Classic Roast Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, 3 1/2 to 4 lb, giblets removed
• 4 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, 1 tsp per pound of chicken
• 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• 1 lemon, halved
• 6 sprigs thyme
• ¼ cup water
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter

The salt amounts here are for Diamond Crystal kosher salt. If you have Morton kosher salt, use a little over half as much, because its grains are denser and saltier by the spoon.

Steps

1. A day or two ahead, pat the chicken dry and sprinkle the salt evenly over it, heavier on the breast and thighs, with a pinch inside the cavity. Set it breast up on a rack over a plate and refrigerate it uncovered on the bottom shelf, below anything that will be eaten raw. By the time you cook it the skin will look dry and slightly see-through, so it crisps in the oven.
2. Put a 10- or 12-inch cast-iron or other ovenproof skillet on a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat the oven to 450°F. Give the pan a full 20 minutes to get hot.
3. Pat the chicken dry again and season it with the pepper. Push the lemon halves and thyme into the cavity and tuck the wing tips behind the back.
4. Set the chicken breast up in the hot skillet, legs toward the back of the oven, where most ovens run hottest. It should sizzle as it goes in. Roast until the skin is deep brown and an instant-read thermometer reads 160°F in the thickest part of the breast and at least 170°F where the thigh meets the body, 55 to 70 minutes. The breast climbs past 165°F while it rests. If the fat in the pan smokes hard, turn the oven down to 425°F.
5. Tip the bird so the juices in the cavity run into the skillet, then move it to a board, lemon and all, and rest it for 15 minutes.
6. Pour off all but a spoonful of fat from the skillet. Set it over medium heat (the handle is still very hot), add the water, then pull the roasted lemon halves out of the cavity with tongs, since they're scalding, and squeeze them in. Scrape up the browned bits and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, then swirl in the butter. Taste for salt.
7. Carve the legs off and split them into thighs and drumsticks, then take each breast off the bone in one piece and slice it. Pour any juice from the board into the pan sauce and spoon it over the chicken.

Notes

If you only have a few hours, salt the bird as soon as you can; even 1 hour helps, though the skin won't be as crisp. A bird over 4 1/2 lb takes longer and the breast tends to dry before the thighs are done, so two small birds beat one big one. Leftovers keep 3 days in the fridge, and the carcass makes good stock.