Spicy Thai Roast Chicken

Looking for weekend feast ideas? Here’s an idea for the centerpiece.. the pièce de resistance. Presenting a whole roast chicken with the crispiest skin holding in the juiciest, most tender meat. Infused with a range of Thai-inspired flavours thanks to a barbecue sauce with notes of lime, red thai chilis, beer and cilantro. Follow these 5 easy steps and you will have a perfect roast chicken EVERY. SINGLE. TIME!

How to Roast a Whole chicken in the oven in 5 Steps:

Step 1. Prepping the bird

First things first, give the bird a rinse in the sink, washing the exterior and the interior cavity. Shake off the excess water and pat the chicken dry using paper towels. This ensures the seasoning layer really sticks- a necessary layer to make the crispiest skin. Make sure to wash the sink with warm soapy water afterwards to get rid of any lingering bacteria. Next, rub the olive oil all over the chicken in a thin layer and then evenly sprinkle with salt and pepper. This is the base seasoning layer. Next, place the chicken in a large, air-tight, sealable bag or something equivalent.

Step 2. Marinate for… maximum flavour

Choosing a marinade is a pivotal step for roast chicken. This recipe uses a Spicy Thai Red Ale Barbecue Sauce (featured last post!). The secret to the best tasting roast chicken? Time. Giving your chicken enough time to become infused with the flavours of your chosen sauce is the key. Place the seasoned chicken in a sealable ziplock bag or use a vacuum sealer (for those of you lucky enough to have a sous-vide!). Pour on the sauce and remove all the air. Swish the sauce around, make sure the chicken is covered and place it in the fridge to marinate for one to two days. This is the kind of meal that is perfect to prep Friday and cook for a Sunday dinner feast. The longer you give it, the more time it has to really soak up the flavours. In this case, it takes on the notes of lime, cilantro, lemongrass, red ale and red thai chilis.

Step 3. Room temperature

For a consistent cooking experience, always cook meat starting from room temperature. If you try to cook a cold bird just recently taken out of the refrigerator, the exterior will cook much faster than the deepest parts. This means it will take longer for the parts closest to the bones to reach a safe internal temperature and the meat closest to the surface will end up overcooked. Overcooked means dry so avoid that at ALL costs. Do yourself a favour and take the marinating chicken out of the fridge at least an hour or two before you plan to cook it.

Step 4. Roasting time

Pick a pan that your chicken will fit comfortably in. I have a porcelain casserole dish with high sides that is the perfect size for most chickens. A roasting pan will work well too if you have one. Place the chicken in the pan and pour the excess marinade on top. The chicken roasts best when cooked on the bottom rack of the oven, so rearrange the racks as necessary. This gives a nice amount of space above the chicken for hot air to circulate -AKA convection!

Perfectly roasting a chicken is done in two parts. Start with a high oven temperature of 425°F to sear the outside, this will create a crispy skin layer to keep most of the juices trapped inside while cooking. Next, bring the oven temperature down to 350°F to finish cooking the chicken. This allows you to slow down the cooking process, giving you more control over the final internal temperature; meaning every part of the chicken will reach the perfect temperature around the same time. The weight of the uncooked chicken will determine how long it roasts at this stage.

This recipe focuses on roasting a 4 to 5 pound whole chicken. The internal temperature of the bird is the most exact way to tell when the chicken is done cooking. An internal temperature of 155°F (68.3°C) is the target goal. General cooking guidelines for a 4 pound bird takes 35-40 minutes whereas a 5 pound bird is closer to 40-45 minutes. From that point, depending on how close it is to 155F, put it back in the oven for 2-5 minute intervals and check again. If you have an oven that runs hot, check the internal temp early in order to make sure you don’t overcook the bird. If you are working with a smaller or larger-sized bird, adjust the timing by cooking for less or more time accordingly in 5 minute increments. It’s also a great idea to rotate the pan at the half-way mark. This ensures even cooking of the chicken no matter if your oven has hot spots or not. For exact measurements of the internal temperature, a meat thermometer is crucial.

The crucial tool - Thermometer!

So.. how do you tell when the chicken is done? There is a fine line between cooking the chicken enough that it is safe to eat and retaining as much juicy tender meat as possible. The higher the internal temperature, the less juicy your chicken will be. You can follow the timing guidelines mentioned above for a general estimate but the absolute best, most sure-way is to use a thermometer! An instant thermometer will give you the most accurate internal temperature read on your bird. You can safely consume chicken that has been cooked to 165°F (74°C). This temperature is high enough to kill any food pathogens found in the meat. The most well-known culprit in poultry being salmonella.

To check the temperature, make sure you stick the thermometer in the deepest parts of the bird, closest to the bones like the joint between the leg and breast bone. Don’t worry if the dark meat is still pink or a little bloody close to the bones. As long as the temperature has reached 165°F it is completely safe to eat. To sum it all up, use a thermometer (instant is best!) and you will nail cooking a juicy bird each and every time.

Not only are thermometers great for checking the internal temperature of different varieties of meat, I’ve also used it to check water temperature when making yeast-based doughs, caramels or candies. Thermometers are a kitchen tool I absolutely recommend every cook keep in their tool drawer.

Step 5. Rest and Relax

Hold up! Didn’t you mention taking the chicken out of the oven at 155°F instead of 165°F? What’s that all about? Good catch! That is entirely due to the rest period. After taking the chicken out of the oven, transfer it to a cutting board (one with a groove to catch all the excess juices). Let it sit for 10 minutes. This rest time has two functions. First and foremost, over those ten minutes the heat from the hotter outside edges continues to transfer deeper into the bird raising the internal temperature an additional 10 degrees; bringing the final temp to 165°F - SAFE! This lets you maximize the juiciness of the roast chicken without overcooking it.

The second reason to rest the bird is for the juices. While cooking, the chicken will release a lot of water (AKA chicken juice). By waiting for a ten minute rest period, the juice will be reabsorbed into the meat. If you cut the chicken right away all that juice will flow out onto your cutting board meaning drier meat than if you had just shown a little bit of patience. So wait at least ten minutes! You can spend that time getting the rest of the meal together.

That’s it! Your extra juicy and tender roast chicken is ready to be carved and eaten. Treat yourself to the perfect feast this weekend or even for a special weeknight dinner.

Bonus Step: Save the Bones!

Eat the meat within 1 week of cooking the chicken. You can also use the carcass and bones within that same time frame to make a bowl of the epic spicy chicken curry noodle soup pictured above. If you don’t want to use the bones right away, freeze them for up to 6 months.