They say, “they” being the food Gods of the universe, that one is considered a good cook when and only when one has mastered the seemingly daunting task of roasting a chicken. Apparently this is the measure of kitchen skill. I suppose I can understand this, as few things are more elegant or special. Or as visually stunning as a bird so golden and crisp that you can almost see a golden halo surrounding its skin and the beginnings of “hallelujah” sounds in your head. This is something one can do to show-off what you’re capable of in the kitchen.  But alas, we’ve been made to think it’s scary. So scary, in fact, that when I first attempted this feat on my own, I searched for days and believed I needed a super complicated recipe to make this chicken taste delicious, a recipe that required me to stuff, truss, lift skin, rub butter and oil and lemon and herbs underneath, roast, baste, skim fat and make a sauce thickened with flour and more lemon. It took forever, caused worry, and as the creature emerged from the oven, I thought it looked a little weird.

(Above is the first upside-down-unbeknownst-to-me attempt I’m talking about, July 2011)

This was further confirmed by the fact that I literally could not cut into it. I proudly stood ready to marinate myself in my (lacking) kitchen know-how. I grabbed my knife, ready to carve this perfect thing… but then instantly panicked thinking, where’s the breast?! After all that, I roasted the bird upside down, and stood defeated by a three pound animal. I kept thinking that there must be an easier way to do this, to put forth and offer food glory seamlessly.

And then I literally struck kitchen gold. Thanks to the genius that is Thomas Keller, I have realized that my recipe searching and worrying was futile, that this bird needs nothing more than some salt and a screaming hot oven. Thassit. Literally anyone possessing the aforementioned can do this in a flash, zoom, or a whip. It takes no prep time except to truss your chicken, which some people don’t do, but I can assure you that trussing will allow even roasting, and beautiful put togetherness as opposed to some crazy chicken with its limbs flying all over the place. We don’t want that. What we do what is achievable perfection, which this is.

I urge you to try this recipe soon, maybe this weekend. Whether it’s to impress someone, to showcase this as the centerpiece of a special dinner, to roast it for yourself and have leftovers to utilize for the rest of the week in various chicken forms, or to tackle a presumably scary kitchen task that is in fact, not scary at all. You’ll wait by the oven, and hear the crackling of the bird baking. Then your timer will go off, you’ll put on whatever hand protectors you use, and you’ll pull this out. And it will be the epitome of uncomplicated, unfussy cooking. You’ll feel proud of yourself and totally inspired, and then you’ll do it again, and again, and again. Each time sculpting this task and whittling away your skill, and realizing that the best and most perfect cooking is close to the heart, simple, and achievable to each and everyone that exists in this world.

Simplest & easiest roast chicken

One chicken can serve 2-4 people, depending on their appetites

Adapted from Thomas Keller

Notes & pointers for success: Trussing is a great technique to get comfortable with and pretty necessary in chicken roasting, and after this recipe I think you’ll want to roast a chicken over and over. Never heard of trussing? Trussing is tying the bird together with kitchen string or twine to keep it tight and contained, to prepare it for even cooking. You don’t want your breast to be uber dry and overcooked while your thigh is underdone. No bueno. Also, it will make the presentation of the bird straight-out-of-a-magazine-or-cookbook spectacular. Trussing is easy to learn, and this video does a great job at teaching you how while making you giggle a bit.

Make sure you have a hot, hot, hot oven right from the start. Like super screaming hot. Like try turning it on half hour before you start this. This is key. You want your chicken crispy and golden, and the only way to achieve this is by making sure your oven is hot throughout the cooking process. Also note that while the chicken cooks and its riding along to roast city, it will make noise. The skin will crackle and pop, which is totally normal. No worries, that’s what we want.

I suggest using somewhat of a non-stick roasting pan here. Not totally necessary, but some skin might fall off and burn on a pan that is prone to stickage.

Also note that the quality of the taste will be in direct correlation with the type of chicken you use. Please opt for a natural and humanely raised bird. It’s worth it.

When you buy your bird, make sure to remove the innards from the cavity. Sometimes they come enclosed in a tiny plastic bag.

For chicken

One 2- to 3-pound farm-raised chicken

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons minced thyme (optional)

For serving

Unsalted butter

Dijon mustard

Set your oven at 450 degrees F. Rinse the chicken well and pat VERY dry, as dry as you possibly can, with paper towels, inside and out. Keller notes that the less it steams, the drier the heat, the better.

Salt and pepper the cavity, then truss the bird.

Next comes salting the chicken, a crucial step. Use about one tablespoon of salt to coat the bird evenly, showering it generously. When it’s cooked, you should still be able to make out the salt baked onto the crisp skin. Season to taste with pepper.

Place the chicken in a sauté pan or roasting pan and put the chicken in the oven. Forget about it for a while and leave it alone. Keller notes that some people like to baste and butter the bird but feels that it creates steam which takes away from the super crispiness. Roast it until it’s done, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove it from the oven and add the thyme, if using, to the pan. Baste the chicken with the juices and thyme and let it rest for 15 minutes on a cutting board.

Remove the twine.

Keller’s notes on how to eat…I loved this a lot that I’m not changing it.

“Separate the middle wing joint and eat that immediately. Remove the legs and thighs. I like to take off the backbone and eat one of the oysters, the two succulent morsels of meat embedded here, and give the other to the person I’m cooking with. But I take the chicken butt for myself. I could never understand why my brothers always fought over that triangular tip—until one day I got the crispy, juicy fat myself. These are the cook’s rewards. Cut the breast down the middle and serve it on the bone, with one wing joint still attached to each. The preparation is not meant to be superelegant. Slather the meat with fresh butter. Serve with mustard on the side and, if you wish, a simple green salad. You’ll start using a knife and fork, but finish with your fingers, because it’s so good.”

Yes it is.