American🥩 Meat

One-Hour Roast Chicken for Two Birds

Name: One-Hour Roast Chicken for Two Birds
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 whole chicken; 1 tbsp salt; 1 tbsp black pepper; 1 tbsp neutral oil

⏱ 60 min

This straightforward roasting technique allows you to cook two whole chickens in about the same time it takes to roast one. By swapping a skillet for a roasting pan and using a hot preheated pan that cools gradually, the meat stays juicy and tender while the skin turns golden and crispy. The video also shows how to save the pan drippings and make chicken stock and rendered fat from the trimmings.

Adapted from a video by America's Test Kitchen

A One Hour Roast Chicken That Will Feed You All Week | Techniquely with Lan Lam

Watch on YouTube

Ingredients

whole chickenabout 4 pounds each, within 4 ounces of each other in weight2
saltmixed with black pepper1 tbsp
black pepper1 tbsp
neutral oilabout 1 tablespoon per bird, to help seasoning stick and aid browning1 tbsp

Steps

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1
Prep the chickens by trimming excess fat and skin from the cavities and surface using kitchen shears or a knife, including the translucent fat pad at the breast top.
2
Make small half-inch slits in the skin above the thighs by lifting them up, then flip the bird and make another slit on the opposite side to allow juices to drain into the pan during roasting.
3
Mix salt and pepper together. Rub about 1 tablespoon of oil over each bird, then season evenly with the salt and pepper mixture, placing about 1 teaspoon of seasoning inside each cavity as well.
4
Tuck the wingtips inward and truss the legs together to make the birds easier to handle and transfer.
5
Place a roasting pan on the middle rack of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Preheating the pan is crucial to this recipe.
6
Place the prepared chickens directly into the preheated roasting pan without a rack, allowing good contact with the pan. Roast until each breast reaches 120 to 125 degrees Fahrenheit, approximately 30 minutes.
7
Turn off the oven and leave the chickens inside. The residual heat will continue to cook them gently and evenly, ensuring the breast meat stays juicy and tender without overcooking.
8
After about 25 minutes, check the birds. The breast meat should reach 160 to 165 degrees Fahrenheit, and the thighs should be fully cooked thanks to the preheated pan.
9
Transfer the roasted chickens to a sheet pan to rest. While the roasting pan is still hot, scrape up the browned bits and let them dissolve into the drippings. Use a fat separator to divide the liquid from the fat, or simply cool and refrigerate the drippings together until the fat solidifies on top.
10
After resting for 20 minutes, carve both chickens. Start by removing the legs by sliding the knife against the thighbone and separating the drumstick from the thigh. For the breast, slide the knife down along the keel bone, trace the wishbone, and release the breast meat from the ribcage.

One-Hour Roast Chicken for Two Birds

Ingredients

Steps

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