Jacques Pepin’s Basic Roast Chicken
Updated Oct. 11, 2023
- Total Time
- 55 minutes
- Prep Time
- 3 minutes
- Cook Time
- 50 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 13½-pound chicken
- Salt and ground pepper to taste
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
583 calories; 41 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 17 grams monounsaturated fat; 9 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 50 grams protein; 926 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Sprinkle the chicken inside and out with the salt and pepper and fold the wings akimbo to position them closer to the body. Place the chicken on its side in an oven-safe skillet, preferably cast-iron.
- Step 2
Place the chicken in the skillet in the oven and cook for 20 minutes, then turn the chicken over and cook another 20 minutes. (By cooking the chicken on its sides, the juices stay in the breast and, since only the back is exposed, the chicken does not need constant basting.) Finally, turn the chicken onto its back, baste it with the cooking juices and continue to cook 10 minutes. It should be golden in color.
- Step 3
When the chicken is cooked, cut it into pieces and serve, with the drippings on the side.
Private Notes
Comments
There is better recipie, where you salt and pepper chicken, put it in cast iron pan at 500 degrees for 15 minutes than turn the oven down to 350 for about 90 minutes. Come out great everytime. Can put herbs, lemons, onions etc in the cavity. Best recipie for roast chicken I know of
Since using this roasting method, I have had the juiciest chicken breasts and crispier skin than has resulted from other methods.
For those concerned about the chicken sticking, one tip I use is to quarter an onion and lemon and put it in the lightly oiled pan in the oven under the chicken. It keeps the chicken from sticking and makes for delicious notes in the juices in the bottom of the pan afterward.
The best tip I ever got about roasting chicken was to dry it completely inside and out. Really, really dry! That way there is almost no moisture in the oven and the skin stays crisper. Works like a charm...
Perfect recipe. If you search on google you’ll find a video where he goes into more detail and also shows how to make a simple sauce from the drippings. Remember to pat the chicken dry and salt it and ideally let sit in the fridge 24h to dry out more (or at least an hour before). Let it come to room temp (rest for 45 mins) before cooking. Also brown the chicken on medium high heat on the bottom and sides to prevent sticking and having a dry bird makes browning easier). Once it’s breast up check the temp (should be 155) in the thickest part of the breast after 10 mins and pull out once it reaches. Then let it sit for 15-20 mins.
This is one of the worlds great recipes for its precise technique. The side roasting creates essentially a self-basting bird that’s insanely juicy and perfectly seasoned. One last flourish is the carving. It’s not entirely intuitive so look up his video on YouTube but it makes a great difference to the final texture. It’s also one of the few roasts I think actually benefits from trussing to help facilitate that inside out seasoning and cooking, which he also demonstrates.
Best way to roast a chicken in my experience, look for the video where Jacque cooks this and adds a few other steps and makes the sauce. Also -- take the bird out of the fridge an hour before cooking (to get to room temp) and cook it in a cast iron skillet with a light coating of oil on the bottom to prevent sticking. I also cook on the bottom rack to minimize splatter.
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