Quick Roast Chicken

Preparation

1. Prep the chicken

   Step 1

   Salting the chicken in advance ensures that the seasoning is evenly distributed throughout the meat. This method results in meat with salt in it rather than on it.

   Step 2

   Put the bird in a large metal bowl, sprinkle the salt evenly all over it, and rub the chicken around the inside of the bowl until all the salt adheres.

   Step 3

   Note: Food geeks like me with a gram scale will find that a 2½-pound chicken, after deboning, weighs 1,134 grams. Depending on your taste for salt, you’ll need between 1.1 percent and 1.4 percent of the chicken’s weight in salt (12.5 to 15.8 grams).

   Step 4

   Let the salted chicken rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours before cooking; the chicken is good to go for at least 24 hours after salting.

2. Dry the chicken and heat the oven

   Step 5

   About ½ hour before roasting the chicken, turn the oven to 475°F and let it heat up (this may take a while). You want it plenty hot in there. Meanwhile, take the chicken from the fridge and pat dry with paper towels. Set aside.

3. Cook the chicken

   Step 6

   Oil a large heavy-bottomed skillet; cast iron is my favorite. (If your skillet won’t accommodate the whole chicken, split it into 2 halves and use two skillets.) You want a thick coating of oil (more than a slick, less than a puddle). Place the pan over a high heat onthe stovetop until you see the faintest wisp of smoke rising from the oil. Gently—really gently, so the oil doesn’t splatter and burn you—lay the chicken in the pan skin side down. Lower the heat to medium-high and cook until the skin turns faintly blond, about 3 minutes.

   Step 7

   Transfer the skillet to the floor of the oven.

   Step 8

   Depending on the size of the bird and whether it is deboned or just butterflied, the total cooking time in the oven will range from 18 to 30 minutes. The chicken is done when the temperature in the thickest part of the thigh registers 155°F to 160°F on an instant-read thermometer.

   Step 9

   When the chicken is done, cut it into manageable pieces, put them on a platter, and serve as is, or with a squeeze or two of lemon.