1-2-3 Cook: Deliciously Simple Roast Chicken

Who doesn’t love a good roast chicken?

As popular as this dish is, however, many of the often used techniques are either too complicated, don’t result in a chicken with crispy skin yet succulent meat, or both.

I’ve found through trial and error that a few simple tweaks can be make a world of difference between a dried out breast with soggy skin on the back and an all around crisp bird that everyone will die for.

One important tip when sourcing: don’t forget that free-range is not good enough.   Per the USDA (1), “Producers must demonstrate to the Agency that the poultry has been allowed access to the outside.”.  How much time and what the outside consists of, we simply do not know.

Err on the safe side and look for pasture-fed.

One way to double check you’re buying a humanely raised bird is that she will be smaller, the natural size we see when a chicken is not fattened up with grains and injected with hormones.   Think 2-3 pounds, not 4-5.

This is a staple in my home and depending on what we’ve got in store the next day, we will enjoy it with roast leeks or heirloom carrots, or on a day when we’ve got lots of physical activity in store the next day, I’ll serve it up with my oven-baked Paleoista fries.

What’s your favorite veggie to enjoy with chicken?

Click here for the free recipe!

(1) https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/food-labeling/meat-and-poultry-labeling-terms/meat-and-poultry-labeling-terms