Golden whole roasted chicken on a platter with herbs and crispy skin

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Buttered Whole Bird with Sage Salt

Name: Buttered Whole Bird with Sage Salt
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Cuisine: American

A compound sage-butter rubbed under and over the skin, a hot oven, and nothing to do for 75 minutes but let the house fill with the smell. The simplest thing we put on the table that still gets everyone to the kitchen before we call them.

Prep

15 min

Cook

75 min

Total

90 min

Serves

4 to 6

Ingredients

1 (3.5–4 lb)Sunset Farms whole chicken, patted very dry
6 tbspunsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 tbspfresh sage leaves, finely chopped (or 2 tsp dried)
1 tspfresh thyme leaves
1 tsplemon zest
2 tspkosher salt, plus more for the cavity
½ tspblack pepper
1 headgarlic, halved crosswise
1lemon, halved
A few sprigsfresh sage and thyme, for the cavity
2 tbspolive oil or melted butter, for the skin
Flaky saltto finish

Why it works Our pasture-raised birds have real flavor and real fat. They don't need a brine — they need dry heat and butter. Drying the bird uncovered in the fridge overnight (if you plan ahead) gives you the crispiest skin you'll ever put in front of someone.

Method

Mix the softened butter with sage, thyme, lemon zest, kosher salt, and pepper until you have a smooth, fragrant compound butter. Taste it. It should be well-seasoned.
Heat your oven to 425°F. Set a rack in a roasting pan or cast iron skillet.
Pat the chicken completely dry inside and out. Starting at the neck, work your fingers gently under the skin over the breast and thighs to separate it from the meat without tearing it.
Push most of the compound butter under the skin, smoothing it over the breast and thigh meat with your fingers. Rub the remaining butter all over the outside of the bird.
Season the inside of the cavity generously with salt. Stuff in the garlic halves, lemon halves, and fresh herb sprigs. Tie the legs together loosely with kitchen twine if you have it.
Drizzle the outside with olive oil or melted butter. Set breast-side up on the rack.
Roast at 425°F for 20 minutes to get the skin going. Reduce heat to 375°F and continue roasting until a thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F, about 45 to 55 more minutes for a 4-pound bird.
Remove from the oven and rest on the rack for 15 minutes before carving. This is non-negotiable. The juices need time to redistribute.
Carve at the table if you can. Finish with a pinch of flaky salt. Pour any pan drippings over the top.

What to do with the carcass

Don't throw it away. Put the whole carcass in a pot with a halved onion, a carrot, a stalk of celery, and cold water to cover. Simmer two hours. You'll have a quart of golden chicken stock that makes everything else you cook this week taste better.

A whole roasted chicken is one of the few things that announces dinner without anyone saying a word. From the Sunset Farms kitchen

Cook the rest of the week

Buttered Whole Bird with Sage Salt

Method

What to do with the carcass

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