Roast Chicken

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, French

Diet: Gluten Free, Low Lactose

Keyword: whole roast chicken

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 1

Resting Time: 15

Total Time: 1 25

Servings:

Calories: 390kcal

The best roast chicken recipe is a simple one! You only need two ingredients to roast a whole chicken that is crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside—chicken and salt.

Print Recipe

US Customary - Metric

Equipment

Ingredients

5 lb whole chicken
1 tablespoon kosher salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Remove the chicken from the packaging and place on a sheet pan. You may want to use kitchen shears to cut off any excessive fat near the cavity opening and around the neck area.
Pat dry with paper towels. Season inside the cavity with salt. Then season the outside of the chicken by sprinkling the salt from a height, hitting all areas of the skin. If you'd like, you can truss the bird or tie the legs together with kitchen twine, but it's not required. You don't need any fancy knots, just criss-cross the ankles and tie them together.
Place the chicken in a cast iron pan, a roasting pan, or on a wire rack over a sheet pan and roast for about an hour. As always, be sure to wash your hands after handling raw meat.
Depending on the size of your chicken, start checking the temperature after 40-45 minutes with an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast. When the breast temperature reaches 155-160 degrees F, remove it from the oven and let rest for at least 10-15 minutes before serving. This ensures that the carry over cooking will bring it to the proper temperature of 165, and the juices will redistribute evenly throughout the meat.

Notes

Be sure to read the post above for FAQs about how long to cook the bird, choosing the perfect oven temperature, how to tell when it's done, getting a crispy skin, and more.

For safe consumption, chicken must reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
Once seasoned, you could leave the chicken uncovered in the fridge overnight for even crispier skin.
Once a chicken starts getting close to being done, the internal temperature will increase rapidly, so check frequently to avoid overcooking. The more often you make roast chicken, the sooner you'll start to get a feel for how long to cook it, when to check the temperature for the first time and how long to wait to check it again

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Nutrition