These two simple roast chicken recipes will impress everyone, especially you.

Both methods require minimal prep time (5-10 minutes) and only 3 ingredients, including the chicken.

Method #1:

1. Rinse the chicken and dry with paper towels.
2. Pour some kosher salt and ground black pepper into the cavity of the chicken and place the bird in a baking dish. Sprinkle the outside of the chicken with salt and pepper.
3. Put the chicken in the oven and let it roast at 450 degrees until an instant read thermometer stuck into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees.

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ alittleandlot.com

Method #2

1. About 24 hours before you plan to roast your chicken, sprinkle your chicken with salt and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
2. Put the chicken in a zip-top bag. Stir 2 tablespoons of kosher salt into 2 cups of buttermilk and then pour the buttermilk over the chicken. Seal the bag and put the chicken in the refrigerator to soak for 12 to 24 hours.
3. An hour before you want to cook your chicken, remove it from the refrigerator and let it rest on the countertop (still in the bag) for an hour. Remove the chicken from the bag and put it into a roasting pan.
4. Roast the chicken at 425 for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees and cook until the chicken is nicely browned all over and an instant read thermometer stuck into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees.

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ alittleandlot.com

These recipes were originally published on alittleandalot.com. For more detailed information, see the original recipes: How to Roast a Chicken

Recipe: Roast Chicken

Method #1:

• One 3-4 pound chicken
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
2. Rinse a 3-4 pound chicken and dry thoroughly with paper towels. It's important to get the chicken as dry as possible if you want that lovely crisp skin. Too much moisture in the oven will cause the chicken to steam, and you'll end up with soft, slightly soggy skin.
3. Pour some kosher salt and ground black pepper into the cavity of the chicken and place in a baking dish. Sprinkle a generous amount of kosher salt over the outside of the chicken, then sprinkle with pepper. Rain the salt over the bird so the skin is uniformly covered.
4. Put the chicken in the oven and let it roast until an instant read thermometer stuck into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees, about 50-80 minutes (more if your chicken is large or if you're roasting more than one at a time).
5. Remove from the oven, baste with the pan juices, and let it rest for 15 minutes on a cutting board.
6. Carve and serve.

Method #2: Buttermilk Marinated Roast Chicken

• One 3-4 pound chicken
• Kosher salt
• 2 cups buttermilk

1. About 24 hours before you plan to roast your chicken, sprinkle a 3-4 pound chicken with a generous amount of salt and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
2. Put the chicken in a zip-top bag. Stir 2 tablespoons of kosher salt into 2 cups of buttermilk and then pour the buttermilk over the chicken. Seal the bag and smush it around in there to coat it all over with the buttermilk. (You might want to put it in a second bag at this point just in case the first bag springs a leak.) Put the chicken in the refrigerator.
3. If you think about it, turn the chicken over every now and then to even out the marinading process. If you forget to do this, don't worry about it. It doesn't make enough of a difference to stress about it.
4. An hour before you want to cook your chicken, remove it from the refrigerator and let it rest on the countertop (still in the bag) for an hour. Heat the oven to 425 degrees (F). Remove the chicken from the bag, shaking of excess buttermilk as you do, and put it into a roasting pan.
5. Roast the chicken for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees (F) and cook for another 40-60 minutes (depending on the size of your bird), until the chicken is nicely browned all over and an instant read thermometer stuck into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees.
6. Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes. Then carve and serve.

Notes

No buttermilk? No problem! Here are several great ways to make a buttermilk substitute.

For more of my recipes, visit alittleandalot.com and ofbatteranddough.com.

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ rebeccablackwell.com

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