How to Roast and Carve a Chicken

Season with salt and pepper

Coat the bird well in a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Feel free to toss in some other spices here if you like.

Combine oil and garlic

Mix the olive oil into the garlic. Don't feel like you need the garlic if it's not your thing. Some chopped herbs would work well in here as well. The oil will help crisp the skin a bit, and it's a great vehicle for intense flavor.

Loosen the skin

Gently separate the skin from the meat, starting with the breast, and working around over and behind the leg. Releasing the skin from the meat will allow you to spread some flavor under the skin where it will sink into the meat more easily.

Spread garlic oil under the skin

Pour the garlic oil under the skin and spread it around as best you can.

Move to a baking dish

Transfer the chicken over to a baking dish. Chose one with a high enough rim to capture all of the juices.

Tuck the wings behind the back

Pin the wing tips behind the back like the chicken is relaxing on a beach chair.

The stringless truss

When you roast a chicken, you want the knees tucked up against the breast for more even cooking. Most of the time you use butcher's twine to secure the legs. I like to use the loose skin at the

Secure the legs with extra skin

After cutting small incisions in the skin on either side of the opening, tuck each ankle into the hole on the opposite side.

Preheat oven to 375ºF

I've roasted lot of chickens. The temperature is not crucial, so long as the final internal temperature of the chicken is correct. You'll get slightly different results at different temperatures.

Roast for about 90 minutes

An average chicken will take about 90 minutes to cook. But chickens come in all sizes and shapes, so you need to check the temperature at the thickest part of the breast and thigh. Aim for a final temperature of 160ºF.

Slice between thigh and breast

If you're feeling lazy, just toss this guy on the table and have at it. But carving chickens is kinda fun when you get the hang of it. Start by slicing at the crease between the leg and breast on both sides.

Slice down center of chest

Slice down the chest to one side of the breast bone.

and along the breast bone

Follow the breast bone into the breast, tilting the knife to cut along the rib cage until the breast is mostly removed.

Remove the wishbone

The wishbone is basically the chicken's collar bone. Pinch into the collar until you feel the thin bone, then pull gently to release. It should come out pretty easily, ideally in one piece. If it looks broken, dig around for the missing piece.

Remove the breast

With the wishbone removed, you're clear to splay the breast out until joined only at the shoulder joint. Slice through the cartilage at the shoulder joint to remove the breast along with the drumette.

Bend the thigh backwards

By folding back the leg, you should easily release the leg from it's socket.

Slice through hip joint

Slice through the hip joint to remove the leg.

Slice through knee

To separate the drumstick from the thigh, slice from the inner recess to the outside of the knee joint. If you hit the right spot, you should easily slice through the cartilage at the knee.

Remove wing

Slice the wing away from the breast. Often the breast is served with the wing attached. This is known as an 'airline chicken breast' for some reason.

and slice the breast

Slice the breast into 3 or 4 slices.

Separate wing and drummie

Cut through the elbow joint to separate the wing from the drummie.

Repeat on the opposite side

Repeat this series on the opposite side. You won't need to remove the wishbone of course because it should already be gone.