Perfect Roast Chicken in 30 Minutes

Serve a perfectly roasted chicken with side dishes in just 30 minutes. Enjoy moist, flavorful chicken with crispy skin, every time–here’s how.

This recipe is sponsored by Raley’s. However you holiday, Raley’s makes it affordable.

OK Moms–tell me if this sounds familiar. You finally got out of the office, the kids are done with practice and doing homework, and you’re about to plop on the couch. Then you get The Text from Hubby: “Remember new guy from work coming for dinner @ 6:30.”

OH NO. It’s definitely not a night for take-out. You need to get a nice dinner going, and fast. What’s a busy mom to do?

I’m going to give you the secret to getting a perfect roasted chicken on the table–with side dishes–in less than an hour. Sound impossible? Not at all, with help from Raley’s!

The magic is in the way you prep the chicken before you put it in the oven.

This method is called spatchcock chicken, and it’s the secret to crispy skin and juicy, flavorful chicken that falls off the bone.

You’ll start with a 3-4 pound Raley’s chicken. Turn it breast-side down on your cutting board and remove the giblets from inside the cavity. Using your clean and sharp kitchen shears, carefully cut on either side of the backbone.

Remove the backbone and save it for chicken stock. Turn the chicken over and press down until it’s opened up.

Now, I know some of you are completely grossed out by the thought of cutting up a raw chicken. This is one reason why I love getting my chicken at Raley’s! Their butchers are happy to prep the chicken for me, at no extra charge. I just hand it to the butcher and he spatchcocks it for me. (Pro tip: place your order online at shop.raleys.com and pick it up with eCart. You don’t even have to get out of the car!)

Once the chicken is opened up, rinse it with water and pat dry with paper towels. Now it’s time for seasoning. Just about any of the herbs in your garden will taste great with chicken. This time, I chose oregano and rosemary plus garlic and a little olive oil.

Whirl all of these with a bit of salt using your stick blender until everything is combined. Rub this yumminess all over the chicken, inside and out, so the flavors get into every nook and cranny. Still squeamish about touching raw chicken? Use a pastry brush. 🙂

Nestle your chicken, skin side up, in your cast iron skillet (or other oven-safe pan). Add small chunks of potatoes, carrots, turnips, sweet potatoes, winter squash, etc for your sides (all available at your local Raley’s).

Toss that bad boy in the oven and roast at 450 for 30-40 minutes, until it registers 165 F in the thickest part of the breast.

Sprinkle with a bit of freshly chopped parsley and serve!

Tools Used to Make Perfect Roast Chicken

Here are the tools I recommend to make this recipe quickly and easily:

Cast iron skillet: or other oven-safe roasting pan that’s big enough to hold a chicken (12″ or larger)

Sharp kitchen shears: to make it easy to spatchcock your chicken

Stick blender: to combine the herbs and olive oil

Pastry brush: if you don’t want to rub the seasonings on with your bare hands

Meat thermometer: for checking the finished temperature

Perfect Roast Chicken & Sides in 30 Minutes

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

You can serve a perfect roasted chicken with side dishes in just 30 minutes. Enjoy moist, flavorful chicken with crispy skin, every time--here’s how.

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Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, 3-4 lbs.
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 cups sides (potatoes, carrots, turnips, sweet potatoes, winter squash), cut into 1" chunks

Instructions

1. Turn the chicken breast-side down on your cutting board and remove the giblets from inside the cavity. Using your sharp kitchen shears, carefully cut on either side of the backbone. Remove the backbone and save it for chicken stock. Turn the chicken over and press down until it’s opened up.
2. Rinse the chicken with water and pat dry with paper towels. Now it’s time for seasoning. Just about any of the herbs in your garden will taste great with chicken. This time, I chose oregano and rosemary plus garlic and a little olive oil.
3. Whirl all of these with a bit of salt using your stick blender until everything is combined. Rub this yumminess all over the chicken, inside and out, so the flavors get into every nook and cranny. Squeamish about touching raw chicken? Use a pastry brush.
4. Nestle your chicken, skin side up, in your cast iron skillet (or other oven-safe pan). Add small chunks of potatoes, carrots, turnips, sweet potatoes, winter squash, etc for your sides.
5. Place in the oven and roast at 450 for 30-40 minutes, until it registers 165 F in the thickest part of the breast. Sprinkle with a bit of freshly chopped parsley and serve!

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Lodge 12 Inch Cast Iron Skillet
• 
  Digital In-Oven Thermometer
• 
  OXO Good Grips Silicone Basting Brush

BOOM. You’re ready for company and (bonus!) you only have to wash one pan. Ready to get started? Schedule your Raley’s pick-up or delivery order today at shop.raleys.com.