- Spatchcocking and roasting a chicken is the best method, yielding the crispiest skin and evenly cooked, juicy meat.
- Trussing and stuffing a chicken infuses it with aromatics but delivers a less evenly cooked bird.
- Our testers did not find the convection setting to make a difference in crispiness.
One of the first things we learn to cook that feels advanced and even significant is a whole roast chicken. More so than just about any other dish, it straddles that line between rustic and elegant, providing juicy and tender meat, crispy skin, and drippings for a rich pan gravy. But roasting a chicken can be tricky: The non-uniform shape of the bird often causes it to cook unevenly, while the white and dark meat are best cooked to different temperatures. It’s safe to say a well-roasted chicken is exceptional whereas a poorly roasted bird is a massive letdown.
When I was a rookie newspaper reporter fresh out of college many years ago, I practiced my roast chicken techniques just about every week. There was something so satisfying about conquering how to cook a whole chicken, make a quick pan sauce, and use the bones for a soup that fed me through most of the week. As an adult with a wife and kids, I still roast chicken nearly every week for Sunday supper and turn leftovers into chicken salad sandwiches or chicken and dumplings. Despite all this experience, I still have no set method to roast a chicken and I tend to mix it up frequently.
What exactly, then, is the best way to roast a chicken for the crispiest skin and the juiciest, most flavorful white and dark meat? Read on to learn our favorite technique.
A word about the method
Before we delve into the winning techniques, it’s important to describe the actual bird. Our testers used air-chilled chickens, each about 4 1/2 pounds. Birds are typically sold either water-chilled or air-chilled; the former tends to be heavier from water weight while the latter is often considered more flavorful. All birds were rubbed with 1 tablespoon of a neutral oil and sprinkled well with 1 tablespoon of kosher salt and 3/4 teaspoon black pepper, though one method included additional ingredients. The oven temperature for all methods was 425°F.
Testers also allowed for the crucial element of carryover cooking with each method, meaning they removed the bird from the oven when a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registered 155°F and into the thigh 165°F to 175°F. The residual heat will continue cooking the chicken, reaching a food-safe temperature of 165°F in the breast. The thigh and drumstick actually benefit from reaching a higher temperature, which is why it’s recommended to cook the dark meat to at least 175°F.
Whole, stuffed, and trussed
Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Hannah Greenwood
Cook time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Rating: 7/10
Method: This is the quintessential roast chicken method. The cavity is stuffed with a halved lemon, sprigs of fresh thyme, and garlic cloves. Of course a wide variety of aromatics could be stuffed into the cavity, but these are classic flavors. The bird is then trussed with kitchen twine, which involves tying together the legs and securing the wings to the breasts. Trussing helps create a more uniform shape. The chicken is then rubbed with oil and sprinkled evenly with salt and pepper before being placed breast side up on a wire rack set on a large rimmed baking sheet. It’s roasted until the thighs reach 165°F, which can take anywhere from 1 hour and 20 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes. Finally, it’s transferred to a cutting board and covered loosely with aluminum foil, at which point it rests for 5 minutes before being carved.
Results: The aromatics helped perfume the meat, providing a subtle yet delicious taste. However, testers said this was the method they were least likely to repeat in the future because the meat itself was not cooked as well as with other methods. Trussing the bird shields the thighs, which resulted in overcooked breasts by the time the thighs were done, one tester said. This was certainly not a bad method, but others on this list produced superior results.
Pros: Flavorful meat lightly infused by the aromatics. The most appealing presentation of all methods. The drippings make excellent gravy.
Cons: The breast meat was a bit dry and the thighs could use a bit longer in the oven. Trussing is a bit more labor-intensive compared to other methods.
Whole, untrussed (convection oven)
Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Hannah Greenwood
Cook time: 55 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Rating: 8/10
Method: These next two methods are quite straightforward. The chicken is simply rubbed all over with oil and sprinkled evenly with the salt and pepper, then placed breast side up on a wire rack set over a large rimmed baking sheet. It’s roasted until the breasts register 155°F and thigh registers 175°F, which can take as little as 55 minutes or as much as 65 minutes. Finally, it’s transferred to a cutting board and covered loosely with foil and rested for 5 minutes before being carved.
Results: The theory behind roasting chicken with the convection setting on is that the skin would get crispier compared to not using convection. However, that didn’t really pan out during the tests. If there was any benefit to using the convection setting, testers said it was practically indiscernible from simply roasting the chicken without the extra air flow. Overall it’s a solid method that produced juicy meat, but testers ranked it a bit below the next entry simply because not everyone has an oven with a convection setting.
Pros: Juicy and flavorful meat. The skin is well-browned. A very simple method that’s easy to execute.
Cons: The skin did not get crispy. Not everyone has a convection setting in their oven.
Whole, untrussed (conventional oven)
Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Hannah Greenwood
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Rating: 9/10
Method: This method is identical to the untrussed convection technique but simply gets cooked in an oven at 425°F without the convection setting. The chicken is still rubbed with oil and sprinkled generously with salt and pepper and placed on a wire rack breast side up. The bird is once again not trussed with kitchen twine, which means the thighs are more exposed and cook a bit faster than if the chicken were trussed.
Results: Testers really liked how easy this method is to execute, especially for home cooks. While it doesn’t produce skin quite as crispy as they’d like, it was still well-browned with tender, juicy breast and thigh meat. It’s one of the easiest methods for roasting a chicken that produces very good results.
Pros: A simple method that produces juicy breasts and thighs. The skin is well-browned.
Cons: The skin does not get as crispy as it does using the best method on this list.
The best way to roast chicken: spatchcocked
Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Hannah Greenwood
Cook time: 45 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 5 minutes
Rating: 10/10
Method: The winning method involves changing the structure of the bird. You can ask your butcher to spatchcock a chicken (you may even find birds sold already spatchcocked) or do it yourself at home. To do so, place the chicken on a clean work surface breast side down and use poultry shears to cut out the backbone. Start at the tail end and cut just to the side of the backbone, all the way up to the neck. Repeat on the other side of the backbone to remove it entirely. Turn the chicken breast side up and press on the breastbone to flatten it. Tuck the wings behind the back, then dry the entire bird well with clean kitchen towels or paper towels, rub with oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. After that, the instructions are similar to those of other methods: The chicken is placed on a wire rack set over a large rimmed baking sheet and roasted in a 425°F oven until the thickest portion of the breast registers 155°F and the thigh registers 175°F, which may take 45 to 55 minutes.
Results: This was the testers’ favorite method because it yielded the crispiest skin and perfectly cooked meat. Spatchcocking the chicken exposes the thighs to more heat so they reach their target temperature quickly while keeping the breasts juicy. This is the shortest cook time of all methods but still long enough to break down connective tissues in the dark meat, producing juicy and tender thighs.
Pros: Evenly cooked breast and thigh meat that is juicy and flavorful. The crispiest skin. The quickest cook time so you can perfectly roast a whole chicken in under an hour.
Cons: You will need to spatchcock a chicken yourself, which takes a little time and practice to perfect, or ask the butcher to do it for you if you can’t find one that’s already spatchcocked.
Final takeaways
Roasting a chicken is actually quite tricky, but all of these methods are relatively straightforward and produce very good results. The winner, however, involved spatchcocking the bird, which increases the surface area and exposes the thighs to more heat. This allows them to cook faster and prevents the breast meat from overcooking. While the winning method had the crispiest skin, testers noted that to get truly exceptional skin, the bird should get dry-brined for at least 12 hours or up to two days. Still, a spatchcocked bird is a great option for a quickly roasted chicken with juicy meat and deliciously crisp skin.
