Weeknight Roast Chicken: Your New Go-To Recipe!

This simple and fool-proof oven roasted whole chicken recipe is perfect for weeknight dinners!

A simple oven roasted whole chicken recipe!

Who says chicken-roasting is strictly a weekend affair? Survey says…NOBODY—especially with this simple and satisfying Weeknight Roast Chicken recipe. It comes straight out of the newest cookbook from the food nerds at America’s Test Kitchen, The Cook’s Illustrated Meat Book: The Game-Changing Guide that Teaches You How to Cook Meat and Poultry with 425 Bulletproof Recipes.

A shot of the cover of Cook's Illustrated Meat Book

This carnivore-pleasing tome isn’t the first ATK book in my collection. Over the years, I’ve amassed over 30 of their books. (I’ve lost count, actually.) I don’t like to think of myself as a hoarder; I just can’t resist the lure of guaranteed-awesome recipes that have been tested dozens of times. The crew at ATK’s done all the tweaking and testing so that you and I can follow their recipes knowing that even dummies like us can’t screw things up too badly.

A big stack of Cook's Illustrated and America's Test Kitchen cookbooks with a Mini Michelle action figure in the middle.

Another winner, winner chicken dinner from ATK!

ATK’s dishes are always solid, but its recipe for Weeknight Roast Chicken is a real game-changer. No fancy ingredients or techniques are needed; just grab a whole chicken, salt, pepper, some fat, a piece of string, and a meat thermometer, and PRESTO-CHANGE-O!—in less than 5 minutes, the chicken’ll be ready for the oven.

Best of all, The Meat Book reveals the secret to moist chicken: Turn off the oven midway through the cooking time.

An overhead picture of paleo and Whole30 Weeknight Roast Chicken with browned skin on a wooden cutting board

I’ve tried it. It works. It’s genius.

How to make an oven roasted whole chicken

Position your oven rack in the middle position, place a 12-inch oven-safe skillet on it, shut the oven door, and crank the heat up to 450°F.

Placing a cold skillet into an oven to make weeknight roast chicken, a paleo and Whole30 chicken dinner

Mix together the salt and pepper in a small bowl, and grab the melted ghee.

Closeup of a small ramekin filled with salt and pepper to season weeknight roast chicken

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.

Someone patting dry a raw whole chicken with paper towels to make a simple roast chicken recipe

Really. Don’t skip this part. No one likes handling a slick chicken.

Pull off any extra fat around the open cavity, and trim away any extraneous skin.

Pulling off excess fat at the cavity of the raw whole chicken in preparation for Whole30 roast chicken

(If you happen to spot any remaining feathers, just pluck ’em out. Don’t get squeamish on me.)

Brush the entire surface of the bird with melted ghee. If your chicken is still cold from sitting in the refrigerator, the ghee may clump up a bit upon contact with the bird, but that’s no biggie.

Brushing melted ghee on a raw whole chicken on a gray cutting board to make healthy weeknight roast chicken

See my face? That’s not a worried expression.

Michelle Tam brushing melted ghee on a raw whole chicken to make paleo roast chicken

Sprinkle the salt and pepper mixture all over the surface and interior of the bird. Then, massage in the seasoning with your hands.

Sprinkling salt and pepper all over a raw whole chicken to make weeknight roast chicken

Tuck the chicken wings behind the back to keep ’em from burning in the oven…

Tucking the wings behind the back of a raw whole chicken to make Whole30 weeknight roast chicken

…and tie the legs together with a piece of kitchen twine.

Using kitchen twine to truss the legs of a Weeknight Roast Chicken

Dainty, right?

Now the bird’s ready for the oven. Place your bird breast-side up in the hot skillet in the oven. Remember that your skillet’s hot—don’t burn your hand.

A raw whole chicken is placed breast-side up in a hot skillet in the oven

Roast the chicken until the chicken breasts register 120°F and thighs are 135°F, about 25 to 35 minutes. (If you haven’t already invested in an instant-read thermometer, I recommend that you do it. It’s a great insurance policy against ruined dinners.)

Checking the temperature on a Weeknight Roast Chicken. The meat thermometer shows 120 F on the display.

Immediately turn off the oven, leaving the chicken inside until the breast reaches 160°F and thighs are 175°F, about 25 to 35 more minutes. Again, use your meat thermometer to check your bird for readiness.

Removing a healthy and easy Weeknight Roast Chicken in a skillet from the oven.

Remove the chicken from the pan and rest it for 20 minutes.

Using a spatula to drip juices from Weeknight Roast Chicken into a skillet.

I used to use a pair of tongs to transfer roast chicken from pan to plate, but found that the teeth of my tongs would tear the beautifully crisp, golden skin. The solution? I now insert the handle-end of a sturdy wooden spoon or spatula into the bird’s cavity to lift it up and out—and to drain out any excess juices from the inside of the chicken.

The handle of a wooden spatula is used to help the juices from Weeknight Roast Chicken flow into a frying pan.

While the chicken’s resting…

Resting Weeknight Roast Chicken on a cutting board.

…we have time to whip up a quick pan sauce!

Remove all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet. Leave the extra jus and brown bits in the pan. Then, heat the contents of the skillet over a medium-high burner. Once the liquid starts bubbling, throw in the shallots. Cook the shallots until softened.

Four shots that show how to make the pan sauce for an oven roasted whole chicken.

Then, pour in the broth and the mustard, scraping up any tasty browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Simmer until reduced to ¾ cup.

Four sequential shots that show someone adding broth and mustard to a pan sauce.

When the sauce is ready, remove it from the heat. Grab the chilled butter or ghee (use the latter if you’re on a Whole30!), and slowly whisk it into the sauce along with the lemon juice and minced tarragon. Season with salt and pepper to taste.