The Secret to the Juiciest Whole Roasted Chicken

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The secret is brining! I’m such a fan of brining meat. I brine pork chops, chicken, and our Thanksgiving turkey. I understand that you can also brine shrimp and fish but I have yet to try it. It is now definitely on my to-try list.

Brining is when you soak your protein in a water, sugar, and salt mixture. I add a little bit more to mine as you will see in my recipe.

The brine brakes down the meat’s muscle fiber and soaks in flavor all the way to the bone. It doesn’t make it salty as some might imagine.

I triple the seasoning salt recipe and always have it on hand in my pantry. Seasoning salt is so versatile. You can use it on meat, vegetables, a salad, basically anything you want to enhance the flavor.

If you need to restrict salt, then there are other options available that are salt-free. My favorites are the Mrs. Dash varieties.

-Laurie Colwin

You can brine your protein for as little as 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. For a whole chicken or pork roast, my recommendation is closer to the 24-hour mark, however, when I’m making pork chops or chicken breast, I’ve found that 30 minutes works well.

Investing in a good roasting pan with a rack will be something that will serve you well for years to come. You can use it for roasts, turkey as well as whole chickens. The beauty of a nice big roasting pan is that you can make this a one-pan dish by putting potatoes, carrots, and onions right into the bottom of the pan to cook along with your chicken.

A good digital meat thermometer is also a must in the kitchen. The one that we recently purchased was probably the least expensive and so far our favorite.

Tools you’ll need

The easiest way to cut up and serve a whole chicken is to cut off the legs, wings, and then the thighs. Slice the breast meat off whole and then cut the breast meat into slices. In our house, no one eats thigh meat but it is very juicy and full of flavor. There is however a fight for the legs or drumsticks!

Roasting a whole chicken is pretty straightforward and easy. It’s a great meal that is elegant enough for a Sunday dinner or easy enough for a weeknight meal. The hardest part is that it needs some pre-planning to brine the bird.

We do the exact same thing for our Thanksgiving turkey, we just double or triple the brine. We also use a turkey brining bag.

Now you know The Secret to the Juiciest Whole Roasted Chicken!

Peace,

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