Best Weeknight Roast Chicken Cooks Illustrated Recipes

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EASY ROAST CHICKEN



Easy Roast Chicken image

A 3 1/2 pound bird should roast in 55 to 60 minutes, while a 4 1/2 pound bird requires 60 to 65 minutes. If using a basket or a V-rack, be sure to grease it so the chicken does not stick to it. If you don't have a basket or V-rack, set the bird on a regular rack and use balls of aluminum foil to keep the roasting chicken propped up on its side.

Provided by Emily Weinstein

Categories     brunch, dinner, lunch, main course

Time 1h30m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 4

1 roasting chicken (about 3 pounds), giblets removed, chicken rinsed and patted dry with paper towels
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Salt and ground black pepper
Oil for basket or V-rack

Steps:

  • Place shallow roasting pan in oven and heat oven to 375 degrees. Brush chicken with butter and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.
  • Remove heated pan from oven and set oiled basket or V-rack in it. Place chicken on rack, wing side up. Roast 20 minutes, then rotate chicken, other wing side up. Roast 20 minutes, then rotate chicken, breast side up. Roast until instant-read thermometer inserted in breast registers 160 degrees and in thigh registers between 165 and 170 degrees, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to cutting board; let rest 20 minutes. Carve and serve.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 576, UnsaturatedFat 26 grams, Carbohydrate 0 grams, Fat 44 grams, Fiber 0 grams, Protein 43 grams, SaturatedFat 14 grams, Sodium 561 milligrams, Sugar 0 grams, TransFat 0 grams

PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN



Perfect Roast Chicken image

For the perfect roast chicken dinner every time, try this popular recipe from Ina Garten, Food Network's Barefoot Contessa.

Provided by Ina Garten

Categories     main-dish

Time 2h10m

Yield 8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 11

1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large bunch fresh thyme, plus 20 sprigs
1 lemon, halved
1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted
1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks
1 bulb of fennel, tops removed, and cut into wedges
Olive oil

Steps:

  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
  • Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the onions, carrots, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.
  • Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.

ROAST CHICKEN



Roast Chicken image

With an ingredient list just four items long (chicken, olive oil, salt, pepper), the genius of this bare-bones roast chicken is in its technique. To make it, thoroughly preheat a cast-iron skillet before sliding into it a seasoned bird, breast side up. In under an hour you'll get a stunner of a chicken, with moist, tender white meat, crisp, salty chicken skin, and juicy dark meat all done to a turn. If you don't already have a cast-iron skillet large enough to hold a whole chicken, this recipe is a good enough reason to invest in one.

Provided by Mark Bittman

Categories     dinner, easy, weeknight, main course

Time 1h

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 3

1 whole chicken, 3 to 4 pounds, trimmed of excess fat
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Steps:

  • Put a cast-iron skillet on a low rack in the oven and heat the oven to 500 degrees. Rub the chicken all over with the oil and sprinkle it generously with salt and pepper.
  • When the oven and skillet are hot, carefully put the chicken in the skillet, breast side up. Roast for 15 minutes, then turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees. Continue to roast until the bird is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the meaty part of the thigh reads 155 to 165 degrees.
  • Tip the pan to let the juices flow from the chicken's cavity into the pan. Transfer the chicken to a platter and let it rest for at least 5 minutes. Carve and serve.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 673, UnsaturatedFat 34 grams, Carbohydrate 1 gram, Fat 51 grams, Fiber 0 grams, Protein 50 grams, SaturatedFat 13 grams, Sodium 949 milligrams, Sugar 0 grams, TransFat 0 grams

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