Vertically Roasted Chicken
Ingredients
Directions
Ingredients
One 4–5 pound whole chicken, giblets removed
1 tbsp
extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp
light or dark brown sugar
2 tsp
Diamond Crystal kosher salt
1 tsp
sweet paprika
1 tsp
garlic powder
½ tsp
freshly cracked black pepper
Vertically Roasted Chicken
This recipe uses a vertical roaster to promote spectacularly even cooking, resulting in a chicken with the crispiest skin and the juiciest meat. A simple brown-sugar-spiked spice rub turns it into the best fauxtisserie chicken you’ll ever have.
Before you even consider placing this chicken in the oven, remove one of your oven racks. An upright chicken will only just fit in most standard-size home ovens—and it will only fit on a rack placed on the lowest rung.
4-6 servings
- Remove the top rack from the oven and place the remaining rack on the bottom rung. Heat oven to 400°F.
- In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, salt, paprika, garlic powder, and black pepper. Pat the chicken dry and rub it with the olive oil. Use your hands to apply the spice mixture all over the chicken and inside its cavity.
- Place the chicken on a vertical roaster. Depending on the style of your roaster, it may have a small tray at the bottom to catch the drippings. Even if your roaster has this feature, you may want to place the roaster on a sheet pan or in a baking dish to catch it all.
- Bake for 70–90 minutes, or until the chicken is well browned and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165°F. The upper breast will brown faster than the rest of the chicken—if it begins to look too dark, either turn the oven down to 375°F or place a small piece of foil on the top of the bird.
- Allow the chicken to rest for about 15 minutes before carefully removing it from the roaster. It can be helpful to have someone else hold the roaster down as you pull up using tongs or your (clean) hands (depending on how hot the chicken is). Carve the chicken as desired, and serve with the drippings on the side.
Zola Gregory
Zola Gregory is a writer and recipe developer based in Seattle. Having previously worked as a pastry chef and baker, she now enjoys helping others find success in their own kitchens through her stories, recipes, and baking classes.