Roast Chicken with Pan Juices

 

People ask me all the time if I’m interested in having a third kid. The answer (for now, at least) is: Why would I when a cake mixer has two beaters to lick and a chicken has two drumsticks to serve? (Shouldn’t I take it as some sort of sign that the girls are both crazy about the legs while Andy and I are perfectly content with the breast and thighs?) Anyway — I would say a roast chicken is the recipe I get the most requests for from my friends. One of them — Lori — has even gone so far as saying she feels that being able to roast a chicken should be a requirement of motherhood. If that is the case, then I was not an official mother until I came upon this recipe two years ago. It requires no flipping from breast to back — once it’s in the oven, it’s in. I love that. And the carrots it roasts upon drink up all the chicken fat, which the girls love. They pass on the barley arugula salad I made with it last week, so I just let them have a roll. But as far as I’m concerned, it still counts as One Meal.

Roast Chicken with Carrots and Pan Juices

[Updated 2025] Couple common chicken-roasting steps I’ve decided to skip over the years in the interest of streamlining: 1) I don’t rinse my bird. Excess water creates steam, which prevents the skin from getting crispy. I still pat the chicken very dry (inside and out) with a paper towel. 2) I don’t flip my bird mid-roast or adjust the heat. My friend and recipe developer Victoria Granof told me neither was necessary if you’re not blasting it on high heat and her advice has never let me down. 3) Lastly, I no longer serve my chickens with gravy. I find it’s just one more step, one more pot, one more whisk, and the simple carrot-and-onion-flavored pan juices are every bit as satisfying. One thing I don’t skip? Trussing. It makes the bird easier to handle and ensures a more even roast. Everybody does it differently but here are two common ways.

7 medium carrots, cut into large-ish chunks as shown
1 yellow onion, chopped roughly
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 whole roasting chicken, between 3-4 pounds (make sure to check for the little packet of giblets inside cavity and remove if it’s there), at room temperature, patted very dry with a paper towel (outside and inside the cavity)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 small lemon
12-15 sprigs fresh thyme

Heat oven to 425°F. Arrange carrots and onions in a roasting pan, toss with olive oil and and season with salt and pepper. (The vegetables will act as a rack for the chicken and flavor the chicken juices that drip through them.)

Place the chicken on a cutting board, stuff its cavity with the lemon and thyme sprigs, and truss it. Place the chicken breast-side up on top of the carrot-onion bed. Using a basting brush, brush the chicken’s skin all over with the melted butter, and season with salt and pepper.

Place the roasting pan in the middle rack of your oven. (The general roasting rule I use is 18 minutes per pound, and I literally break out the calculator and multiply by the exact decimal point.) You know your chicken is done when the skin is golden and the juices run clear (not pink or red) when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a sharp knife.

Remove the roasting pan from the oven and set near your carving board. Before removing the chicken from the pan, and using oven mitts, tip the hot chicken to let the juices from the bird’s cavity run into the pan. (If the juices are red, put the chicken back in the oven.) Remove the chicken to the carving board using your oven mitts. Untie the trussed legs, and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes to cool. While it’s resting, place a strainer over a large measuring cup or mixing bowl (I do this in the sink) and pour the roasted vegetables and pan juices through the strainer…

 …Let the juices and fat settle (shown above) then skim off as much of the fat from the top as you can. Carve the chicken as best as you can (no one is photographing your dinner!) and serve with the strained schmaltzy carrots and a drizzle of pan juice.

Barley & Arugula Salad

Cook barley according to package directions. Toss with baby arugula and your favorite red- or white-wine based vinaigrette. (I added a little storebought pesto to mine, but you could also just add whatever fresh herb is lying around.) Add shredded Parmesan and toss.

[Photos and Recipe updated 2025]