreakfastLunchSnackDinnerDessert This recipe has been added to your Meal Plan You can make a delicious roasted chicken with 3 ingredients: chicken, salt and pepper. CourseMain Course CuisineAmerican Tools:8x8-inch baking dish, kitchen twine (optional), aluminum foil Prep Time 5 minutes Cook Time Passive Time 60-75 minutes 5-10 minutes Prep Time 5 minutes Cook Time Passive Time 60-75 minutes 5-10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 (3-4 pound) chicken (organic or hormone and antibiotic free)
• Salt and pepper

Servings: people

Units:MetricUS Imperial

Instructions

1. Place oven rack in the middle of the oven, or slightly below. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Place chicken in an 8-inch x 8-inch baking dish, or similar size. There’s no need to rinse the chicken and possibly contaminate your nice clean sink. If needed, pat dry with paper towels to remove juices. Observe safe food handling tips. If desired, truss* the chicken. (See How to Truss a Chicken in Basic Techniques.)
3. Sprinkle salt (Kosher is best but any kind will do) and pepper all over the chicken.
4. Roast in oven (uncovered) 30 minutes.
5. Turn heat down to 350°F and cook another 30 to 45 minutes. Use a meat thermometer (should read 165°F) to determine if it’s done, or cut into meaty part of thigh to see that the juices run clear (not pink).
6. Sprinkle more pepper on the chicken in the last few minutes of cooking if desired, since high heat causes pepper to lose some of its flavor.
7. Cover lightly with a tent of foil and let stand 5 to 10 minutes before cutting, for juicier chicken.

Recipe Notes

VARIATIONS:
• Lemon-Pepper Roast Chicken
• Roast Chicken with Garlic and Rosemary – Loosen skin by working fingers under it and along the breasts, being careful not to tear the skin. Insert garlic cloves and rosemary sprigs (or other fresh herbs) under the skin, placing one sprig at the base of each leg and on each breast. Follow all other instructions.
• Lavender Lemon Roast Chicken – Place sprigs of fresh lavender under the skin. Squeeze juice of 1 lemon over chicken then place spent halves and more lavender in the cavity. Follow all other instructions.

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