It’s a dreary October afternoon here at Copywriters’ Kitchen. The air is damp and cold. Darkness is already starting to fall. Everyone in our family has put in a long day at work or school—and we’re looking at a few more hours of work and study after dinner.
All by way of saying, we’re drained. No one feels like cooking.
And that’s why we’re having Thursday Night Herb-Roasted Chicken and Roasted Potatoes for dinner tonight. This succulent, crisp-skinned chicken is one of the easiest-ever dinners to prepare.
Roast chicken: It’s not rocket science.
Maybe you don’t believe me. American consumers seemed convinced it’s simpler to find the car keys, fight traffic all the way to the supermarket, stand in a checkout line and slog home with a rotisserie chicken.
And no wonder: Fast food chains and processed food Mad Men spend a small fortune trying to convince us cooking is arduous. Apparently, “…cooking is so hard we need to let other people do it for us,” notes chef Mark Ruhlman. We’re too stupid to cook.
But the truth? This Herb-Roasted Chicken and Roasted Potatoes takes all of five minutes to prepare. Okay, you have to let it roast for an hour. While you go do something else. Like find out how your teenager did on his PSAT this morning. Or fold that dried laundry that’s been sitting in a 5-foot high, crumpled heap since Saturday.
Or pour yourself a glass of wine and read the paper.
Thursday Night Herb-Roasted Chicken Recipe
One 2-3 lb. whole pasture-raised chicken
3 tablespoons dried and/or fresh herbs, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
4 medium potatoes
- Preheat oven to
375400 degrees. - In a small bowl, mix herbs.
- Scrub and quarter potatoes.
- In a large bowl, toss potatoes with 2-3 tablespoons olive oil, a tablespoon of mixed herbs and salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove chicken neck and innards. Rinse chicken inside and out, and pat dry. Place chicken in large, shallow baking pan.
- Lift the chicken breast skin and carefully push your fingers underneath the skin to separate the skin from the meat. Try to tear as little of the skin as possible. Work your hand and fingers under the skin and around the thighs and legs.
- Smear the chicken breast legs and thighs with a scant tablespoon of olive oil.
- Using your fingers, scoop a few teaspoons of herbs and push them under the chicken skin. Repeat, spreading herbs under the skin to the chicken breast, legs and thighs.
- Weave a toothpick into the torn skin of the breast to hold the skin together.
- Arrange potatoes around chicken.
- Slide pan into oven. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove pan and turn potatoes so they will roast evenly. Return pan to oven. Bake until chicken skin is golden and meat at thigh joint is no longer pink—about 15-30 minutes more. Here are a few more detailed cook-tested methods of checking chicken for doneness.
- Remove chicken from oven and let rest for at least five minutes before carving.
Serves 6.
OK Lorraine. Believe it or not, I have never roasted a chicken. (Vegetarian most of my life.) But I’m back to eating (most) meats and would like to make a beautiful roasted bird for Christmas Eve. Crispy skin for me, please. Nothing more, nothing less. I just love roasted chicken. I realize the holidays are a time others go to great lengths, but I just want to serve something warming, simple, and good. (My sides will be the more complex dishes in this case.)
However, every recipe gives me different temp instructions for my oven. You say 375; I have seen recommendations as high as 450 (with the logic that hotter = drier). I’m overwhelmed. I like you will buy a small, farm-raised bird, not a 6lb roaster. Is 375 hot enough? Have you experimented with a hotter oven?
@Lindsey: I stand corrected on this and will change the temperature in my recipe to 400 degrees next time I get into the back end of my blog. Confiteor: My oven is somewhat uneven and I often guesstimate temps. When unsure, I stick my hand in the oven–if it “feels right,” in goes the food. No wonder I include so few baked items in this blog…
You’re right, reliable cooks like Mark Ruhlman and Smitten Kitchen roast at a much higher temp. Deb (Smitten Kitchen) gives some detail on why high temps work for small birds–I would go with her advice:
http://blog.ruhlman.com/2010/01/america-too-stupid-to-cook.html
http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/12/zuni-cafe-roast-chicken-bread-salad/
Don’t feel overwhelmed: There’s plenty of time to adjust heat if the chicken is cooking too fast. As Mark Ruhlman notes, this is a bomb-proof dish. I’m sure your bird will be perfect.
P.S. Since I’m making this for Christmas Eve dinner, I’ll put an oven thermometer on the rack and report back.
Yes, interested to read your report. Are you doing anything special with your bird for the holiday?
I was going to go with the old, stuff-delicious-stuff-in-cavity method in addition to rubbing and/or tucking fresh herbs beneath the breast skin. Probably lemon, onion, and whatever herbs I can get my hands on. I recently had a turkey a friend made (tented with parchment paper — another controversial issue) that she stuffed with sage, thyme, rosemary, whole garlic cloves and at least one large onion, halved. It was perfection.
I am thinking the Zuni method sounds fun (and crackly) but perhaps too labor-intensive for me this holiday, with a Dec. 29th deadline looming. I want to do what Mark suggests: Salt bird. Insert bird. Walk away. An hour plus rest and carving time later, eat. Enjoy!
Wishing you a warm, happy Christmas! 🙂