This is the best roasted chicken that is juicy on the inside, crispy on the outside. Roasting a whole chicken is simple to prepare, and budget friendly too!
Don’t get me wrong, picking up a rotisserie chicken from the grocery or Costco makes dinner super easy. What if I told you that you can roast your own chicken for $10 or less and use only 3 ingredients-and that includes the chicken! The prep only takes 10 minutes to put it into the brine the day before you’re going to roast and then the rest of the time is hands-off oven roasting! It’s really is very simple, budget friendly plus you’ve got a delicious roast chicken that is healthy, nutritious, comforting, juicy and tender. You will have an amazing dinner, plus at least 2 more dinners made from the chicken and bonus chicken stock made from the bones and carcass! The best of becoming a zero waste kitchen!
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Easy steps to prepare and roast your chicken in the oven
- The day before you want to cook the chicken, remove from the packaging and put it on a plate large enough so it doesn’t drip on the counter, take out the giblets (put in a zip lock bag and refrigerate or freeze for when you make chicken stock).
- DO NOT RINSE YOUR CHICKEN! Rinsing a whole chicken under water in the sink runs a high risk of splashing germs and bacteria all around your sink, counter tops, and dish towels. Check out this article!
- Season your chicken generously with salt and let it sit for 30 minutes.
- Measure out the buttermilk and mix in 2 tablespoons of kosher salt.
- Place the chicken in a gallon-size zip top plastic bag and pour in the salted buttermilk. Seal and massage the buttermilk all around the chicken. Place the bag on a plate or large bowl in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
- The next day, pull the chicken out from the fridge about an hour before you plan to roast it. Preheat the oven to 425°F and adjust the oven rack to the center position
- Remove the chicken from the bag and scrape off as much buttermilk as you can without being overly obsessive! Tie together the legs with butcher twine and place it in a 10-inch cast iron skillet or shallow roasting pan.
- According to Samin Nosrat, cookbook author of SALT, FAT, ACID, HEAT she likes to slide the pan all the way to the back of the oven so the legs are pointing toward the rear left corner and the breast is pointing toward the center of the oven. Then after 30 minutes of roasting, she will move the the pan so the legs are facing the back right corner of the oven. Since the back of the oven tends to be the hottest spot, the leg and thighs will be cooked and the breast will not be over cooked.
- When the chicken is fully cooked, remove it to a platter and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving and serving
Variations, Substitutions and Storing
- If you want to add an herb mix (like Italian seasoning), mix it with the buttermilk before marinating the chicken
- You can substitute plain yogurt for the buttermilk
- Store chicken on or off the bone covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Don’t throw the carcass and any bones away! Save them to make flavorful chicken stock. If you don’t have time to make stock, pop the carcass and bones into a zip top bag, label and date it and freeze it until you have time to make chicken stock.
The Best Homemade Roasted Chicken
Roasting a whole chicken at home is not only delicious, it's easy and budget friendly
Ingredients
- 3½-4 pound Whole chicken
- 2 cups Buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons Kosher Salt
Instructions
- One day before you want to roast the chicken, remove the giblets and generously salt the chicken all over as well as inside. Let it sit for 30 minutes
- Stir the 2 tablespoons of kosher salt into the buttermilk until dissolved. Place the chicken in a gallon-sized zip top plastic bag and pour the buttermilk into the bag. Seal it, massage the buttermilk all around the chicken and place the bag on a plate or bowl and refrigerate up to 24 hours.
- The next day, pull the chicken from the fridge about an hour before you plan to cook it. Preheat the oven to 425℉ and set the rack to the center position.
- Remove the chicken from the plastic bag, discard the buttermilk and scrape off as much buttermilk as you can without being obsessive. Tie the legs together tightly with butcher twine. Place the chicken in a 10-inch cast iron skillet or shallow roasting pan.
- Place the pan all the way to the back of the oven with the legs pointing toward the rear left corner and the breast pointing toward the center of the oven. Since the back of the oven tends to be the hottest spot it protects the breast from overcooking before the legs are done.
- After about 20 minutes the chicken will start to get brown, reduce the heat to 400℉. Continue roasting for about 10 minutes and then move the pan so the legs are facing the back right corner of the oven.
- Continue cooking for another 30 minutes or so, until the chicken is brown all over and the juices run clear when you insert a knife down to the bone between the leg and thigh. A digital thermometer should read 175℉ (make sure the probe does not touch the bone).
- When the chicken is done, remove it to a platter and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving and serving.
Notes
Substitutions:
If you don't have buttermilk you can substitute plain yogurt If you'd like any seasonings like an Italian seasoning, add that to the buttermilk in the beginning Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
