I never thought of roast chicken as anything particularly special. It's...roast chicken. Standard fare for Sunday suppers and eventual provider of chicken stock. But this has become my favorite dish for small gatherings of friends, and the "oohs" and "aahs" that greet its arrival at the table make me think that there's more to roast chicken than meets the eye.
There's a reason why roast chicken has been and still is the classic Sunday supper. For one thing it's incredibly easy to make (just rub with olive oil and stick it in the oven), and it's ready in about an hour with very little attention needed. Roast chicken is also just as delicious with basic salt and pepper as it is rubbed with more exotic herbs or stuffed with citrus.
But I think it's the act of sharing it that really makes roast chicken feel special and intimate. You bring the whole bird to the table and carve off favorite pieces for each person. Side dishes are passed around and plates are gradually filled. We might squabble over the two lone drumsticks, but in the end, everyone is happy.
And I love that one little bird is exactly enough to feed a small table of people. There's a satisfying symmetry in that, I think!
Do you ever serve roast chicken at dinner parties?
More on Roast Chicken:
• How to Roast a Chicken
• How to Carve a Roast Chicken
• The Naughty Way to Roast a Chicken
• Gwyneth Plaltrow's Quick Roast Chicken
• Roasted Chicken Thighs with Fennel and Lemon
Related: What Would Be A Good Light Side Dish for Chicken?
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The best alternative to these IMO is the Spanek Roaster. It's a little like the Naughty Way to roast chicken shown above but gives a LOT more ways to be creative with the stuffing and the pan you use.
We've had one for years and wouldn't be without it. It makes the bestest chicken ever.
I've always been afraid of roasting a whole chicken, but you make it sound sooo easy that now i will try!! Thank you !
Love serving roast chicken. Make one about every week in the Showtime Rotisserie oven, because it always comes out perfect and is so easy to do. Leftover carcass gets put into the stock pot along with some raw thighs for soup.
Love roast chicken. My mother's recipe, which I like the best, is very simple. Rinse the chicken inside and out w/ water, pat dry. stuff cavity with fresh celery hearts, orange and lemon wedges (rind on) - as many as you can cram in. Rub outside all over with olive oil and Aunt Jane's crazy salt. Roast at 375F until done (use a meat thermometer to tell!)
Roast chicken is our standard go-to dinner party meal. You prep the bird in advance, then stick it in the oven with a thermometer and it dings when it's ready. It's always delicious, guests love it (and seem to think you went to a lot of trouble), but most importantly, you can entertain while it does all the work in the oven. Plus, it's versatile and you can pair it with any seasonal sides. Three cheers for roast chicken!
I love me some roasted chicken. I finely chop rosemary and make a butter paste with it and rub that under the skin. Then liberally salt and pepper the top, stuff with a whole lemon, garlic, and rosemary. Yum! Definitely a fan favorite, too.
I'm another one who finds this intimidating -- don't know how to carve it, don't own a roasting pan, don't own a meat thermometer, don't fancy the idea of pulling giblets out of its nethers...
Akay, I roast chicken in a lasagna-sized Pyrex all the time. Or just a metal lasagna pan. Tasty as can be. And I'm not sire if I know how to carve it "correctly," but i get the meat off as elegantly as i can! Meat thermometers are inexpensive, and the giblets... It's not so bad! You can do it!
I don't usually roast my chicken-i just stick it in a crock pot, so it can be ready when i'm done with classes or work. I've never cooked it for a dinner party, but my boyfriend always enjoys it for dinner!
I have friends who request my roast chicken when they're coming for dinner! I do the Zuni-Cafe method of pre-salting and high heat, and it's always so delicious. I haven't put butter or olive oil on a chicken in a long time...don't need to.
I prefer smaller, free range birds (1.5kg or less), which feed 3-4 people, so for dinner parties I often roast 2 or 3 at a time. I stuff each bird with a handful of tarragon, a bulb of garlic, and half a lemon. Rub the skin with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast at 190 degrees for about 1hr 15 mins, then rest, breast down, for 20 mins before cutting with scissors. Easy.
i've found the same thing! last time i made roast chicken for a friend dinner (i tried the "cut-out-the-backbone-butterfly" chicken) and the guests loved it! horrifying experience cutting out the poor dead animal's backbone...but hey, it's a great technique. also reaching in the chicken's insides makes me want to die but i get over it.
it is so surprising to me how many people my age (26ish) are either scared of raw meat, don't like meat on the bone because they're scared it has some disease, or they're scared of meat because they have no idea how to prepare it and cook it right. take the chance if you dare, i guarantee your grandmother did and lived to see the happy faces of well-fed friends and family :)
**whenever i say, hear, read, or think "roast chicken" i hear frodo baggins in the two towers when sam drops his box of salts.