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Better Than Rotisserie Roast Chicken

Course Main Course
Keyword chicken, roasted
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Brining Time 8 hours
Total Time 10 hours 40 minutes
Servings 4 people

Ingredients

Brine for Chicken

  • 3/4 cup kosher salt
  • 2/3 cup sugar or honey
  • 5-10 cloves garlic crushed
  • 1 Tbsp black peppercorns
  • 1 gallon warm water

Chicken

  • 5-6 pounds whole chicken

Instructions

For the Brine:

  1. In a large pot or container (at least 6 quarts) add the salt, sugar, garlic, and peppercorns. Pour a gallon of warm water over the ingredients and stir until the salt and sugar are dissolved.

  2. Put the pot or container in your fridge until the brine mixture cools.

For the Chicken:

  1. In the meantime, get your chicken ready. Remove the giblets and any excess fat. When the brine mixture has cooled down, put the chicken in the pot or container with the brine. Put the container in the fridge for at least 8 hours. Flip it over about half way through. You can leave it for as long as 24 hours, but it’s not necessary.

  2. Remove the chicken from the brine (it’s cold just so you’re aware!) and pat it down with some paper towels. Some people like to rinse the chicken to remove some of the salty solution, but you might want to try the pat down method the first time and see if you like it that way.
  3. Preheat oven to 425 F.

  4. Place the chicken on a roasting rack in a roasting pan (I like to line the roasting pan with aluminum foil for easy clean up). Tuck the wings under the bird and tie the drumsticks together. If you don’t have string to tie them together, you can cut the skin on one side and pull the legs through.
  5. Put the chicken in the oven. Turn on the timer for 15-20 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350 F (although I like to put it somewhere between 350 and 375) and continue cooking your chicken according to the weight (see notes). If you have a meat thermometer, check it before you take it out to make sure it is 165 F for safety. Let it rest for about 10 minutes so the juices can distribute evenly throughout the bird.

Recipe Notes

Cook the chicken 20 minutes per pound, after the initial 20 minutes at 425° F. Total cooking time will be around 2 hours or more.

Adapted from Allrecipes