How to Perfectly Roast and Spatchcock a Whole Chicken Like a Pro

I recently wrote a piece titled, "The 10 Foods You Should Learn to Cook in Your Early 20s." Number 7 on that list was learning to roast a whole chicken--although, on second thought, this staple dish could easily be moved up to #2 or #3. You see, I'm a firm believer that knowing how to roast a juicy, tender, and perfectly crispy-skinned whole chicken is an essential and easy--once you get the hang of it--cooking technique that will serve you well for years to come.

Here's why:

1. Buying a whole bird is typically a much better bargain than purchasing packages of individual cuts or buying a whole cooked rotisserie chicken from the deli.

2. One whole chicken can provide enough meat for several meals if you're smart about it. Here are 6 quick and easy dinner ideas you can make with the meat.

3. Roasting the whole chicken yields succulent meat and crispy skin that is downright swoon worthy and can't be accomplished through any other method.

4. A classic roasted chicken served with a green veggie and your favorite heartier side makes a delicious and healthy dinner that never goes out of style.

5. Once you've eaten all of the meat from your chicken, you're left with the key ingredient for a pot of amazing homemade chicken stock.

How to Make Classic Roast Chicken

Cooking a whole bird might sound intimidating at first, but once you've done it once or twice, I promise you'll return to this economical, smart, and impressive technique time and time again.

Watch this video from our test-kitchen experts to learn how to easily roast a chicken, and keep reading below for the step-by-step breakdown.

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Line a large rimmed baking pan with foil and place a wire rack on top.
3. Cut open the plastic wrap covering the chicken straight on the rack and allow the liquid to leak through.
4. Trim the giblets and neck from the chicken. Starting at the neck cavity, loosen skin from breasts and drumsticks by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat.
5. Dry the bird by patting the skin down thoroughly with paper towels.
6. Season as desired. If you're a roast chicken purist, olive oil, salt, and pepper will go a long way, but feel free to play with the flavor using your favorite herbs and spices.
7. Tie the ankles together, one on top of each other, with kitchen twine.
8. Lift the wing tips up and over the back and tuck them under the chicken to prevent the wings from burning.
9. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes.
10. Increase oven temperature to 450° (do not remove chicken) and bake for 15 minutes more, or until a thermometer inserted in meaty part of leg registers 165°.
11. Remove chicken from pan and allow it to stand at least 10 minutes before carving so that the juice doesn't leak out and dry your chicken.
12. To carve: Place the chicken breast-side-up on a cutting board. To remove the leg and thigh meat: pull the thigh and leg out and cut through where the leg is attached to the breast on each side. To remove the breast meat: Turn the chicken around so the neck is facing you. Cut on one side of the breast bone using the insides of the breast bone as a guide. Make a deep vertical cut all the way down to the wing joint and wish bone. Grab the breast fillet and cut thoroughly down, removing the breast meat from the rib cage. To remove the wings: Pull each wing away from the body, cutting through the connective joint.

How to Make Roasted Spatchcock Chicken

Removing a chicken's backbone—a technique called spatchcocking (or butterflying)—ensures juicy meat and golden crisp skin in less time than roasting a whole bird. Although it does require some simple knife skills, many think it's a better (and faster) way to roast a chicken. Just go ahead and save the backbone in the fridge for chicken stock. Here's a breakdown of how to do it:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Line a large rimmed baking pan with foil and place a wire rack on top.
3. Cut open the plastic wrap covering the chicken straight on the rack and allow the liquid to leak through.
4. Dry the bird by patting the skin down thoroughly with paper towels.
5. Trim the giblets and neck from the chicken. Starting at the neck cavity, loosen skin from breasts and drumsticks by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat.
6. Place chicken, breast side down, on a cutting board. Using poultry shears, cut along both sides of backbone, and remove backbone. (Discard or reserve for stock.) Turn chicken breast side up, and open the underside of chicken like a book. Using the heel of your hand, press firmly against breastbone until it cracks.
7. Place chicken on wire rack, tuck wing tips under chicken so they don't burn, and season as desired.
8. Bake at 450°F for approximately 40 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in meaty part of leg registers 165°.
9. Remove chicken from oven and allow it to stand at least 10 minutes before carving so that the juice doesn't leak out and dry your chicken.
10. Carve. And devour.

Bonus! How to Make Cast-Iron Roasted Spatchcock Chicken

Cooking Light food editor Tim Cebula swears by his method for roasting chicken (spatchcock style) in a cast-iron skillet. If you own a cast iron, give it a go. All you'll need is a pan, canola or olive oil, and a little salt & pepper. The bird will cook at 500°F for 35 minutes. Watch Tim demonstrate his method live on Facebook below.