Actually Easy Roast Chicken

So it is finally spring where we live.  Hooray!  Yes, spring doesn’t quite come to stay until about May.  My family in Pennsylvania appears to be about a month ahead of us–all blossoming trees and lilacs and already over tulips and daffodils, but it is okay!  I will take these 50 and 60 degree temps and sometimes outside playing days and daffodils still at Mother’s Day.  I will take what I can get here in the Mitten! (That’s Michigan speak for Michigan which is shaped like a mitten–just FYI if you don’t live here.  The things I have learned in three years!)

We have survived our polar vortex with comfort foods and friends that we love.  One meal that, I think, transitions us really nicely from winter comfort food to spring is roast chicken.  Of course it is great in the dead of winter, but it can be really nice in spring, too.  It’s still comforting and cozy, but you can pair it with spring vegetables or just a nice, crisp salad.  It really has a million uses and accompanying sides.

I love to make food that looks fancy but really is super easy to make.  Like, Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day,  or Barefoot Contessa’s affogato sundaes.  Or doctored up, pre-packaged gnocchi (this is my favorite!).  And, this one surprises people: roast chicken.  Looks super fancy, but it’s super easy.

Often when I don’t know the level of adventurousness of my dinner guests, I make roast chicken.  I think about 98% of my friend population would like it and enjoy it.  Kids usually eat it.  It’s gluten free.  A lot of people who don’t do dairy will do butter, but even then you could use ghee or olive oil (although, if you can, please, please use butter here…this chicken skin is ridiculous).  So, crowd pleaser that feels fancy and is oh so comforting, but super easy and didn’t dirty every pot and pan I own?  Uh, yes, please.

Now, I find that a lot of millennial home cooks are intimidated by big cuts of meat or meat that’s still on the bone.  We’ve all gotten quite accustomed to “boneless, skinless” everything.  And, don’t get me wrong, I buy huge packs of Costco chicken just about every month.  They are great and very convenient.  But, that can get boring after a while, and, armed with a few basic tips, dealing with something like a whole chicken is actually no big deal.

Here’s what you need to know:

1. You don’t even need a roasting pan.  I still don’t have one.  I don’t know why, I just don’t.  I roast my chicken in my 12-inch cast iron skillet.  I’ve even used a sheet pan with a cooling rack placed inside.  It works!
2. You can fill the cavity with anything you want.  My go-to is a lemon and a bulb of garlic because I usually have those things on hand, but you can do whatever you want.  A whole onion?  Whatever fresh herbs you have laying around?  Sure.  Don’t stress.
3. Don’t make the whole “trussing” thing so difficult.  I tie it’s legs up with kitchen twine because that helps it retain moisture, but that’s it.  I’ve even used this little kitchen hack when I don’t have any kitchen twine (although, you can even use dental floss!).
4. Okay, this took me forever to figure out without having to look it up every time.  Which way is up?!  Which side do you put the chicken on to roast?  The wings go on the bottom, and the legs stick up on top.  (If you try to do it the other way, it’s going to be hard to tie the legs together and the breast meat won’t have all that crispiness on the skin, but it will still basically work, so don’t even stress out about this!)
5. Season your chicken!!  Salt does not just make things taste good.  Salt creates a chemical reaction in the proteins of your chicken.  I’ll spare you the science lesson for now, but suffice it to say, if you do not salt your chicken, it will be dry.  I salt the inside cavity as well as the outside, and I am heavy handed about it.  I’ve never had it come out too salty.
6. Throw some veggies on a sheet pan to roast while the chicken is doing its thing (halfway through!), and you’ll have a complete meal.  On this particular day when I made it, I roasted Hannah sweet potatoes (white sweet potatoes…so good) and brussels sprouts.
7. This is not a hard recipe, but it does take some planning time-wise.  You’ll need 10-15 minutes to prep the chicken (and get your oven to preheat), then 90 minutes for it to cook, and then another 20 minutes to let it rest before you eat (Don’t skip this please!  This is when all the juices from the chicken go back into it and make it moist and delicious.)  So start making this about 2 hours before you want to be eating it.  This is not a weeknight, dinner-in-a-flash meal.  It is easy and does not require much hands-on time, but it does take a little forethought.  This one’s for the afternoon where you are home and puttying around and want a fancy meal that actually hardly takes any time.
8. If you take a look at this recipe, it looks super complicated and like TONS of steps, but that’s because I’ve broken everything down for you into little mini steps.  🙂  It’s like mini habits for cooking.
9. You can do this!  Really, you can!

Time to dive in…

Note: this post contains affiliate links.  That means, when you click a link and make a purchase, you help keep the lights on over here at Sprinting Spoon.  Thanks in advance!