Basic Roasted Chicken: The Simplest Recipe You Will Ever Find
The idea of roasting a chicken intimidates some. It seems very June Cleaver and who has the time?
There are a number of roasted chicken recipes. Everyone has a tip. But this has to be one of the simplest recipes out there and one that would make our grandmas proud. The key is brine, i.e. rub it with some salt prior to cooking. You can brine the bird an hour before or the night before. The salt helps draw out some of the water leaving a crispy skin and tender inside.
The leftover possibilities are endless. Fight boredom by whipping up different aioli (fancy way of saying mayonnaise,) chicken salad with red grapes, little celery, and tarragon or even barbeque sauce. This amount of chicken will leave you looking for ways to use it and is way more economical than buying pre-made chicken.
Don’t be intimidated by the bird.
Salt and Pepper Roasted Chicken
via Melissa Clark, NYT
Ingredients
* 1 (3 1/2-pound) whole chicken, patted dry
* 2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
* 2 teaspoons black pepper
* Small bunch fresh herbs, such as rosemary, thyme and sage
Directions:
Season the chicken inside and out with salt and pepper. If you have time, refrigerate the chicken, uncovered, for an hour, or overnight.
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place chicken breast-side up in a roasting pan or large ovenproof skillet. Stuff cavity with herbs and tie the legs together with kitchen twine. (If you don’t have twine, leave the legs as they are.)
Roast 50 minutes, then baste chicken with pan juices. Continue roasting until chicken’s juices run clear when skin is pierced with a knife, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes before carving.
New American Kitchen 
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