Salt-and-Pepper Roast Chicken

![[Image 10.png]] Salt-and-Pepper Roast Chicken MELISSA CLARK YIELD 4 servings ![[Image 11.png]] Calling for just four ingredients – chicken, salt, pepper and whatever herbs you have around – this is a recipe for roast chicken at its simplest and best. The method is fairly straightforward. You season the bird, then roast it at high heat until the skin is bronzed and crisp and the flesh juicy. If you have time to season the chicken ahead, you should; it makes a difference in flavor. And bear in mind, if you have the kind of oven that starts smoking at high heat, you can cook your bird at 400 degrees instead of 450, though you’ll need an extra 5 to 20 minutes to get it done. view this recipe on <a href="http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017715-salt-and-pepper-roast-chicken?utm_campaign%3DEN%2Bpartnership%26utm_medium%3Dreferral%26utm_source%3Devernote" rel="noopener" class="external-link" target="_blank" style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:14pt;color:#dca0dff;">NYTCooking.com</a> INGREDIENTS 1 (3 1/2-pound) whole chicken, patted dry - 2 teaspoons kosher salt - 2 teaspoons black pepper - Small bunch mixed herbs, such as rosemary, thyme and sage PREPARATION Step 1 Season the chicken inside and out with salt and pepper. If you have time, refrigerate the chicken, uncovered, for an hour, or overnight. Step 2 Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place chicken breast-side up in a roasting pan or large ovenproof skillet. Stuff cavity with herbs and tie the legs together with kitchen twine. (If you don’t have twine, leave the legs as they are.) Step 3 Roast 50 minutes, then baste chicken with pan juices. Continue roasting until chicken's juices run clear when skin is pierced with a knife, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes before carving. - Now that you know the basics of roasting a chicken, here are some suggestions for how to serve it: - Try a side sauce. Aioli, béarnaise sauce, salsa verde, romesco sauce, chimichurri, and make-ahead gravy can be prepared in advance, and transform a simple roast chicken into a something a little more special. Even a dollop of Dijon mustard does wonders here. - Serve your chicken directly on top of a pile of watercress, baby kale, tatsoi, arugula, or other tender, dark greens that have been sprinkled with lemon juice and dusted with salt. The heat of the bird will wilt some of the greens while others remain crisp, and the hot chicken fat makes an instant dressing once it mixes with the lemon juice. - Substitute hot toasted bread for the watercress or greens, above. The hot chicken fat makes these croutons exquisite.