How to Roast a Chicken

By David Hu

In the time that it takes you to watch this video, you could have prepped a chicken and popped it into the oven, where it would roast unattended until dinner. Sure it’s easy to buy a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket, but there’s nothing like the flavor of a plump, juicy, homemade roast bird.  Bonus: your whole house will smell so inviting, making everyone ravenous.

Be sure to crank up your oven before you start, since it will take 10 or 15 minutes to get the heat up to 400 degrees.  The length of time required to roast your chicken depends on the size of the bird. Allow 15 to 18 minutes per pound.  Altogether, you’ll need about 1 to 1 ½ hours of total roasting time.

The chicken is done when an instant read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh (but not touching the bone) reaches 165 degrees. If you don’t have a meat thermometer insert a knife into the same area; juices should run clear.

Remove from the oven and let stand 15 minutes. The chicken will continue to cook. When carving the chicken if there’s any pink return it to the oven; do not eat chicken that’s not completely cooked.

If you want a gravy for your chicken see Katie’s recipe.

Time-saving tip:
If your oven is large enough, put two chickens in the oven and you’ve got lots of great leftovers for salads, sandwiches, White Chicken Chili with Aged Cheddar or Chicken, Blue Cheese and Dried Plum Pizza.

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