Fast Roast Chicken with Hasselback Potatoes: My Signature Recipe

Tis a wonder, this easy meal. Here's how to roast a chicken fast – in an hour – but speed isn’t what makes this my signature roast-chicken recipe. It's the simple ingredients, just a fresh chicken, salt, pepper and a hot oven. It’s the crispy, salty skin. It’s the moist and tender breast meat and the juicy succulent dark meat. And now that I've added easy-but-dramatic Swedish-style Hasselback potatoes alongside? Swoon. PS One more thing? A roasted chicken (or two) is the perfect meal for unexpected company.

Approachable, Homestyle Whole Food, Simply Prepared, "Plain" But Perfect. An Easy, Healthy Chicken Meal, Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special. Another Quick Supper, a Kitchen Parade Specialty. Hearty & Filling. Year-Round Kitchen Staple. Budget Friendly. Perfect When Cooking for One or Two But Also for Feeding a Crowd. Easy DIY. Low Carb. Low Fat. High Protein. Weight Watchers Friendly. Naturally Gluten Free. Rave Reviews. What're you waiting for?! So Good!!

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~ Skip to a Roast Chicken Fall Menu ~

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COMPLIMENTS!

• "... so fast & easy & the best roast chicken I've had!" ~ Anonymous
• "... what a great recipe it is! ... Mmm!" ~ Charlie

BEST RECIPES

• Fast Roast Chicken made the list!
• Best Recipes of 2010

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How to Feed a Crowd in Two Hours: Roast Chicken and a Fall Menu.

The heads-up arrived at five o’clock. “Some people are coming for supper.” How many? I asked, guessing two, maybe six, as many as twelve. He hesitated, then began to count out loud. "Fourteen, I think," was the answer.

Now, this man and I, we feed small crowds on a whim with regularity. We love the kitchen dance, chopping and stirring, serving and savoring home-cooked food.

But this night, a hint of panic strained his voice. Were we over-committed? Was carryout pizza the smart answer? “What should we make?” he asked, hoping for a ready answer.

Without hesitation, I answered: “Set the oven to 450, then run to Whole Foods for chicken. We’ll eat around seven.”

Extra Hands Do Help!

Sure enough, with able assistance from an extra pair or two of hands (thank you, Laura and girls!), that night three generations gathered round the table to a feast: three roasted chickens, roughly mashed sweet potatoes and carrots spiked with cardamom, a big salad and for dessert, hot-from-the-oven fruit crisp topped with ice cream.

Menus like this (below), they’re worth making again and again, for four or fourteen – or forty, just next time with a little more notice, please!

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The Menu That Saved the Night

Olivada with Crackers

~ Fast Roast Chicken ~
(Skip Straight to the Recipe)

Rustic Mashed Sweet Potatoes & Carrots
Sliced Bread with Soft Salted (always!) Butter
Lettuce Greens Tossed with Chopped Vegetables
with My Everyday Creamy Herb Salad Dressing

Cranberry Apple Crisp
With Ice Cream

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Let's Talk Chicken. Fresh Chicken. Never-Frozen Chicken.

Awhile back, I set off to learn everything I could about chicken.

Two years in a row, I cooked one chicken after another, frying chicken one week, roasting chicken the next, baking chicken the next, grilling chicken after that.

I tested free-range chickens, organic chickens, farm-raised chickens, branded chickens, grocery-store chickens, warehouse-club chickens, anything with breasts and wings, basically.

In the end, I became much partial to the taste and texture of fresh chicken, that is, chicken that's never been frozen.

Nothing else made the difference to taste and especially texture like never-frozen chicken.

So now I make regular out-of-the-way trips to Whole Foods, the only place to buy fresh chicken here in St. Louis. UPDATE Whole Foods now brands this chicken as "air-chilled" (for more information, see Whole Foods Air-Chilled Chicken.)

Readers, if you know where to buy fresh chicken in your hometowns, please do say!

