You’re definitely throwing down the gauntlet when you name something the “World’s Easiest Dinner.” the second my FIL received his Esquire and found it, they had to try it. Actually, they emailed everyone a scanned copy of the recipe, and tried it that night. We’re up next.
The instructions are very easy. Take one air-dried chicken between 3-4 lbs (recipe says between 3-3.5 lbs). Rinse and dry very thoroughly. Make sure it’s dry because that’s the key to roasting rather than steaming the bird. We patted it dry and then left it out a little longer just to make sure. Recipe calls for a cast iron skillet — we used a Le Creuset dish because that’s the closest we could come, and it seems to have worked out pretty well. Season with 1 tbsp kosher salt and some freshly ground pepper. (I would use an even better salt next time… maybe some of that great coarse sea salt I have in the cupboard as well as stuff some rosemary and garlic into the cavity for more flavor.) Place in the oven @ 450°F for about 45 minutes or until the juices at the thigh run clear. You can turn it into a full meal by chopping up some veggies like carrots or potatoes and sticking them in the pan about halfway through the cooking, but we skipped that step and sauteed spinach in the chicken fat and boiled some corn (I’m of the less-is-more school: 4 minutes dunked in boiling water).
It may not be the world’s easiest dinner — I definitely think one could argue the point (a steak on the grill next to a couple of potatoes?). That said though, this is definitely the World’s Easiest Roast Chicken, and it delivered on the tasty factor too. Crispy-esque skin, super juicy interior, even better than anticipated. Yum. Definitely recommended.
