How to Roast a Chicken (without a thermometer)
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken (any size)
- Table salt
- Any flavorings you’d like (citrus zest, spices, herbs, etc.)
Instructions
- Dry brine your chicken as far ahead as you can.* To dry brine, place your chicken on the pan you intend to roast it on. Salt your chicken evenly all over using as much salt as would taste good to you.** Add any flavorings you’d like to add, being careful not to wipe away the salt in the process. Place it breast-side-up, cover, and leave in the refrigerator as it brines.
- When your chicken is almost done dry-brining, preheat the oven to 425°F [220°C].
- Uncover the brined chicken and roast until the skin is golden brown and crisp, it registers 165°F [74°C] internally, and the leg feels loose when you wiggle it. If you don’t have a thermometer, simply err on the side of more done, since dry-brining helps to preserve juiciness (and since serving undercooked chicken is not safe). Here’s a guide to estimate roasting times at this temperature:
- 3 lb (1.4 kg) takes about 50 min
- 4 lb (1.8 kg) takes about 60 min
- 5 lb (2.3 kg) takes about 75 min
- 6 lb (2.7 kg) takes about 90 min
- 7 lb (3.2 kg) takes about 105 min
Notes
* Dry brine up to 3 days before roasting. Even 30 minutes makes a small difference, and 60 minutes makes a big difference.
**Use this formula if you’re not sure how to salt a whole chicken to taste. Use whichever system applies to you:
U.S. system: Use a little more than 1/2 tsp of table salt per 1 pound of bone-in meat. In other words, divide the number of whole chicken pounds by 2, add a bit extra, and use that many teaspoons of table salt.
Metric system: Use 1 gram of salt per 130g of meat. In other words, divide the number of grams of chicken by 130, and use that many grams of salt. Or divide the chicken’s weight in kilograms by 0.13 and use that many grams of salt.
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