Simplest Roasted Chicken

Roasting a whole chicken doesn’t need to be complicated or require many ingredients. With just olive oil, butter, salt, and pepper, you can have a chicken that comes out of the oven with golden skin and juicy meat every single time. This is the simplest roasted chicken I know, the kind of recipe you can always rely on for a family dinner.

Juicy whole roasted chicken with golden crispy skin, cooked with olive oil, butter, salt and pepper, resting on parchment paper.

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken (about 1.5–2 kg)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 tablespoons butter, softened

• Salt

• Black pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200°C conventional (top and bottom heat). If using a fan oven, set it to 180°C fan.

Place the chicken breast-side down on a board. Using kitchen scissors, cut along the backbone from top to bottom. Open the chicken out flat and press firmly to crack the breastbone so it lays evenly.

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Gently loosen the skin over the breast and thighs, and spread the butter underneath.

Rub olive oil all over the chicken, then season generously with salt and pepper.

Place the chicken skin-side up on a baking tray, with the legs pointing toward the back of the oven. The back of most ovens is slightly hotter, and this helps the thicker legs cook through while keeping the breast juicy.

Put the tray on the middle rack and roast for about 1 hour, or until the skin is golden and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 75°C. Leave the chicken uncovered while roasting.

If the skin browns too quickly toward the end, you can loosely cover it with foil.

Let the chicken rest for 10–15 minutes before carving and serving.