Preheat the oven to 450. Place your oven racks to the upper third of the oven. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
The standard amount of salt needed per an average chicken is 1 TBSP. For this recipe, we will use that, plus another teaspoon to help the breast crisp up really well and seal the juices. It's amazing what that extra teaspoon of salt does! Don't worry, your chicken won't taste too salty. Just be sure it's coarse kosher salt.
Dry your chicken with a paper towel. Sprinkle about 1.5 teaspoons of kosher salt inside the cavity of the chicken. Place some fresh herbs and a wedge of lemon, if using, into the cavity of the chicken.
The herbs/lemon here act in more ways than just aromatics. They help accomplish more even cooking, by slightly slowing down the cooking of the breast which typically needs more time than thighs. This results in legs and breast coming to their respective doneness temperatures in about the same time.
Rub the exterior of the chicken with 1.5 teaspoon kosher salt. Place the chicken on your prepared sheet and sprinkle the 1 tsp of kosher salt to ensure the breasts are well coated. Wipe off any extra salt from the bottom of your pan with a damp paper towel.
Bake the chicken in preheated oven for around 40-55 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165 in the breast and 170 in the thigh (the dark leg meat is safe to eat at 165 but is still too chewy at that temperature.) Remove from the oven, allow to rest uncovered for a few minutes, carve and enjoy!
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 450. Place your oven racks to the upper third of the oven. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
The standard amount of salt needed per an average chicken is 1 TBSP. For this recipe, we will use that, plus another teaspoon to help the breast crisp up really well and seal the juices. It's amazing what that extra teaspoon of salt does! Don't worry, your chicken won't taste too salty. Just be sure it's coarse kosher salt.
Dry your chicken with a paper towel. Sprinkle about 1.5 teaspoons of kosher salt inside the cavity of the chicken. Place some fresh herbs and a wedge of lemon, if using, into the cavity of the chicken.
The herbs/lemon here act in more ways than just aromatics. They help accomplish more even cooking, by slightly slowing down the cooking of the breast which typically needs more time than thighs. This results in legs and breast coming to their respective doneness temperatures in about the same time.
Rub the exterior of the chicken with 1.5 teaspoon kosher salt. Place the chicken on your prepared sheet and sprinkle the 1 tsp of kosher salt to ensure the breasts are well coated. Wipe off any extra salt from the bottom of your pan with a damp paper towel.
Bake the chicken in preheated oven for around 40-55 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165 in the breast and 170 in the thigh (the dark leg meat is safe to eat at 165 but is still too chewy at that temperature.) Remove from the oven, allow to rest uncovered for a few minutes, carve and enjoy!
