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Roasted Chicken, Perfected
The architecture of a chicken, along with the different target temperatures for white and dark meat, make it difficult to perfectly roast a whole bird. The breast is best at 160°F to 165°F; dark meat needs to hit at least 175°F, though it’s best at 195°F or slightly above. Spatchcocking helps, but the most surefire way to get perfectly roasted chicken is to disassemble the bird—that is, remove each leg and wing section and leave the breast whole. Salted and left to stand at room temperature for an hour before cooking, the breast and legs finish together in about 50 minutes with crisp, golden brown skin. If your oven has a convection setting, this is a good time to use it; it will shave off about five minutes.
4
Servings
Tip
Don’t forget to pat the chicken dry before roasting. The salt draws out moisture that must be wicked away in order to achieve superlative browning and crisping.
2 hours 20 minutes
15 minutes active
Ingredients
-
4-4½
pound whole chicken
-
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
Directions
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01Set a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet; mist the rack with cooking spray. Place the chicken breast up on a cutting board. Use a sharp paring or boning knife to cut through the skin that connects the leg to the breast until the leg falls away from the carcass. Bend back the leg to pop the joint out of its socket. Continue cutting, hewing close to the bone to make sure as much meat as possible stays with the leg, until the leg is cut free from the body. Remove the other leg in the same way.
Reviews
April 1, 2026
James Z.
Intuitively, I would start the parts first and perhaps roast for an honest 15 minutes before placing the breast in the oven. This would jump start the legs and thighs. You can always check the various parts with a thermometer down the road and assess the doneness of the parts. Thoughts Milk Street Nation?
September 22, 2025
Simple, and perfect
Honestly, this recipe could hardly be any simpler - especially if the meat department does the butchering part for you! Just salt, pepper and oil and it was perfect! Beautifully browned, crispy skin, moist meat, delicious!
May 23, 2026
The very best!
As many chickens as I've roasted in my life. . . , and this way was totally the best I've ever had!
Wow!
March 30, 2026
Winner-Winner! Chicken Dinner!
Perfecto! I made sure to get oil on the parts resting against a parchment lined sheet pan. Next, I added some dried Italian seasoning to the underside of the parts which added some nice flavor without burning. Brush olive oil on mushroom halves and nice chunks of zucchini bites and roast along side for 25-30 minutes! No complaints from my family.
June 8, 2025
Easy and perfectly cooked
Tender, juicy and nicely browned. Totally worth the time and effort breaking down the parts myself. Left in fridge overnight on Saturday and finished for dinner on Sunday. Thank you!
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