Poulet Roti (Roast Chicken)

A simple, perfectly roasted whole chicken with crackling skin and a quick pan jus.

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken (about 3.5 lb / 1.6 kg)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 4 tbsp butter, softened
• 1 lemon, halved
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 1 head garlic, halved crosswise
• 1 cup chicken stock

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Pat the chicken completely dry inside and out and season generously, including the cavity.
2. Rub the softened butter all over the skin. Stuff the cavity with the lemon halves, thyme and garlic.
3. Truss the legs with kitchen string and set the bird breast-side up in a roasting pan.
4. Roast until the skin is deep golden and the juices run clear, about 1 hour 15 minutes, basting once or twice. A thigh should read 165 F.
5. Transfer the chicken to a board and rest 15 minutes.
6. Set the roasting pan over a burner, add the stock, and scrape up the browned bits, simmering into a quick jus. Carve the chicken and serve with the jus.

Notes

Adapted from Anthony Bourdain’s Les Halles Cookbook; Bourdain considered roast chicken a test of a cook’s fundamentals.