Roasted Chicken

Ingredients

Chicken and Salt:

Vegetables and Lemon For Cavity:

Oil For Skin:

Instructions

  1. Make sure oven rack is in the lower part of the oven.
  2. Preheat oven:
    Standard Oven: 375°   |   Convection Oven: 350°
  3. If you have a Convection setting on your oven use it!!! The skin becomes a beautiful golden brown and the meat is very tender and moist.
  4. Pour 1 teaspoon of salt into a prep bowl and set aside.
  5. Prepare vegetables and lemon for the cavity and set aside.
  6. Pour the olive oil into a small bowl and set aside.
  7. Remove giblets from chicken cavity. If making chicken giblet gravy, rinse and place in a small saucepan and cook as instructed.
  8. Rinse chicken in the sink. (See comment section below.)
  9. Place chicken breast side up on a rack in a shallow roasting pan.
  10. Pour salt into the palm of your hand.
  11. Reach into the chicken cavity and rub lightly with salt.
  12. Add celery, onion, garlic cloves, and lemon to the chicken cavity.
  13. Pour olive oil onto chicken skin and rub all over with your hands.
  14. Bake uncovered in the oven.
  15. A 2 to 3 pound bird will take approximately 1¼ to 1¾ hours to roast.
  16. A to 4 pound bird will take approximately 1¾ to 2¼ hours to roast.
  17. If you are using the pure convection oven setting to roast your chicken it may take about 20 to 30% less time to cook, so check the internal temperature frequently.
  18. Chicken is done when thickest parts are easily pierced by a sharp fork and the drumstick is very loose when wiggled. A meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh should register 170° to 180°. Meat thermometer inserted in thickest part of breast should register 160° to 165°.
  19. Remove chicken to a platter and let stand for 10 to 15 minutes.
  20. Carve and serve.

Comments

Serves 6 to 8.

Some cooks advice against rinsing off poultry because of the risk of spreading bacteria in the kitchen. I keep a spray bottle of bleach water under my sink. After handling poultry I spray bleach water on my counter tops and in my sink and then wash everything with hot, soapy water.

Refrigerate leftovers up to 4 days or freeze for up to 4 months.

Roasting a chicken is an easy and economical way to feed a family. I usually roast 2 chickens and then I have enough meat for a second meal and usually another dinner like chicken wraps or BBQ chicken on a bun.

Serve with stuffing, mashed potatoes, and chicken giblet gravy.

Do you own an Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker? Click here for making Instant Pot Roasted Chicken.

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Recipe from Betty Crocker's Cookbook. New York: Golden Press (1980).