Leave-It-Alone Roast Chicken

Tammy | Chez Nous
by Tammy | Chez Nous
6 servings
1 hr 40 min

Roast chicken is on constant rotation Chez Nous ... especially during the fall and winter! When the temperatures start dipping, it's so cozy to smell the heady fragrance of meat, citrus, and herbs. Makes me want a wood fire to roast over! Between Dorie Greenspan, my daughter, and me, (and lots of testing this or that method), I've come up with possibly the easiest way to make roast chicken. You just leave it alone ... therefore the name of this recipe (if it can be called a recipe), Leave-It-Alone Roast Chicken.

Between Dorie Greenspan, my daughter, and me, (and lots of testing this or that method), I've come up with possibly the easiest way to make roast chicken. You just leave it alone ... therefore the name of this recipe (if it can be called a recipe), Leave-It-Alone Roast Chicken.

Herbs, citrus, and garlic are what I use to flavor the chicken.

I put it all in the cavity, then tie the legs together with twine.

Before putting it in the oven, I rub it with oil and sprinkle it with seasonings. You can use whatever you want! Get creative with herbs and make a roast chicken that won't soon be forgotten! How about thyme? Tarragon? Marjoram? Rosemary, oregano, and sage? What about za'atar and sumac as the chicken in the photo above is adorned thus indulging my recent dive into mid-eastern spices and flavors? You can be as creative as you want! Put it in a Dutch oven ... a cast iron one works, an enameled coated one works ... you can even use a clay pot like the one I have from Pampered Chef that I bought YEARS ago.

Then put the uncovered cooking dish in a preheated 450-degree oven ... and leave it alone for 1 1/2 hours. That's it.Just. Leave. It. The. Heck. Alone.I cannot emphasize this enough! Don't check on it. No poking it with the thermometer. Basting is not needed. JUST. LEAVE. IT. ALONE.It's happy and becoming something different. The deliciousness will be everything you dreamed a roast chicken could be. And then, you'll be happy, too. And you'll be whistling James Taylor's "Shower the People You Love with Love".

Leave-It-Alone Roast Chicken
Recipe details
  • 6  servings
  • Prep time: 10 Minutes Cook time: 90 Minutes Total time: 1 hr 40 min
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Ingredients

  • 1 3-5 pound chicken
  • oil to rub on the chicken
  • salt and pepper to season
  • ¼ orange reserve the other ¾
  • ½ lemon reserve the other ½
  • 2-4 cloves fresh garlic
  • herbs of choice thyme ,tarragon, marjoram, sage, rosemary, za'atar, sumac (see notes)
  • oil for the roasting dish
Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Remove the chicken from the fridge a half hour before putting it in the oven.
Rub the chicken all over with a high-smoke point oil like avocado oil.
During the half hour of bringing the chicken more to room temperature, season the cavity of the chicken with salt and put the orange, lemon, garlic, and herbs in the cavity of the chicken.
Lightly oil a Dutch oven or pottery bowl and put the chicken. Roast it uncovered and untouched for 1½ hours.
Just leave it alone. Trust me.
When 1½ hours are up, take it out, and let it rest for a few minutes ... 15-30 ... before carving it.
When you move the chicken to the cutting board to carve it, reheat the juices in the Dutch oven and squeeze the juice from the reserved orange and lemon into the pot. Reduce slightly, then serve with the chicken.
Tips
  • About the herbs: Man, this could be a long discussion! I listed some of my favorites with thyme being at the top. But you should use what your tastes love. I love za'atar and sumac for a bit of mid-eastern profile and they marry very well with the citrus and oregano.
Tammy | Chez Nous
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Comments
  • Deb Deb on Jan 07, 2021

    should you put the lid on the pot or leave it uncovered while it cooks?

    • Tammy | Chez Nous Tammy | Chez Nous on Jan 08, 2021

      Good question! I'll edit the recipe to say that you should leave the lid OFF.

  • Kristen Meletio Kristen Meletio on Jan 08, 2021

    What if I don’t have a Dutch oven? What could I cook it in?

    • See 1 previous
    • Tammy | Chez Nous Tammy | Chez Nous on Jan 11, 2021

      Sorry to not reply earlier! And thanks, Michael, for your response! A cast-iron skillet would definitely work as would a casserole dish, but you will make more of a mess in your oven because the walls of both of those are lower than a Dutch oven.

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