Roast Chicken Vertically

A good roast chicken will never let you down. And though the recipe calls for just five ingredients roasting a chicken to tender, juicy, skin-crisped, perfection can be tricky – it’s a matter of cooking two different kinds of meat at once. The lean, white breast cooks faster than the rich, dark legs and thighs.

The best technique originated in Asia, home of the chicken where the cooks roasted their birds on a rotisserie. This way the heat of the oven circulates around the chicken while its fats naturally baste the meat and insure a golden skin. There’s no need to truss or turn or baste the chicken, it practically roasts itself.

Vertical roasting took became “a thing” in the States with “Beer Can Chicken,” where the chicken was inverted onto a can and the beer added flavor and moisture as it roasted. But a better, less messy alternative, is a ceramic chicken roaster with a built-in cup to hold the liquid (I prefer white wine).

Most important is to start with a room temperature bird, a cold chicken takes longer to cook. Be sure to preheat the oven so the bird goes in hot to sear the skin with a blast of heat. No need to wash the chicken (it’s safe to eat when fully cooked), just pat it dry with a paper towel so the skin crisps up. Season with plenty of salt and pepper, inside and out and rub a little butter under the skin, a little more equals little more flavor. Once it’s done, wait about 10 to 15 minutes before carving so the juices settle and soak back into the bird. The genius of a classic roast chicken its striped-down, bare bones technique.

How To: Roast Chicken Vertically! 

Serves 4 to 6

You may need to adjust the oven racks to accommodate a “standing” bird. Be sure to remove the chicken from the refrigerator about 45 minutes before roasting so that it comes to room temperature. Once roasted, allow it to stand about 15 minutes before carving so that the juices retrace into the bird and do not run off onto the cutting board.

1 chicken, about 4 pounds

2 tablespoons butter, room temperatures

Several sprigs thyme

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup wine or stock

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Pat the chicken dry, inside and out. Gently lift the skin at the opening of the breast and rub some of the butter inside the skin and around the breast meat. Rub the rest of the butter over the whole chicken. Tuck a few thyme sprigs in between the skin and the breast. Generously season the chicken with salt and pepper.

Pour the wine into the cup holder of the vertical roaster. Set the chicken’s cavity on the cup of the vertical roster.

Roast the chicken until the skin is crisped, the juices run clear, and the internal temperature reaches 165-degrees on an oven thermometer. Remove from the oven and allow the chicken to rest about 10 to 15 minutes before removing to a carving board. Save any of the juices that have collected in the roaster to drizzle over the meat.