Chef notes
It's time to learn how to throw together a great dinner. What's great about chicken is that, in general, it's universally liked and it's relatively easy to make. Plus, roast chicken makes for some pretty sweet leftovers the next day. So here are some tasty roast chicken recipes that you can make for yourself, your friends, or the guy you just met on Tinder.
Ingredients
- One 3½ to 4 pound roasting chicken
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves chopped
- 1 lemon, juiced and zested
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce, plus more as needed
- 1/4 cup prepared barbecue sauce, plus more
- 3 tablespoons herbs de Provence
Preparation
For the basic roast chicken:
1.Preheat oven to 450°F.
2.Remove any innards from inside the chicken (usually in a small bag). Discard.
3.Pat the chicken all over with a paper towel.
4.Set the chicken in a roasting pan or cast iron pan, breast side up.
5.Season all over with the salt and pepper, including inside the cavity of the chicken.
6.Rub with olive oil.
7.Roast in the center of the oven for 50-55 minutes, until very golden brown and the temperature reads 165°F on an instant read thermometer.
8.Let rest for 5 minutes, then cut apart and serve.
For the variations
To make garlic, lemon and rosemary roast chicken:
Mix the olive oil with the garlic, rosemary and lemon zest and juice. Rub all over the chicken after seasoning it with salt and pepper, then roast as directed.
To make hoisin roast chicken:
Instead of salt and pepper, rub the chicken all over with hoisin sauce (usually found near the soy sauce in grocery stores, or in Asian specialty markets). Skip the olive oil, and roast as directed. Brush with more hoisin after roasting, if desired.
To make barbecue roast chicken:
Instead of salt and pepper, rub the chicken all over with barbecue sauce. Skip the olive oil, and roast as directed. Brush with more barbecue sauce after roasting, if desired.
To make French kiss chicken:
Prepare the chicken as directed with salt, pepper and olive oil, then sprinkle the whole thing with herbs de Provence. Roast as directed.
Reprinted with permission from "Young & Hungry: Your Complete Guide to a Delicious Life."
