Hi Reader,

I have cooked roast chickens enough to know one uncomfortable truth.
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There is no perfect roast chicken.
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I know. Practically kitchen blasphemy.
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For years I chased The One. I'd read another cookbook, tweak the oven temperature, salt earlier, salt later, flip the bird, don't flip the bird, baste religiously, never baste at all. Every famous chef seemed convinced they'd finally cracked the code, and there I was, dutifully buying yet another chicken in the name of research. It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it.
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One dinner made the point better than any cookbook had. Ordinary. A good one. The skin shattered like glass. The meat was juicy. The pan juices were asked to be mopped up with bread. Nobody at the table was thinking about technique.
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That's when it hit me. Roast chicken isn't about perfection. It's about possibility.
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Some nights I want lemon and herbs. Other nights, warm spices that perfume the whole house. Sometimes only crispy thighs will do. And yes, every once in a while, mayo on the skin turns out to be a stroke of genius instead of something your cardiologist would frown upon.
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Which is why this week's collection isn't only about the whole bird. There are the classics, and there are the variations, and there are the recipes that started life as roast chicken and became something else entirely along the way. A few of each are below.
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The best roast chicken isn't the one with the most rules.
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It's the one that makes everyone reach for seconds.

A Roast Chicken Manifesto

• Dry skin equals crisp skin. Pat the chicken dry and, if you have time, let it sit uncovered in the fridge for a few hours, or overnight. The closest thing to magic I know.
• Season more boldly than feels comfortable. Chickens are big. They can take it. Bland poultry is a tragedy entirely within our control.
• Don't worship one recipe. Lemon. Shallots. Moroccan spices. Butter. Mayo. Different birds, different nights.
• Let it rest. Ten to fifteen minutes feels like forever when you're hungry, but it's the difference between juicy meat and a puddle on the cutting board.
• Never waste the leftovers, and let that guide tonight's version. Tomorrow's chicken salad, pasta, soup, or sandwich is already part of tonight's dinner, so plan accordingly. Classic, spicy, buttery, weeknight-friendly options are below.

WHAT'S INSIDE...

• ​Simple Roast Chicken​
• ​Dutch Oven-Roast Chicken & Shallots​
• ​Moroccan-Spiced Roast Chicken​
• ​Spiced Roast Chicken​
• ​Ina Garten's Lemon Chicken​
• ​Jonathan Waxman’s Roast Chicken​
• ​Mayo Roast Chicken​
• ​Oven-Roasted Chicken Thighs​

​Simple Roast Chicken​

This simple roast chicken, as the name implies, is ridiculously easy and turns out a superlative bird with shatteringly crisp skin and surprisingly juicy meat. No surprise that it's the same technique that Thomas Keller uses.

​☞ ​Try this recipe​

​Dutch Oven-Roast Chicken & Shallots​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 from 23 votes

This simple roast chicken is nestled on a bed of shallots and garlic and roasted until golden and crisp-skinned. It's an easy hands-off meal that's perfect for entertaining.

​☞ ​Try this recipe​

​Moroccan-Spiced Roast Chicken​

This Moroccan-spiced roast chicken is seasoned with paprika, cumin, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, and then cooked on a bed of sweet potatoes, cauliflower, and red onions.

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​Spiced Roast Chicken​

This spiced roast chicken is like a choose-your-own-adventure in weeknight cooking. Choose your favorite rub—spiced curry, Cajun, or warm spice–slather it on chicken pieces (breasts, thighs, drumsticks, they all work well!), and roast until tender.

​☞ ​Try this recipe​

​Ina Garten's Lemon Chicken​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.85 from 26 votes

Ina Garten's lemon chicken is "the best roast chicken I've ever made." That's what we hear time after time from everyone we know who makes this roast chicken from the Barefoot Contessa. Tasting is believing.

​☞ ​Try this recipe​

​Jonathan Waxman’s Roast Chicken​

This has been adapted for home cooks. At Barbuto, we roast our chickens in a wood-fired oven, basting often. This technique gets you pretty close to what we serve.

​☞ ​Try this recipe​

​Mayo Roast Chicken​

Mayo roast chicken takes your everyday chicken and kicks it up a notch. Spatchcocked for speed, then basted with a tangy mayo, you can have this crisp-skinned and ultra-moist beauty on the table in under 2 hours. A worthy upgrade to those grocery store rotisserie birds.

​☞ ​Try this recipe​

​Oven-Roasted Chicken Thighs​

This oven roasted chicken thighs so ingenious is the technique. Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs are baked until cooked through and then broiled to crisp the skin. The result? Juicy, flavorful chicken. Marvelously crisp skin.

​☞ ​Try this recipe​