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A Spatchcocked whole roasted chicken on a roasting tray.

The Perfect Roast Chicken

My ultimate recipe for making a whole chicken in the oven. The chicken is spatchcocked to cut down on cooking time. The chicken is started off at a high heat to get the skin crispy before cooking at a lower temperature.  This recipe is incredibly simple and hands off.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 5lbs Whole Chicken
  • 3 tbsp Salt
  • 1/4 cup Vegetable oil

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 500F.
  2. Spatchcock the chicken. This means simply cutting open the back of the chicken by detaching the backbone from at least one side. You can completely remove the backbone if you prefer. One that is done, pat the chicken dry, both inside and outside on the skin.
  3. Pour oil over the chicken and then massage in oil with the salt. Be more generous with the salt than you think is necessary. The salt helps to flavor the chicken
  4. Place chicken in the oven on a roasting tray. Cook at 500F between 7-10minutes. Then turn down heat to 400F. Roast at 400F for about 40-45 minutes. 
  5. Take out the perfect roast chicken from oven and allow it to rest for at least 15 minutes before carving and serving.