Tools of the Chicken-Roasting Trade

Occasionally, I recommend kitchen stuff that makes my cooking life easier.

Here are two tools that help with roasting chicken but don't worry, they're not mandatory. But I I do recommend them! And don't worry, they are multi-purpose, they work for everything from cookies to bread to vegetables to ... yes, roasting chicken. The Amazon links below are "affiliate links". That means in certain circumstances, if you buy something from Amazon after clicking on one of these links, I'll earn a small commission, no extra cost to you. My Disclosure Promise

A Good (But Not Expensive) Meat Thermometer A meat thermometer ensures a perfectly cooked chicken, not too done, not underdone, for chicken just insert the probe deep into the breast (do avoid touching the bone) before putting it into the oven.

For the last couple of years, I've fallen in love with this ThermoPro Meat Thermometer (affiliate link), mostly because it works two ways: first as an instant probe for yeast breads and quick breads; second as a probe that stays in meat, casseroles and more with an alarm when the internal temperature reaches what you're looking for, this is how I use it for chicken.

Sturdy Baking Sheets Made in America, people! A full-size sheet pan (so confusing, it's technically a "half sheet pan") holds two chickens, smaller size (technically a "quarter" sheet pan) holds one.

These pans won't buckle under the weight of the chicken and are heavy enough to withstand high heat.

For extra convenience, order some sheetpan pre-cut parchment too.

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How do you save and share favorite recipes? recipes that fit your personal cooking style? a particular recipe your mom or daughter or best friend would just love? If this recipe inspires you, please do save and share! I'd be honored ...

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QUICK SUPPER RECIPE:
FAST ROAST CHICKEN with HASSELBACK POTATOES

Hands-on time: 10 minutes (20 minutes with potatoes)
Time to table: 1-1/4 hours (90 minutes with potatoes)
Serves 1 for a week or 4 for dinner plus leftovers for chicken soup

CHICKEN
• 1 whole chicken, preferably never frozen (why? see below), either a roasting chicken or a frying chicken
• Generous amount of kosher salt, a tablespoon or two or more (see ALANNA's TIPS)
• Freshly ground black pepper

HASSELBACK POTATOES (OPTIONAL BUT MAGNIFICENT)
• About 12 small whole potatoes, skins on
• Olive oil
• Salt & pepper

Heat the oven to 450F/230C.

PREP THE CHICKEN Rinse the chicken inside and out (you needn't but yes, I still rinse chicken even though the experts advise against it to avoid contaminating the sink with uncooked chicken juices), then dry it well inside and out with paper towels. Place the chicken breast-side down in an oven-proof skillet (this is my favorite, I use cast iron) or on a foil-covered or parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet.

"Rain" the bird with salt, lightly coating the skin so a salty crusty layer will form during roasting; turning the bird with your hands to season the breast and undersides, the legs and wings, too, then do several turns of ground pepper all over. (Yes, that bird is bare-nekkid except for salt and pepper. Yes, that bird is about to be blasted at high heat.)

HASSELBACK POTATOES Wash the potatoes well.

One at a time, place each potato on a cutting board, some times I cut a very thin slice off one edge so there's a flat surface to place on the cutting board without the potato rolling all around. With a sharp knife, make parallel cuts deep into the potato (cut into but not through the potato) as close as you can manage but keeping the potato intact. At each end, one cut in, cut a little more deeply and remove that slice, this helps the potatoes "open up" to roast evenly with a dramatic appearance. This sounds way harder than it is, just get out a good knife and go to town!

Nestle the potatoes, cut-side up, around the chicken. Drizzle each potato with just a little oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.

ROAST Roast the chicken and potatoes uncovered for an hour until the breast meat reaches an internal temperature of 165F/75C and the potatoes are fully cooked with crispy edges.

REST Remove the chicken from the oven, cover loosely with foil, let rest 15 minutes. To serve, slice off the legs and thighs, then cut hot slices off the breasts or cut into the breasts down the center and serve it on the bone.

