Recipe: Roast chicken
With an ingredient list just four items long (chicken, olive oil, salt, pepper), this bare-bones chicken is genius in its technique.
Roast chicken. Food styled by Simon Andrews. (CREDIT: Ryan Liebe/The New York Times) — ONLY FOR USE WITH ARTICLE SLUGGED — BC-SMARTER-LIVING-ROAST-CHICKEN-RECIPE-ART-NYTSF — OTHER USE PROHIBITED
To make it, thoroughly preheat a cast-iron skillet before sliding into it a seasoned bird, breast-side up. In under an hour you’ll get a stunning chicken, with moist, tender white meat, crisp, salty chicken skin, and juicy dark meat all done to a turn. If you don’t already have a cast-iron skillet large enough to hold a whole chicken, this recipe is a good enough reason to invest in one.
TIME: 50 TO 60 MINUTES
YIELD: 4 SERVINGS
1 (3-to-4 pound) whole chicken, trimmed of excess fat
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Put a cast-iron skillet on a low rack in the oven and heat the oven to 500 degrees. Rub the chicken all over with the oil and sprinkle it generously with salt and pepper.
2. When the oven and skillet are hot, carefully put the chicken in the skillet, breast-side up. Roast for 15 minutes, then turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees. Continue to roast until the bird is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the meaty part of the thigh reads 155 to 165 degrees.
3. Tip the pan to let the juices flow from the chicken’s cavity into the pan. Transfer the chicken to a platter and let it rest for at least 5 minutes. Carve and serve.
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