March 2016

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Sometimes, you just need a good chicken recipe. One that’s quick and easy and impresses nonetheless. This is that chicken recipe.

Keep Calm & Impress Your Friends

When it comes to roast chicken, there are basically three camps — those who have a go-to recipe, those who don’t, and vegans. If you already have a favorite recipe, we invite you to explore whether this one could save you time and frustration. If you don’t have a default recipe, however, this is your lucky day. Given your lack of staple recipes, you likely don’t cook all that much, but you’re almost guaranteed to have all the ingredients (except the bird, of course) in your house. This plan will let you head out to Trader Joe’s, grab a frozen whole chicken, and get on with the non-cooking aspects of your life.

If you need more super-easy go-to recipes, you can buy Lucky Peach’s recipe book, “101 Easy Asian Recipes,” here. This is the most delicious, reliable, and simple roast chicken recipe we’ve ever seen. And if you need a second opinion, read about how this chicken is changing lives.

Lacquered Roast Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 3-to-4-pound whole chicken
• 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Honey
• 2 Teaspoons Salt (Kosher)

Directions

• Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, set a rack inside it, and place the chicken on the rack. Stir honey into soy sauce until it dissolves. Use a pastry brush to coat the chicken with a thin, even layer of the mixture. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes to let the skin dry slightly, then brush again with left-over lacquer. Sprinkle with salt and refrigerate, uncovered, for 12 to 48 hours.
• Between 30 minutes and one hour before you want to roast the chicken, take it out of the refrigerator. Heat oven to 400 F. Roast chicken for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the internal temperature at the thickest part of the breast is 165 F. If during the roasting process the skin darkens too quickly, tent with foil and continue roasting.
• Let rest for 15 minutes before carving.