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You are here: Home / Poultry / Best Roast Chicken

Best Roast Chicken

April 21, 2020 by Pam

This recipe for the Best Roast Chicken results in a Roast Chicken that is tender and juicy on the inside and beautifully bronzed on the outside. The secret is the Asian Marinade.

Roast chicken on a white plate

There are so many recipes for roast chicken. Ina Garten makes her husband Jeffrey a great roast chicken almost every Friday because he loves it so much. I’ve tried her recipe and it’s very good but when I think about the best roast chicken I’ve ever had, I remember one that really stood out. It was one my aunt used to make. I absolutely loved it but I never even thought to ask her for the recipe.  

It had a slight sweetness with an equal amount of savory. And almost a tang to it. But the thing I remember about it most was the deep bronze color on the outside and the incredibly juicy meat and the flavor of the outside permeated throughout the meat.

In trying to duplicate it, I thought it made sense that her chicken had to have been marinated to achieve that kind of flavor. 

I experimented with lots of different marinades from an herby oil based marinade to a basic Italian dressing to a brown sugar based marinade with lemon to balance the sweetness. None of them were right. Too sweet. Too herby. Too tangy. And mostly they all produced a light brown skin at best.  

So on to my next experiment, I thought maybe Hoisin sauce since it’s a touch sweet plus savory and I knew that would produce a deep brown color when roasted. Then I added soy and more Asian spices along with a kick of Dijon mustard for tang.  

But, it needed something more. My aunt’s chicken almost tasted smoky…almost like she grilled it outside. But I knew she didn’t because I remember watching her take it out of the oven. She must have added something else to give it that taste.  

The closest spices I had to that smokiness was Hickory Smoke Powder, Mesquite Smoked Powder and Smoked Paprika. I settled on the Smoked Paprika. Mixed it in and tasted it and that was it very close to it.  

After marinading and roasting, that beautiful bronze color was there.  And when I carved the chicken and saw how juicy it was, I knew I was in the right track. Of course the truth was in the tasting. And yep, because of that marinade, the flavor permeated the chicken throughout.

Ingredients for the Best Roast Chicken

Chicken: The star of the show

Soy sauce: For savory salt flavor 

Dijon mustard: For tang

Canola oil: Binds marinade while keeping a neutral cast

Garlic:  For sharp, savory flavor

Sugar: Just a touch of sweetness to balance the garlic 

Hoisin sauce: For complexity

Lemon olive oil: The lemon adds a tang

Pepper: Just a touch of heat

Smoked Paprika: The spicy smokiness is perfect with the chicken

Garlic powder:  Garlic and onion powder together adds tons of flavor

Onion powder

Yukon gold potatoes: These hold up the best

Baby carrots:  For color, for deliciousness and for health

Shallots:  Not only for flavor but also for health

Marinade ingredients Best Roast Chicken

How to make The Best Roast Chicken

I know of chefs who feel that a chicken is perfectly fine without washing because they feel that the chicken will be cooked anyway and all the germs will cook away. However, I had a friend who’s Dad owned a chicken farm and he said whenever you make chicken, always wash it. So I do.  

Raw chicken with marinade ingredients

After washing and patting dry with paper towels, place the chicken in a gallon zip lock bag. 

For the marinade:    

In a small bowl mix together soy sauce, Dijon Mustard, oil, garlic, sugar and hoisin sauce. Pour the mixture into the bag with the chicken and zip the bag tightly.  Then massage the marinade into the chicken and refrigerate the chicken for a minimum of 4 hours.

Best Roast Chicken

When it’s time to cook the chicken,  preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. You’ll want the oven to be hot before the chicken goes in. 

While it’s heating remove the chicken from the bag and thoroughly pat it dry with paper towels and place it in an oiled baking dish. Then truss the chicken by tying the legs together and tucking the wings under.

Next step is the spice rub. In a small bowl mix the smoked paprika, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder together.

Brush all sides of the chicken with the Lemon Olive Oil. You can substitute with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon, but the blended lemon olive oil is really better for this recipe.  

Then sprinkle the spice mixture evenly over the chicken on all sides.

Seasoned Chicken in dish with vegetables ready for roasting For extra flavor for both the chicken and for the vegetables, add potatoes, carrots and shallots around the outside edge of the chicken. Then bake it for 60-70 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted between the breast and the thigh registers 165 degrees.  

When finished, remove from the oven and cover it with foil for 10 minutes before you carve it. This adds to the juiciness.  

Roast chicken on a white plate
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Best Roast Chicken

This recipe for the Best Roast Chicken results in a Roast Chicken  that is tender and juicy on the inside and beautifully bronzed on the outside.  The secret is the Asian Marinade.
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time1 hr
marinating time4 hrs
Total Time1 hr 15 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Best Roast Chicken
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 199kcal
Author: Pam - Two Cups of Health

Ingredients

  • 1 3 lb. Chicken
  • 2 Tbsp Soy sauce
  • 2 Tsp Dijon Mustard
  • 2 Tbsp Canola Oil
  • 2 Cloves Garlic Minced
  • 1 Tsp Sugar
  • 1 Tbsp Hoisin sauce
  • 1 Tbsp Olive oil
  • 1/2 Tsp Smoked paprika
  • 1/4 Tsp Pepper
  • 1/4 Tsp Garlic powder
  • 1/4 Tsp Onion powder
  • 2 Potatoes Yukon Gold, large sliced
  • 1 1/2 Cup Baby Carrots
  • 2 Medium Shallots Large sliced

Instructions

  • Wash and pat dry chicken with paper towels.  Add chicken to a gallon zip lock bag.
  •  In a medium bowl add soy sauce, Dijon mustard, oil, garlic, sugar and Hoisin sauce. Whisk to combine. 
  • Pour soy sauce mixture in zip lock bag with chicken.  Zip the bag and massage the marinade into both sides of the chicken.  Add bag to refrigerator and allow to marinade a minimum of 4 hours.
  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
  • Remove chicken from bag.  Thoroughly pat dry with paper towels and place in oiled baking dish. 
  • Spice rub:  Mix sea salt, smoked paprika, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder in a small bowl.
  • Truss chicken legs and tuck wings under.  Brush chicken on all sides lightly with olive oil and rub spice mixture over both sides.
  • Add potatoes, carrots and shallot around the chicken and roast 1 hour or until meat thermometer registers 165 degrees when inserted between breast and thigh.
  • When chicken is done remove the oven, cover with foil and let rest 10 minutes before carving.

Nutrition

Calories: 199kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 952mg | Potassium: 584mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 6740IU | Vitamin C: 13.9mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 4.3mg

If you like this recipe, please leave a comment below and be sure and pin it on Pinterest!  

Similar recipes that you might like:

Bourbon Roasted Chicken

Mediterranean Lemon Butter Chicken

Dublin Pub Chicken

Filed Under: Poultry Tagged With: best roast chicken recipe, best roasted chicken, roasted chicken

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Hi!
I'm Pam, a self-confessed Foodie. I love creating delicious recipes that are nutritionally smart. I mean, delicious and healthy...what could be better? I am the author of "Natural Healing Foods” as well as several other books. Welcome to my kitchen! Read More…

A User Friendly Reference to Nature's Pharmacy

A User Friendly Reference to Nature's Pharmacy

Natural Healing Foods Reviews

“Pamela’s approach to healthy living and eating is unique in that she references Nature in a most refreshing manner.”

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