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Everyone needs a great, trusty roast chicken recipe, right? This one is guaranteed to give you perfectly cooked, juicy chicken with a crackly golden-brown skin every time. FYI: one of my favorite pastimes is snacking on some salty, peppery chicken skin.
Cast-iron skillets are indispensable kitchen tools, and one of the most frequently used in my kitchen, for sure. They retain heat so well, which helps caramelize vegetables and give a golden-brown crust to just about anything (grilled cheese FTW!), but especially meat. This recipe is easy to throw together: generously season the inside and outside of your bird, chop up a few vegetables like onions, potatoes and garlic, and add some lemon and herbs to roast alongside. Your hands-on time is minimal, but it will take at least an hour, and up to an hour and a half, to roast, depending on the size of your chicken. Plus, you’ll need an extra 15 to 20 minutes to let the roasted chicken sit, uncovered to retain that crisp skin, so the juices can settle. Don’t skip this step! The result is a flavorful chicken, both inside and out, with delicious pan juices (aka mostly chicken fat) to spoon over the carved chicken. Squeeze some of those roasted lemons on top to amp up the flavor!
This is a basic staple recipe that is easily changed to suit your tastes and what’s in season: add different vegetables, and herbs to change the flavor profile. Whip up different sauces to serve alongside once you’ve mastered the recipe. Really, go wild!
Grab yourself a cast-iron skillet (buy one if you don’t have one-but seriously, why don’t you have one?!) and get going on this easy weeknight dinner the whole fam will love. 
Skillet Roasted Chicken
- Yield: 4 servings
Description
This is a basic but trusty roast chicken recipe to get you started on the path of roasted chicken glory! This one is guaranteed to give you perfectly cooked, juicy chicken with a crackly golden-brown skin every time. Onions, potatoes and lemons are roasted with a garlic-and-herb-stuffed chicken for a perfect one-pan dinner.
Ingredients
- One 5- to 6-pound chicken
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 head garlic, halved plus 5 cloves left in skin
- 2 lemons, quartered
- About 15 sprigs of thyme
- 6 sprigs of rosemary
- 1 large onion, thickly sliced
- 4 to 6 Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered
Instructions
- At least an hour before roasting, place the chicken on a large sheet pan. Dry the chicken and generously season the inside and outside with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with twine. Refrigerate, uncovered, until ready to cook.
- Preheat the oven to 425°. Place a 12-inch cast-iron skillet (or roasting pan if you don’t have one) in the oven to preheat. Pat the chicken dry again and season with more salt and pepper. Stuff the bird with both halves of the garlic, 1 lemon, about 10 sprigs of thyme and 4 sprigs of rosemary. Remove the skillet from the oven and add a little olive oil (just enough to lightly coat the bottom). Place the chicken, breast-side-up, in the skillet. Add the remaining lemon quarters, onion slices, potatoes and remaining thyme and rosemary sprigs around the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Place in the oven and roast for 80 to 90 minutes, until the chicken breast registers 160° and the thighs register 170°. Remove from the oven and transfer the chicken to a large cutting board. Allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes, uncovered, before slicing and serving.
- Category: Chicken
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