Roast Whole Chicken
A dry-brined bird roasted hot for crisp skin, with breast and thigh timed to finish together.
Makes 4 servings · Prep 20 min · Rise 720 min · Bake 65 min
Ingredients
Bird
- 1 Whole chicken — about 4-5 lb
Brine
- 1 1/2 tbsp Kosher salt
Roast
- 3 tbsp Butter, softened
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 Lemon, halved
- 3 sprigs Fresh thyme or rosemary
- 1/2 tsp Black pepper
Instructions
Brine
- Pat the chicken completely dry, then salt it all over, including under the skin of the breast where you can reach. Leave uncovered on a rack in the fridge. (Tip: Uncovered in the fridge is key — the air circulation helps dry the skin out further, which is what gives you a crisper roast.)
Prep
- Take the chicken out an hour before roasting to take some of the chill off, and heat the oven to 220°C (425°F).
Roast
- Mash the butter with the garlic and pepper and rub it over the skin and under the breast skin. Stuff the cavity with the lemon halves and herbs, and tie the legs together loosely.
- Roast until an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh, away from bone, reads 74°C (165°F). (Tip: Check the thigh, not the breast — thigh meat is what lags behind, and it's also where a truly safe reading matters most.)
Rest
- Tent loosely with foil and rest before carving. (Tip: Resting lets the juices redistribute through the meat instead of running out onto the board the moment you cut in.)
Tips
- Skin didn't crisp: Usually not dry enough going into the oven. The overnight uncovered brine is doing real work here — a wet-skinned bird steams before it browns.
- Breast overcooked before the thigh was safe: Try starting the bird breast-side down for the first 20 minutes and flipping, or loosely tenting the breast with foil partway through — both slow the breast just enough to let the thigh catch up.