Perfect Roast Chicken: Melissa Clark's 7 Tips

Sept. 29, 2011— -- intro: Roasting the perfect chicken with crispy skin and delicious flavor isn't always as easy as it looks. Melissa Clark, author of "Cook This Now," gives us her top seven tips for roasting the perfect chicken. Follow these simple steps for your most impressive family dinner yet. You won't be disappointed.

quicklist: 1category: title: Dry Brineurl: text: Apply a dry brine: salt and pepper the chicken, at least 30 minutes before roasting, and preferably overnight.media: caption: related:

quicklist: 2category: title: Don't Truss the Birdurl: text: Trussing is overrated. Trussing supposedly makes the chicken cook more evenly, but it's totally unnecessary.media: caption: related:

quicklist: 3category: title: Give It a Resturl: text: Allow your chicken to rest 10 minutes after roastingmedia: caption: related:

quicklist: 4category: title: Perfectly Crispyurl: text: Roast at a high temperature for crispy skin. An oven temperature of 400 to 425 degrees is ideal.media: caption: related:

quicklist: 5category: title: Don't Clean the Panurl: text: Don't get rid of the brown bits that get stuck to the pan while the chicken is roasting. While the chicken is resting, deglaze the pan with white wine and make gravy. Taste the gravy before seasoning because the brown bits are quite salty and already pack a lot of flavor.media: caption: related:

quicklist: 6category: title: Add Aromaticsurl: text: Stick a clove of garlic and a sprig of rosemary or thyme in your chicken cavity while roasting. It'll gently perfume the chicken as it roasts.media: caption: related:

quicklist: 7category: title: Dust Off Your Roasting Rackurl: text: Use a roasting rack to elevate the chicken from the roasting pan. It helps the skin crisp up all over the bird and keeps it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. media: caption: related: