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Serve up Thomas Keller's simple, juicy roast chicken

Do you love chicken but don't want to be stuck in the kitchen prepping and cooking? Lucky for you, TODAY is teaming up with celebrity chefs to make things simpler for you. Join TODAY's "Super Simple Chicken: The Only Recipes You'll Ever Need," cooking series, which features 5 days of delicious dishes.On Day 4, try Thomas Keller's simple roast chicken, demo'd by Epicurious editor-in-chief Nilou Mo

Do you love chicken but don't want to be stuck in the kitchen prepping and cooking? Lucky for you, TODAY is teaming up with celebrity chefs to make things simpler for you. Join TODAY's "Super Simple Chicken: The Only Recipes You'll Ever Need," cooking series, which features 5 days of delicious dishes.

On Day 4, try Thomas Keller's simple roast chicken, demo'd by Epicurious editor-in-chief Nilou Motamed. 

Shopping list/ Ingredients

  • One 2- to 3-pound farm-raised chicken
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons minced thyme (optional)
  • Unsalted butter
  • Dijon mustard 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Rinse the chicken, then dry it very well with paper towels, inside and out. The less it steams, the drier the heat, the better. 

Salt and pepper the cavity, then truss the bird. Trussing is not difficult, and if you roast chicken often, it's a good technique to feel comfortable with. When you truss a bird, the wings and legs stay close to the body; the ends of the drumsticks cover the top of the breast and keep it from drying out. Trussing helps the chicken to cook evenly, and it also makes for a more beautiful roasted bird. 

Nilou Motamed and Willie Geist cook  Thomas Keller's roasted chicken on the TODAY show in New York, on July 10.
Today

Now, salt the chicken-I like to rain the salt over the bird so that it has a nice uniform coating that will result in a crisp, salty, flavorful skin (about 1 tablespoon). When it's cooked, you should still be able to make out the salt baked onto the crisp skin. Season to taste with pepper. 

Nilou Motamed and Willie Geist cook  Thomas Keller's roasted chicken on the TODAY show in New York, on July 10.
Today

Place the chicken in a sauté pan or roasting pan and, when the oven is up to temperature, put the chicken in the oven. I leave it alone-I don't baste it, I don't add butter; you can if you wish, but I feel this creates steam, which I don't want. Roast it until it's done, 50 to 60 minutes. 

Remove it from the oven and add the thyme, if using, to the pan. Baste the chicken with the juices and thyme and let it rest for 15 minutes on a cutting board. Remove the twine. Separate the middle wing joint and eat that immediately. Remove the legs and thighs. Cut the breast down the middle and serve it on the bone, with one wing joint still attached to each.

Nilou Motamed and Willie Geist cook  Thomas Keller's roasted chicken on the TODAY show in New York, on July 10.
Today

The preparation is not meant to be super elegant. Slather the meat with fresh butter. Serve with mustard on the side and, if you wish, a simple green salad.

Nilou Motamed and Willie Geist cook  Thomas Keller's roasted chicken on the TODAY show in New York, on July 10.
Today