EXTRA CREDIT If you like, before carving, set up to make No-Big-Deal Homemade Chicken Stock from the carcass, just throw the bones right into a saucepan or stockpot to start to simmer while eating dinner. Afterward, you can Freeze Stock in Canning Jars.

ALANNA’s TIPS Once upon a time, roasting chickens were "old and tough" and needed slow cooking to tenderize. But these days, the main difference between a roasting chicken and a frying chicken is that roasting chickens are slightly bigger and a little more expensive. I cook them interchangeably. Some times, I truss the chicken, creating a sort of chicken corset with kitchen string. Trussing isn’t necessary but once the chicken is in a tight wad, it just looks cool out of the oven. Other times I use a V-roaster but again, it’s really not needed. For golden color, use your hands to rub a little olive oil across the skin, then, instead of just salt and pepper, sprinkle the skin with a savory spice rub, I'm 100% smitten with My Spice Rub but use your own favorite either homemade or store-bought. If you do use a little olive oil so that the spices will adhere, the skin will turn out slightly softer. To counteract this, roast the chicken for an extra 15 minutes, that is, for 75 minutes instead of 60 minutes. Do drag a slice or meat through the delicious chicken drippings while you’re carving, cook’s treat! But as is, the drippings are too salty for gravy. To make chicken gravy, add a good cup or two of chicken stock to the drippings, then thicken. (See how to make turkey gravy, just substitute chicken stock for turkey stock.) Weight Watchers, for zero points, choose the breast meat and remove the skin. Everyone, do take special note of the chicken nutrition information, white meat versus dark meat (not much difference) and eating the chicken skin versus not eating the chicken skin (a huge difference). This makes chicken skin a definite indulgence, luckily, this salty chicken is worth eating, many roasted-chicken skins are not. Still, armed with information, it's better to know.

STILL-FASTER ROAST CHICKEN? Stop by the grocery store, grab a hot rotisserie chicken and salad fixings from the salad bar. Come home, pour a glass of wine, sit down to supper. Seriously. Rotisserie chickens from the grocery store are a good value and perhaps the one "convenience" food worth picking up from the deli section. I adore picking up prescriptions from our family pharmacist (amazing service) at Sam's Club: it's an excuse to pick up a chicken too. Are they as good as a home-roasted chicken? Of course not. But they are indeed #RealLife.

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per 4 ounces chicken white meat, without/with skin: 129/210 Calories; 1/11g Tot Fat; 1/4g Sat Fat; 65/75mg Cholesterol; 367/363mg Sodium; 0g Carb; 0g Fiber; 0g Sugar; 26/23g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS (for zero points, must be white meat, no skin) Old Points 3/5 & PointsPlus 3/5 & SmartPoints 2/5 & Freestyle 0 & myWW green 2/5 & blue 0/5 & purple 0/5 & future WW points

Per 4 ounces chicken dark meat, without/with skin: 141/268 Calories; 4/19g Tot Fat; 1/6g Sat Fat; 90/91mg Cholesterol; 386/372mg Sodium; 0g Carb; 0g Fiber; 0g Sugar; 23/19g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS Old Points 3/7 & PointsPlus 3/6 & SmartPoints 2/8 & Freestyle 2/8 & myWW green 2/8 & blue 2/8 & purple 2/8 & future WW points

Adapted from Bouchon (affiliate link) by Thomas Keller My Disclosure Promise

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(helping home cooks save money on groceries)

~ chicken recipes ~
~ potato recipes ~

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Quick Links to This Page

(for easy bookmarking and searching)
~ Why Fresh, Never Frozen Chicken? ~
~ Calories & Weight Watchers Points in Chicken ~
white meat versus dark meat, with the chicken skin versus without

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail, you'll find my current address in the FAQs. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, for more scratch cooking recipes using whole, healthful ingredients, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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