How to achieve a crispy skin when roasting a chicken?

Question

I have an accurate electric oven, but when I attempt to roast a chicken, it always seems to come out more steamed than roasted. A lot of liquid seeps out during the cooking, could this be causing the chicken to seem more steamed than roasted?

Here’s what I do:

I bake a 3-pound roaster chicken at 325-350 deg F, in an electric oven. I place the chicken uncovered on a wire grate over a sheet pan or shallow roasting pan. I seasoned with salt and pepper, following what seems standard procedure in most recipes. I use a meat thermometer and remove the chicken when 160 deg.F. is reached.

I tried dumping out the liquid during roasting, which didn’t help. I even tried browning in a skillet first, but that was just a mess.

I would like to crisp up the skin. How can I do this?

Answer 1

The issue in achieving crispy skin is managing the moisture content. At least one day (but as many as 3) before you plan to roast the chicken, salt the exterior and interior with kosher salt. Place in the refrigerator uncovered. This will draw out moisture.

I also prefer roasting at much higher temperatures, in the 425F to 450F range. This will help as well.

Finally, try to use chickens that were not frozen first...or, if they were, plan ahead so they thaw very slowly in the refrigerator. Quick thawing pf chicken causes the release of an excessive amount of liquid when cooking.

Answer 2

The reason a chicken will come out of a roasting with rubbery skin is because of the moisture of the skin/chicken. The key is to managing the moisture before placing it in the oven. Too much (or any) moisture will steam the chicken instead of roasting it.

I have a recipe that I follow for oven roasted chicken which never fails to yield crispy skin.

• First, remove the giblets and rinse the chicken
• Then pat the chicken down with copious amounts of paper towels, inside and out. This step is very important. Try to reduce as much surface moisture as you can
• The chicken should then be set out in a well-ventilated area for at least 20 minutes. This will aid in drying the chicken out
• Place the chicken in a cast iron pan. Heavily coat the skin with kosher salt and cracked pepper. Add other herbs and spices as you wish
• Roast for ~45 minutes at 450°. Check the temp with meat thermometer

Answer 3

I cook it much hotter and much flatter and it comes out juicy with crispy skin. Here's the recipe if you want to try it.