Sandra This shatteringly crisp Alton Brown Roast Chicken is made with a whole bird, simple aromatics, and a cast iron skillet, ready in just over an hour. The high-heat method blasts the skin to golden perfection while keeping the meat incredibly juicy and tender. I was intimidated by the 500-degree oven temperature at first, but the results are absolutely worth the smoky kitchen.
The Secret To Getting It Right
The secret to this recipe is the combination of a scorching hot cast iron skillet and a very dry bird. Most home cooks roast chicken at 350°F or 375°F, which often leads to flabby skin and dried-out breast meat. By starting with a 500°F oven and a preheated pan, you sear the dark meat immediately and crisp the skin before the interior has a chance to overcook.
I learned the hard way that you cannot skip drying the chicken. If there is any moisture left on the surface of the skin, it will steam instead of roast, denying you that signature crunch. I now spend an extra minute patting every crevice dry with paper towels, and it makes all the difference in the final texture.
Alton Brown Roast Chicken Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken (3 to 4 pounds), broiler/fryer
- 1 tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- For the Cavity:
- 1/2 lemon or small onion, quartered
- 4-5 sprigs fresh thyme or rosemary
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed
How To Make Alton Brown Roast Chicken
- Preheat Oven and Skillet: Place a 10 to 12-inch cast iron skillet on the middle rack of your oven. Preheat the oven to 500°F. Let the skillet heat up with the oven so it is scorching hot when you are ready to cook.
- Prep the Chicken: While the oven heats, remove the giblets from the chicken. Pat the bird very dry with paper towels inside and out. This is crucial for crispy skin.
- Season the Bird: Stuff the cavity with the lemon (or onion), herbs, and garlic. Rub the entire outside of the chicken with the oil. Sprinkle the kosher salt and black pepper liberally over the skin.
- Roast: Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven using heavy oven mitts. Place the chicken breast-side up directly into the center of the hot skillet. It will sizzle immediately. Return the skillet to the oven.
- Cook and Rest: Roast at 500°F for 45 to 55 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F. Remove from the oven and transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Tent loosely with foil and let it rest for 15 minutes before carving.
Recipe Tips
- Manage the smoke: Roasting at 500°F will create smoke. Open your kitchen windows and turn on your exhaust fan before you put the chicken in the oven to keep the air clear.
- Don’t skip the rest: Resting the meat allows the juices to redistribute throughout the bird. If you cut into it immediately, all that moisture will run out onto the board, leaving you with dry meat.
- Use a thermometer: Cooking times vary based on the exact weight of your bird. A digital probe thermometer is the only way to guarantee safety without overcooking.
What To Serve With Roast Chicken
Since the oven is occupied at such a high temperature, stovetop sides are your best bet. A simple green salad with a sharp vinaigrette cuts through the richness of the crispy skin perfectly. Creamy mashed potatoes or steamed green beans with butter also make excellent companions to this classic dish.
How To Store
Store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. You can freeze the cooked meat off the bone for up to 3 months. The skin will lose its crispness after storing, so leftovers are often best used in salads, soups, or sandwiches.
FAQs
Why does my oven smoke so much?
The fat from the chicken renders and hits the hot skillet, causing smoke at 500°F. Make sure your oven is clean before starting, as old spills will burn and make the smoke worse.
Can I use a glass baking dish?
No, do not use glass (like Pyrex) for this recipe. The thermal shock of putting a cold chicken into a 500°F glass dish, or the high heat itself, can cause the glass to shatter.
Do I need to truss the chicken?
It is not strictly necessary for this method, but trussing helps the bird cook more evenly. If you don’t have twine, just tuck the wings under the body to prevent the tips from burning.
Nutrition
- Calories: 480
- Total Fat: 28g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Cholesterol: 135mg
- Sodium: 520mg
- Total Carbohydrate: 1g
- Protein: 52g
Try More Recipes:
Alton Brown Roast Chicken Recipe
Description
A high-velocity roasting method that uses a scorching 500°F environment and a preheated cast-iron skillet to achieve ultra-crispy skin and succulent meat in under an hour.
Ingredients
For the Cavity:
Instructions
- Preheat the oven and a 10 to 12-inch cast iron skillet to $500^{\circ}F$. This preheating phase is critical; the skillet must act as a secondary heat source to cook the legs and thighs from the bottom up.
- Dehydrate the chicken by removing the giblets and patting the skin extremely dry with paper towels. Moisture is the enemy of the Maillard reaction; any water left on the skin will lead to steaming rather than crisping.
- Season the bird by stuffing the cavity with the lemon/onion, herbs, and garlic. Rub the exterior with oil and apply the salt and pepper liberally.
- Sizzle: Carefully place the chicken breast-side up into the scorching hot skillet. The immediate contact will begin searing the underside of the bird, which helps the slower-cooking dark meat keep pace with the faster-cooking white meat.
- Roast at $500^{\circ}F$ for 45 to 55 minutes. Do not open the oven door during this process, as maintaining the high-velocity heat is essential for the skin’s texture.
- Verify: Use an instant-read thermometer to ensure the thickest part of the thigh has reached $165^{\circ}F$.
- Rest: Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and tent with foil for 15 minutes. This allows the internal pressure to drop and the juices to re-integrate into the muscle fibers.
Notes
- Roasting at $500^{\circ}F$ (High-Velocity Roasting) allows the radiant heat to crisp the skin and render the subcutaneous fat very quickly, effectively sealing the moisture inside the meat before it has a chance to evaporate.
- The preheated cast iron skillet serves a vital thermal purpose. Because the breast meat is leaner and sits higher in the oven’s convection currents, it tends to cook faster than the legs. The hot skillet sears the dark meat from the bottom, evening out the cooking time between the two sections of the bird.
- Stuffing the cavity with aromatics like lemon and thyme doesn’t just add flavor; the moisture inside the lemon creates a small amount of internal steam that helps cook the bird from the inside out, further reducing the total time spent in the high-heat environment.
