Simple and Perfect Roast Chicken

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This super simple recipe uses your broiler to yield a tender, moist bird with a crisp, flavorful skin. Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 (4-lb) whole chicken, giblets discarded

  • 1 ½ teaspoons vegetable oil

  • kosher salt & pepper

  • 1 to 2 cups low sodium chicken broth

PREPARATION

  1. Adjust oven rack 12 to 13 inches from broiler element (don’t preheat broiler).

  2. Place chicken breast side down on cutting board. Using kitchen shears, butterfly the chicken by cutting through bones on either side of backbone. Trim off any excess fat and skin and discard backbone. Flip chicken over and press your hands on breastbone to flatten. Using tip of paring knife, poke holes through skin over entire surface of chicken, spacing them about ¾ inches apart.

  3. Rub ½ teaspoon oil over skin and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Flip chicken over, sprinkle bone side with ½ teaspoon salt, and season with pepper. Tie legs together with kitchen twine (I use silicone cooking bands – so much easier), and tuck wings under breasts.

  4. Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in broiler-safe 12-inch skillet over high heat until just smoking. Place chicken in skillet, skin side up, and transfer to oven, positioning skillet as close to center of oven as handle allows, and turn handle so it points toward one of the oven’s front corners. Turn broiler on to high and broil chicken for 25 minutes. Rotate skillet by moving handle to opposite front corner of oven and continue to broil until skin is dark golden brown and thickest part of breast registers 155 degrees, 20 to 30 minutes longer.

  5. Transfer chicken to carving board and let rest, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

  6. In the meantime, pour pan juices and fat into a fat separator (or spoon off fat). Transfer pan juices back to pan and add a cup or two of chicken broth. Bring to a boil over high heat, scraping and incorporating any browned chicken bits into the juices. Continue to boil and scrape until much of the liquid has evaporated and you’re left with a simple but flavorful pan sauce. Turn off heat, carve chicken and stir in any accumulated juices from carving board into pan.

  7. Spoon a bit of the pan sauce over the chicken (you don’t need much) and serve. Makes about 4 servings.

RecipesSusan JohnsonComment