Roast Chicken: A Beginner's Best Friend

This is one of the easiest, most delicious, and cheapest meals I know how to make. Besides carving the chicken, there's maybe five minutes of work involved, and it costs about $2 per person (plus whatever you spend on sides). If you are someone who doesn't love cooking or isn't great at it, this is a good meal to perfect and impress with--it can be served alongside some green beans, red potatoes, and/or a salad and it makes a real nice dinner.

1. Get a whole chicken. DC residents, if you can make it down to Eastern Market, pick one up at Market Poultry. There's two poultry stands, and it's the one run by black men-it has all the customers for a reason. Get about 3/4 to 1 lb of chicken per person. You'll be able to eat about half that, or 6-8 oz of meat per person.
   
   Side note: I am not a big fan of organic farming, because it’s inefficient and wasteful. However, organic and humane animal treatment I am all about. Agribusiness puts fucked-up things into animals, treats them inhumanely, and just generally does things to them you wouldn't want done to your food. Doesn't make you a hippie to use an organic chicken.
   


2. Pull out the insides (usually in a bag). Wash the bird, and then dry it thoroughly. The more you dry it, the more it roasts and the less it steams in the oven. That's a win.


3. Put the chicken on its back in a roasting pan if you've got one. If you don't want to shell out $100 for a pan, you can make do with a baking sheet. Just make sure it has sides and will catch the grease that will pour out of the chicken during cooking.


4. Liberally salt and pepper the inside cavity of the bird. Salt the outside as well; sprinkle about a tablespoon on to the chicken.


5. Throw it in a preheated 450 degree oven for 50-60 minutes. You'll know it's done when the skin browns and the tips of the wings start to darken significantly. Or you can probably use a meat thermometer or something; get it to 165 degrees throughout. Chicken's the one meat you really want to make sure is done, unless you hate your GI tract.


6. Let it sit 15-20 minutes after cooking (until it cools to the point where you can handle it). This is to keep you from burning the shit out of yourself, and also to let the meat rest, which lets the juices start to congeal and soak back in to the meat, making it far jucier. This should be done with all meats before carving.


7. Carving it up like these guys do. A sharp knife is key here. I own a Wustof 8" chef's knife, which I love. If you spend money on one thing in your kitchen, make it a good chef's knife. The most important tool in a kitchen.