Roasting a chicken is quick and easy. This recipe takes less than an hour from start to finish and yields moist, succulent meat.
Have you ever roasted a chicken before? It is said that the competency of a cook can be determined by how well they roast a chicken. These days anyone who wants to avoid roasting a chicken can buy one hot and ready in the store but it is an unnecessary short cut. The truth is, it can be EASY and QUICK to roast a chicken.
There are a lot of ways to roast a chicken but many of them are complicated or involve multiple steps including flipping a chicken part way through. This recipe goes in the oven in under 10 minutes, is cooks in about 45 minutes and yields moist, succulent meat – not dry or scary rubber chicken.
Sunday afternoon I roasted up one of these birds and pulled the meat off of the bones to eat during the week. It didn’t take long for Jonathan to sidle up and start nipping the crispy skin from my project. If you have a skin lover, this recipe yields more crunchy skin than traditional roasted chicken.
A few things to keep in mind:
• 500°F is one hot oven! When you open the door stand to the side and allow the heat to escape a moment before you lean down to the oven. Otherwise your eyeballs feel singed.
• Buy quality meat shears. I own a Cutco pair that cuts like a dream. You will never regret buying a good tool for this job. You can also use it to cut pizza.
• Enjoy the leftovers! Make chicken salad or some yummy enchiladas the next day. You can also freeze some cooked meat to use next time you are in a pinch at dinner time.
• I love to use this as a gift meal when a family has a new baby or they are all sick. Everybody loves it hot and the leftovers are flexible / can be frozen.
This recipe is always very popular. The subtle lemon and thyme flavors and crispy skin keep people coming back for more. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Extra Crispy Butterfly Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken 4-5 pounds
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil (or other neutral oil)
- 1 Tablespoon fine grain sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
Dry Brining (3-24 hours ahead of the meal)
- Note: I like to begin by making room in my refrigerator for the tray with the chicken.
- Using sharp kitchen shears or a very sharp knife, remove the backbone from the chicken. Set aside — you can roast it alongside the chicken for stock, or discard.
- Flip the chicken breast-side up and use a sharp knife to gently score down the center of the breastbone, just enough to let the two halves spread flat (not cutting all the way through).
- Line a rimmed sheet pan with foil (or leave bare, your preference) and set a wire rack inside it.
- Position the chicken cut-side down, skin-side up, on the rack, laid out flat like a butterfly.
- Combine the sea salt and black pepper in a small bowl, then sprinkle evenly over the chicken skin and cavity sides.
- Flip back to skin-side up, then carefully sprinkle the baking powder evenly over the skin — make sure it doesn't collect in any crevices, as that leads to a baking powder flavor.
- Transfer the chicken (still on the rack and pan) to the refrigerator, uncovered, for at least 3 and up to 24 hours.
Roasting The Chicken
- Place the oven rack in the upper middle position and preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Drizzle the chicken skin with the oil, rubbing it in to distribute evenly.
- Roast in the preheated oven until the thickest part of the breast near the bone registers 150°F on an instant-read thermometer, and the joint between the thighs and body registers at least 175°F. This will take 50-65 minutes depending on the size of the chicken. (See post for my strong opinions about cooking thermomotors.)
- Remove the chicken from the oven, transfer to a cutting board with juice groves, and let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before carving.
- Serve with your favorite side dishes. I enjoy mashed potatoes, rolls, and salad or asparagus.
Your Rating Matters
When you leave a comment or star rating, it means more than you might think. It helps me understand what you’re enjoying, builds trust for other readers, and supports real, tested cooking content. If you have a moment, I’d truly appreciate you sharing your experience. - Mirlandra
Nutrition Estimate
A Note on Nutrition
Nutritional info is an imperfect estimate. Please take it with a grain of salt.
Carlee says
That does look like a perfect roast chicken! What a great thing to have in your arsenal!
Mirlandra says
It really is amazing how easy a simple roast chicken can be and it is so handy (and cheap) to be able to make one at home!