Chef John's High-Heat Salt-Roasted Chicken

Name: Chef John's High-Heat Salt-Roasted Chicken
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 tbsp Butter; 1 pinch Cayenne Pepper; 0.33 cup Chicken Broth; 1 tbsp Fresh Thyme; 1 whole Lemon; 3 tbsp Salt-Free Spicy Seasoning; 1 dash Salt & Pepper; 1 tbsp Water; 1 whole Whole Chicken

Dinner 🍽️Lunch 🥪 American High-Protein 💪Low-Carb Gluten-Free Paleo 🦴Halal 🕌Comfort-Food

Chef John's High-Heat Salt-Roasted Chicken delivers shatteringly crisp, deeply bronzed skin with tender, succulent meat underneath. A quick thyme and lemon pan sauce, whisked with cold butter, adds a bright, silky finish that balances the rich roast flavors. Serve for a cozy weeknight dinner or an impressive weekend centerpiece.

Prep15 mins
Cook55 mins
Serves4
DifficultyMedium

1

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
2

Pat the outside of the chicken dry with paper towels. Tuck the wing tips under the chicken and set it in a large oven-safe skillet. If desired, use scissors to snip off the tail.
3

Generously sprinkle kosher salt inside the cavity and over the back and sides of the chicken. Tie the chicken legs together with kitchen twine. Generously salt the breasts, coating them well. Wipe any excess salt from the skillet with paper towels.
4

Bake the chicken in the preheated oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into a thigh, without touching bone, registers 160 degrees C (70 degrees C), 50 to 60 minutes. Transfer from the skillet to a serving platter and let rest 5 to 10 minutes.
5

Blot about 90 percent of the chicken fat from the skillet with a paper towel held with tongs, leaving the browned bits in the pan. Set the skillet over medium-high heat and add the thyme leaves. Cook, stirring, until the thyme wilts, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice, chicken broth, and water, stirring to dissolve the browned bits, and reduce the sauce by about half, 1 to 2 minutes.
6

Reduce the heat to low, add the cold butter, and stir until the butter starts to melt. Add any accumulated juices from the chicken to the sauce and continue stirring until the butter is incorporated and the sauce is slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and season with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste. Spoon the sauce over the chicken to serve.