Roasting a whole chicken

I started this weekly habit at 18 and I still stand by it cough cough achoo years later. In my 20s I taught all my single male friends my recipe and they all got very popular and so did I by proxy. It is so simple, so economical, so versatile, plus it makes the house smell amazing.

Link to the first recipe I used- my heavily edited and often shared notes app version below since it’s been so lucky.

Un-fuckupable Roast Chicken Recipe

*One small chicken (Preferably between 2.75 and 3.5 lbs)

*Fresh herbs (any or all: thyme, rosemary, sage, marjoram, a head of garlic cut in half. Lemons are also great if you have them. You can also skip this and be totally fine)

*Fresh Ground pepper

*Salt

*Paprika

Preheat Oven to 475

1. Wash the chicken and remove and discard the chunk of fat from the inside. Pat dry very well! (This is important, any moisture will mean the chicken steams and the skin will get floppy)

2. if using fresh herbs slide a finger under the breast skin on each side, making two small pockets. Insert fresh herbs into each pocket. Throw a half a lemon in the cavity or just in the pan if you feel like it (it will caramelize in the juices and be tasty on bread later)

3. for dry rub - In a small bowl, measure about 3/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp of pepper per lb of chicken, add a few generous pinches of paprika. Mix together and season the bird all over, making sure to sprinkle some in the cavity. Twist and tuck wings behind shoulders.

4. Preheat a cast iron skillet on medium heat. Dry the chicken again and set down the hot pan, breast side up. It should sizzle.

5. Place in the center of the oven. It should start to brown within 20 min, if not slowly raise the temp (as high as 500). After around 30min, turn the bird over. Cook for around 15min before turning it over again to re-crisp the breast skin for 5-10min. Total oven time should be between 45-1hr.

6. Let it rest a bit before carving, serve with a nice salad and a crisp soft perfect baguette to dip in the pan juices which are honestly the best part