Easy Roasted Chicken
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Everyday Food, June 2005
- Prep Time 10 minutes
- Total Time 1 hour
- Yield Serves 4
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Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken (about 3 1/2 pounds), rinsed and patted dry
- 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
Directions
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Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Tie chicken legs together with kitchen twine (tuck wings under chicken, if desired, for a neater presentation). Place chicken on a rack set in a roasting pan (or on a rimmed baking sheet).
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Rub chicken all over with butter; season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Roast until an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees when inserted in the thickest part of a thigh (avoiding bone), 45 to 50 minutes. Serve, or let cool before refrigerating, up to 3 days, covered.
This is the recipe that helped me overcome my fear of roasting chicken. Quick, easy, always crisp skin, moist meat and delicious. Add a halved lemon and fresh herbs and maybe some whole skinned garlic cloves inside, rub the outside with dry herbs along with the butter to add flavor.