Crispy Roast Chicken

For when you want that Thanksgiving kind of meal but don't want the huge clean up and the overwhelming amount of leftovers, roasting a chicken is just the ticket. It's very simple, takes significantly less time, and in my opinion, is always a lot more tender and succulent than a slab of turkey.

There are all kinds of ways to fancy up the bird before you throw it in the oven (slather on a sweet honey or tangy barbecue sauce, stuff the inside and under the skin with fresh herbs like thyme and rosemary, drizzle it with lemon and lay on the salt and pepper), not to mention a limitless amount of scrumptious dishes you can make with the leftovers (chicken noodle soup, sandwiches, quesadillas, pot pies, tacos, salad). You can also usually get a chicken for pretty cheap at the grocery store ($5-6), and who doesn't love a good deal?

Simply put: Don't be afraid to have fun with dressing up your chicken, because it's very hard to mess up, but DO be concise when following actual cooking instructions.

Here is the basic way to a crispy, mouthwatering roast chicken:

Crispy Roast Chicken
Printable Recipe

1 (3-4 pound) whole chicken, giblets removed and discarded
6 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 ½ tbsp.)
3 tbsp. butter, melted
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and place aluminum foil on the bottom of a large roasting pan.

Thoroughly rinse the outside and inside of the chicken, and pat dry with paper towels. Flip the chicken so that the breasts face down, and set on a V-rack in your roasting pan.

Using your hands, evenly spread half the garlic along the outside of the chicken. Take the remainder of the garlic and spread it all over the cavity inside the chicken.

Baste the entire outside of the chicken with melted butter, and sprinkle generously with freshly ground pepper and salt. Roast chicken 25 minutes.

Remove roasting pan from oven. Using 2 large wads of paper towels, or two pairs of tongs, rotate chicken breast-side up. Baste briefly with additional melted butter. Return to oven and continue to roast until skin is golden brown, crisp, and instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of breast registers 160 degrees and 175 degrees in thickest part of thigh, about 40-50 more minutes.

Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let rest uncovered for 10 minutes. Carve and serve immediately.

Enjoy!