This chicken is foolproof. Juicy breast meat and crispy brown skin. And so easy to make. The combination of salt and high heat works wonders!
Adapted from a Thomas Keller recipe.
The Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 to 3 lb. chicken
- Kosher salt
The Directions:
Leave the bird out at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before roasting. A room-temperature chicken will cook more evenly.
Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. This helps the skin to crisp.
Preheat oven to 450. Pull the drumsticks towards you and tie together. Salt the outside of the chicken generously, then place chicken breast side up in a roasting pan. Set in the oven and leave it alone! Don’t baste, don’t add butter. Roast for 50-60 minutes.
That’s it. It’s perfect.
Don’t get clever and add vegetables to the pan while the chicken is roasting. This bird does not like to share the oven with anything else. And let the chicken rest for 15 minutes before carving.
Changing Palate 
Susan – I’m intrigued – with such a simple recipe, what adaptation did you make from Keller’s recipe?
Megan, just a deletion of some thyme at the end mixed with the pan juices and a complicated way of trussing the bird. I never really have much in the way of pan juices. Just really addictive brown bits that are consumed while I wait for the chicken to cool slightly. Try the recipe and let me know what you think.
I think even I could do it!