Roast Chicken Deep Dive 🐓

Just in time for the holidays

‘Tis the season of holiday gatherings, Friendsgivings, and cozying up on the couch while incredible meals simmer. Today I’m deep diving into roast chicken—you’ll get the foundation to make the perfect chicken and learn how to use every part of the chicken for five delicious recipes. These tips are guaranteed to make you a star at the next chicken dinner. 

I love any opportunity to make a delicious roast chicken and use the leftovers for salad and bones for stock. We love the liver, too! If you’re Jewish and grew up near grandparents, you’ve probably experienced lots of chopped liver. I remember my mom sautéeing the liver with onions for lunch whenever she made an Oven Stuffer for dinner, which her mom did too. It’s so nostalgic for me. If you’ve never tried it, now’s your chance! 

Today, we’re talking about whole birds. If you’re feeding fewer people, you know I love one-pot chicken dinners with mushrooms, vegetables, or ginger and turmeric. They’re great weeknight meals. But whole birds are equally satisfying even if you don’t have a full table.

Here’s what you’ll learn in today’s deep dive:

• Tools to Make Roasting Chicken Easy

• My Go-To Recipe for Simple Roast Chicken (& How You Know It’s Done)

• My New Favorite Recipe for Balsamic Roast Chicken (and Balsamic Roast Turkey, if you’re into it)

• How to Use a Whole Chicken

And here’s what recipes are included in the PDF:

• Simple Roast Chicken

• Balsamic Roast Chicken

• Balsamic Roast Turkey

• Chopped Liver & Onions 

• The Easiest Chicken Salad

• Leeky Chicken Soup

• Scrappy Chicken Stock

But first, some housekeeping…

This week’s winner of the Earlywood Cooking Spoons Set is Amy Osheroff and the Essentials Set is Lindsey Holtaway. Keep an eye on your DMs for a message from me, and stay tuned for the next giveaway in a few weeks. Is there a tool or product I use that you’d like to see as a giveaway? Let me know!

Tools That Make Roasting Easy

• Gloves - My favorite kitchen tools are my hands; gloves make handling raw chicken less slimy. 

• Kitchen Shears - Sharp scissors make it easy to spatchcock a chicken. 

• Braiser - I love love love my braiser for nearly every chicken dish. 

• Roasting Bags (this bundle is discounted for you + free shipping!) - Keeps the bird juicy.

• Stock Pot - For making homemade chicken stock. 

• Tongs - For transferring carved meat without making a mess. 

• Sharp Knife - It’s a must for clean carving. 

• Thermometer - One of my friends recommended this thermometer, it gives a precise temperature reading so you know the turkey’s done. (She said not to buy it on Amazon, there are a lot of fakes.) 

• Sponges - If you cook a lot of poultry, you know how important it is to keep your kitchen clean. I always have a pack of these sponges—my dad makes them!

Roast Chicken Deep Dive - All the Recipes

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My Go-To Recipe for Simple Roast Chicken

Thank you, Ina Garten, for teaching me the basics of roasting chicken. Roast at 425°F for an hour and 15 minutes, or until the juices run clear and the bird reaches 165°F. This one is as simple as it gets, full of lemon and garlic and cooked on top of potatoes that soak up all the delicious roasting juices. My version is made with oil instead of butter and is heavy on flavor.

My New Favorite Recipe for Balsamic Chicken & Turkey 

I don’t like turkey. They’re kind of dry all the time, right? But I DO love when birds are so tender that the meat falls off the bones. If you’re making turkey or chicken for Thanksgiving (or Friendsgiving), this is the recipe you need for a juicy, tender centerpiece. It’s packed with flavor, and using a roasting bag locks the moisture in instead of drying out. I liked the marinade so much that I decided to riff on it with a chicken a week later to even better results. Both recipes are in this week’s PDF!

How to Use a Whole Chicken

Roasting a whole chicken guarantees that you’ll eat well for multiple meals. Every part of the bird can be used in different ways! It’s a more sustainable way of cooking and more cost-effective. 

To start: If you buy a chicken with giblets, use them to make chopped liver and onions as an appetizer. (You can also buy chicken livers separately.) 

Next, the bird. You’ll roast the chicken using one of the above recipes and serve what you need at the dinner table. Then, shred your leftovers. Save the meat and make chicken salad for lunch the next day—it will take less than a minute—or toss it into soup (today’s recipe or this one).

winner, winner, winner (they're all chicken dinners)

After dinner, save the chicken bones in a large Ziploc bag and freeze. The next time you have a day free, add the bones, aromatics, and water to a large stock pot and let simmer all day long. Strain the broth into containers and freeze until you’re ready to use. It’ll make your homemade soups even more delicious. (Find more soup tips in my last deep dive!)

What questions do you have about roasting chicken? The chat is open!