Roasted chicken is always on repeat in our house. It is simple, fairly easy, perfect for meal prep, and always a crowd pleaser.
We are lucky to live near an organic chicken farm and usually have organic young whole chickens available at the grocery store. This is going to make a huge difference in the quality of your meat. It is always better to make two young chickens verses a large whole chicken if you need more servings. Looking for a young organic chicken will give you the most tender juicy meat and most of the time the pricing is not too different. I always look for a 3-4 lb bird and it feeds our family of four.
The big wow factor really comes from the gochugaru- Korean chili powder. I love the flavor mixed with garlic and lemon. I have been able to find it at our local Asian fresh market, but I have also been able to order from Walmart and Amazon. If you absolutely need to substitute you can use equal portions of smoked paprika and cayenne pepper.
To get that perfect rotisserie style skin make sure you pat the bird dry with paper towel. Mix the spices with olive oil or neutral oil and rub inside the skin and outside.
Ingredients –
1 (3-4 lb) whole young chicken – patted dry
1/4 cup of olive oil (or neutral oil)
1 tbsp gochugaru
1 tbsp of garlic
1 tsp of salt
1 tbsp of white pepper
1 large lemon
Directions –
Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Mix the seasonings with the oil and the juice from 1 lemon
Rub the mixture all over the chicken including under the skin on the breast area
I like to put the lemon pieces inside the chicken as well and slice a few on top toward the end, but this is completely optional.
Roast at 425 degrees for 30 minutes then lower heat to 375 degrees. Cook until breast temp is 165 degrees.
Let rest for at least 15 minutes to make sure the juices get locked in before you slice!
Slice and enjoy or add a little more lemon juice and flaky salt to your slices!
