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Roast Chicken

Print Recipe
Cook Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings 0

Equipment

  • 1 container with lid (must be large enough to hold the whole chicken plus liquid
  • 1 whisk
  • paper towels (for patting dry the chicken after brining)
  • 1 Chef knife
  • 1 piece butcher's twine
  • 1 cutting board (or two - to keep raw chicken away from everything else)
  • 1 sheet pan or roasting pan
  • 1 rack (must fit into sheet or roasting pan to elevate the chicken)

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Chicken (whole)
  • 48 ounces Water
  • 2 ounces Sugar
  • 2 ounces Kosher salt
  • 2 tbsp Avocado or Olive oil (enough to coat the outside of the chicken)
  • 1/2 cup Onion (medium dice, about 1/2 inch)
  • 1/2 cup Carrot (medium dice, about 1/2 inch)
  • 1/2 cup Celery (medium dice, about 1/2 inch)
  • 4-5 cloves Garlic
  • 1 Bay leaf
  • 2-3 spring Fresh Thyme
  • A/N Kosher salt and Black pepper (enough to season the outside of the chicken)

Instructions
 

For brining the chicken:

  • Find a container large enough to hold the whole chicken submerged in the brining liquid that also has a tight-fitting lid.
  • Dissolve the 2 ounces of sugar and 2 ounces of kosher salt in the 48 ounces of cool water.
  • Make sure there are no innards in the chicken cavity.
  • Place the chicken into the brine.
  • Cover the container with the lid.
  • Chill the chicken and brine in the refrigerator overnight (or up to two days).

When ready to roast the chicken:

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  • Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry with paper towels.
  • Prepare the aromatics - cut the mirepoix vegetables (carrots, celery, onion); peel the garlic; gather the herbs and spices.
  • Using the chef knife, remove the wish bone (to make carving the chicken easier later).
  • Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the vegetables, garlic, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf.
  • Use the butcher's twine to truss the chicken. Cut a good 18-inch length of butcher's twine. Hold the twine by the center. Lay the center of the twine over the neck bone of the chicken. Allow the twine to wrap around the wings and come back up in the space between the breast and legs. Cross the legs into a pleasing shape and use the twine to tie the legs together. The chicken should be a compact shape to cook evenly and hold the vegetables inside, for the most part.
  • Place the trussed chicken on the rack on the sheet or roasting pan.
  • Rub the outside of the chicken with the avocado oil.
  • Season the chicken all over with kosher salt and black pepper.
  • Place the pan in the 400 degree oven.
  • How long the chicken takes to cook depends upon how large of a chicken you bought. Mine was almost 5 pounds. Go by the rule of 20 minutes per pound.
  • The first step of cooking at 400 degrees is to get a nice brown and crispy skin on the outside of the chicken. I set my timer for 20 minutes, but then it wasn't getting brown so I added 10 more minutes. If you have a convection oven, the 20 minutes should be enough.
  • After that first "sear" step, leave the chicken in the oven, but turn down the temperature to 350 degrees for the rest of the cooking process.
  • Here is where you must defer to the rule of 20 minutes per pound for how large your chicken is. Since I seared mine for 30 minutes, I knew I still had 70 minutes left to finish roasting the chicken. (5 pounds x 20 minutes = 100 minutes). BUT it always depends on your oven. Mine is not fast so this rule worked for me. If you have a fast or convection oven, please judge it accordingly. The safe internal temperature for chicken is 165. Use a thermometer placed into the thickest part of the thigh to make sure your chicken is cooked all the way through. The juices should run clear and not pink at all.
  • When the chicken is fully cooked, remove it from the oven and allow it to rest at least 10 minutes before carving.
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