basic ass roast chicken with lemony pan drippings gravy

This recipe calls for two chickens because why only roast one when the second can be used to make a bangin chicken soup, salad, or literally anything else you make with leftover roast chicken. #1 is for eating night of, #2 is for all your next day creations.

what you need

for the dry rub

~2 tbsp kosher salt

~1 tbsp paprika

~1 tsp oregano

~1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

for the chicken

2 organic whole chickens (it’s a simple recipe, quality of chicken matters! get the best one your grocery store or butcher offers)

1 lemon, quartered

for gravy

pan drippings + extra chicken stock as needed (unsalted)

flour and butter OR cornstarch and water, to thicken

salt and pepper, as needed

what you do

preheat oven to 425 degrees and make dry rub. pat chickens with paper towel to dry WELL. Season chickens all over with the rub, making sure to get in all those nooks and crannies. Transfer chickens to a sheet pan topped with a wire rack (breast side up). you can truss the entire chicken if you’d like but I usually just tie the legs and tuck the wings under. scatter the lemon around the outskirts of the chicken. roast for 25 mins.

My clients have a La Cornue oven (basically a mini oven) which means one chicken will be in the back and one in the front. After 25 mins I like to rotate the sheet pan so the front chicken gets her moment to crisp up in the back of the oven.

I assume most of you reading this have a normal sized oven, so I’d recommend placing your chickens side by side, with legs facing the back of the oven. After 25 mins, physically switch the positions of the two chickens (don’t rotate) so that the sides of the chickens that were next to each other are now on the outside and have the chance to crisp up (hope that makes sense lol).

EITHER WAY, after the 25 mins switch, roast for another 20ish mins until the internal temp in the thickest part of the breast reads 155 degrees and juices run clear. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 mins (leave on wire rack so juices continue to collect).

After 10 mins, transfer chickens to cutting board (tipping out the juices that may have collected in the cavity onto the sheet pan). Discard the lemons (they should be charred and mostly juiceless). Now it’s time to make your gravy.

If using cornstarch slurry thickening method:

Transfer pan drippings to a small sauce pan over medium heat. Taste and if too salty dilute with unsalted chicken broth (or water). In a small bowl, mix equal parts cornstarch and water to create a ‘slurry’. When pan drippings are hot, whisk in the slurry. It should thicken relatively quickly, after 30 secs or so of stirring. Add more slurry if the mixture does not thicken. Once desired consistency is reached, carve your chicken and serve!

If using flour and butter method

In a small sauce pan melt ~ 1-2 tbsp of butter then mix in equal parts flour to form a wet, cookie dough looking mixture called a roux. Cook for 1-2 mins then slowly whisk in pan drippings, it will thicken immediately. Continue to add unsalted chicken stock until desired consistency is reached. Carve chicken and SERVE!

**Amount of slurry or roux needed to thicken your gravy directly correlates to amount of liquid you have to thicken. Keep that in mind when estimating quantities! For a smooth, more perfect looking gravy you can strain it through a fine mesh strainer before serving, but it is not essential.