Crazy Easy, 5 Ingredient Roast Chicken
This is one of my go-to roast chicken recipes that we make in our house on a regular basis. I first learned how to do this in cooking school and have been making it ever since because it is beautiful in its simplicity - only 5 ingredients, but the chicken is fall-apart tender and the veggies caramelize in the chicken juices, becoming extremely sweet and flavorful.While the prep time might be annoying and it might seem like a lot of salt, both are critical for making a really delicious dish. The salt locks moisture into the chicken and helps break down the proteins - without using enough or giving it enough time to work its magic, you'll end up with a drier, less flavorful bird.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken
- ½ tbsp kosher salt (1 tsp if using non-kosher salt)
- 4-5 big carrots
- 1 onion
- 6-7 cloves of garlic
Method:
- 2 days before you want to eat, salt the chicken all over. Place in a big bowl, cover the top with plastic wrap and refrigerate. It might seem like a lot of salt but it's what makes the chicken moist and tender (and there isn't any other salt in the rest of the dish). The salt also needs that much time to work its magic and make the chicken fall apart tender.
- The night you plan to cook the chicken, preheat the oven to 350.
- Prep the veggies. Peel and dice your carrots, dice the onion, and peel the garlic cloves.
- Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat and add the carrots and onions (no salt or oil). Sauté for 2-3 minutes just so the veggies soften slightly.
- Place the chicken on top of the veggies breast side up and then nestle the garlic around the chicken. Place the lid on the pot and put the whole thing in the oven. Let cook for 1 1/2 - 2 hours (will depend on the size of your chicken)until the skin breaks and the chicken has started to fall apart at the seams. If the legs spring back when you push on them, it isn't done.
- Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes and then carve. Serve with veggies on the side and a piece of crusty bread.
