After graduating from cooking school, I thought I had roast chicken figured out. I would stuff the cavity and use my Boy Scout knot-tying skills to truss the bird into a perfect little package. I would even massage the skin with butter. And I did get a good "presentation" bird that way. But for the home cook who isn't working on a photo shoot — and these days, that means me — I've now got a simple, easy way to get a delicious bird with golden-brown crackling skin and moist meat. This is chicken stripped of its pretense, and it reminds us why we love roast chicken. You can do a lot with this chicken. Put a cut lemon in the cavity during the roasting, or just squeeze lemon over the meat before serving. If you like the flavor of herbs, stuff the bird with a few stems of rosemary before putting it in the oven. Even when the chicken renders a lot of fat, the cast-iron skillet will keep that fat from burning; halfway through the cooking you can add some cut carrots or potatoes (use a small uniform dice to shorten and even out the cooking time), or you can remove the cooked chicken to rest, pour off about half the fat, and sauté some greens in what's left. The whole process is incredibly fast. I can rinse, dry, season, and get the bird in the oven, and by the time I help my kids with their homework, dinner's ready.

The Recipe

Place your oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees. Get yourself a good chicken — 3 to 3.5 lbs is ideal — and rinse it inside and out under cold running water. Using paper towels, dry the bird thoroughly inside and out. The chicken must be bone dry or it will steam rather than brown. Set it in a cast-iron skillet and generously season with 1 tbsp kosher salt and

coarsely ground black pepper to taste. Place the skillet in the preheated oven and go about your business. For doneness: Slit underside of thigh — juices must run clear (about 45 minutes). The high heat turns the chicken a golden brown, and it's juicy as hell.

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