André Soltner’s Roast Chicken Recipe (2024)

I spent a day with the gentle and kind Andre Soltner back in the '80's during a print shoot. I asked him, " I can't imagine the stress of a hostess if you came to her house for dinner. It it were me, I would freak out. What could I possible cook for you? I'd have to hire a chef." He said, "Oh, it's easy. Just roast a chicken. I will be happy with that." And I could see he was sincere. And now I have the perfect recipe for that imaginary dinner.

There is a reason this is a classic. It's simple, quick and delicious and would be difficult to improve upon. I'm not sure the trick of adding the water makes a difference but I would warn cooks to stand back because the water hitting the fat pops and splatters. Also I did not have as diminutive a bird as Mr. Soltner but the 3# one I had came out just perfect in an hour.

You also need a pan with lower, open sides so the chicken will crisp all over. I usually use a large skillet or sauté pan for roasting chicken and most meats. Just make sure it has an oven-proof handle. My advice is based on roasting full size chickens, not sure about a one-and-a-quarter pounder. But, I find if the sides of the pan are too high they hinder browning and make the bird (and the skin) steam rather than roast and crisp.

Perfection. I only had dried tarragon and that was fine. My 3-lb chicken cooked very quickly, it came up to 160 in about 1/2 hour, so I left it rest in the warm oven for at least 20 minutes after adding the water. The skin was crisp, the meat was juicy, the gravy was yummy. Delicious.

I cannot even imagine a 20 oz. chicken...that's one and a quarter lbs?? maybe the size of a cornish hen.
Chicken sizes in recipes astound me, as they usually always call for a 2-1/2 or 3 lb. chicken. American supermarkets have no such thing. I always feel like I have hit the jackpot if I find a 4-1/2 lb one.

Agreed - this is true. Just a teaspoon of water and 3 minutes. Before this, whenever I roasted a chicken (no matter what the recipe), we ate the dark meat first and only ate the breast pieces if we were really hungry. This is the first roast whole chicken recipe I've tried where the breast is moist and flavorful. It really works.

Gee, I take my roast chicken out of the oven before it gets to 158 - 160 in the thigh section. More like 145, then it creeps up to 150 or 155 as it rests. And I never have to worry about the breast not being moist.

BAFFLED. What a nightmare of a recipe. First: using a roasting pan on the stove at high heat? Sure - if you wasn’t even peanut oil to fill you house with smoke.Second: someone please enlighten me as to how to flip around a chicken in an oiled roasting pan. Truly. The amount of cussing I did while even trying to get this thing front breast to back was almost comical. Third: how in the world are you supposed to do all this flipping without all the onions falling out of the bird’s cavity?

The resulting steam plumps the breast.

I cook my chicken to 165 like the health department says. I don't like bloody chicken which you would get at 145. I have cotton bloody chicken at 165. All the bugs are not killed at 145, so,it is not safe to eat.

Since I couldn't find a small bird (20 oz.), I roasted a 5 pounder, cooking the bird on top of the stove and later in the oven in my Crueset with no cover and extending the browning time to 4 minutes on each side. Did everything else the same, but my bird didn't reach the suggested temperature until about 45 minutes passed. A tender, very flavorful result!

Great recipe. For a more neutral tasting chicken I omit the tarragon. The pan drippings make a wonderful gravy if you aren’t doing the tarragon butter sauce (which is also delicious). Always make this in my cast iron skillet, can sear the chicken then stick it in the oven right after.

Please note that the recipe was for a poussin -- a baby bird -- weighing only 20 oz. And for that bird, 20 minutes is enough. For a roaster, about 45 minutes should do it, but preheat the oven to 450 and leave it there. You can do Soltner's trick of steaming for a few minutes at the end. You will get a delicious bird with crispy skin.

Does anyone know the reason for the teaspoon of water dropped in the roasting pan and left for 3 minutes?

For a 5.5 lb chicken, I roasted at close to an hour, check it at 45 minutes. so, about 10-11 mins per pound. I only use this recipe for roast chicken.

Where does one find a 20 oz chicken? I don't think this is realistic at all.

I would not know where to find a 20oz chicken so I used a Cornish game hen and adjusted the timing. I think a broil would have crisped it even more? Started narrow sliced roast potatoes ahead of time and finished with the bird and I almost ate the whole chick-a-dee.

True, this made an incredibly moist and tasty chicken with crispy skin. Also true that you're going to have to clean your oven and stove top (and your glasses if you wear them). Maybe Andre had someone to do that for him. I'm going back to heating up an iron skillet in a very hot oven, then add the whole chicken breast side down for starters, then turn the oven down to 350. I'm up for trying anything once, but once was enough for this recipe.

Yes Es, perfection it is. My 3 pound bird was ready in 45 minutes resting on top of the stove while I had time to do the rest. Mashed potatoes never tasted so good along side burnished bird and pan sauce. If you can get your hands on SALTSPRING Kitchen Co. Cranberry, Sour Cherry & Port preserve than Bob is your Uncle!

For a chicken that’s fully cooked and still has moist breast meat: Heat oven to 450 F. Season under the skin and all over with salt, pepper, adobo powder, and smoked paprika. Nothing bigger than 4.5 lbs. Put the chicken in a cast iron skillet or sheet pan. Place on upper rack in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 F. Check chicken thigh temp after an hour. Not 160-170? Keep it in there, checking every 10 minutes. At 160-170 cook another 5 minutes.Rest 10 min. Enjoy.

I have success with fresh (never flash frozen and then defrosted) organic chickens. The label my store carries almost always runs around 3#.

Cook longer for larger, roasting chickens.Mark: Would like to gently suggest that it does not inspire bafflement. S&P the chicken, load the cavity, close it up with a wooden skewer and, using an 11 inch cast iron pan, drop it on its back in the pan. Two minutes later turn it (I use my fingers) to one side, leaning it against the pan edge, then repeat on the other side, then flip it to the breast for a final 2 minutes. Easy peasy.

I had a gargantuan chicken of six pounds, so I had figured on extra cooking time. I'll have to tinker a bit for a bird of this size, but I ended up covering it after the first 40 minutes. Roasted another 25 minutes, covered, then finished with a quick broil. The high heat method really keeps the juices in and it was the best chicken breast I've ever cooked.

I love this recipe & have made it many times to rave reviews.Suggested amendments:I use 1kg chickens & lower temp by 10C with almost double the time.Thoroughly salt and pepper the chicken (3 tbps), let sit for half an hour . It will also come to room temp so it cooks evenly.Try rosemary, thyme and a halved lemon in the stuffing (these will fit in a 1kg chicken). Always include tarragon.Sear in a wok-the added aroma is delightful.Melissa Clark’s Bearnaise sauce also pairs perfectly.

Needs double the oven time to not come out raw.

I make roast chicken about once a week and this recipe is one of the best.Trader Joe's now sells a Heritage Chicken that is very small—perfect size for this recipe.

C cast iron fry pan is a good sub for the roasting pan and it does better on the burner when making the sauce. Speaking of sauce, what no lemon?

This recipe is mislabeled. Its a recipe for roast poussin. I tried it with a normal sized chicken and it was a disaster. It came out undercooked and unservable. I had to break down the bird and roast it in pieces. My perfectly-timed sides began cooling and losing their crispness. A special family dinner blown. NYT, please consider re-labeling this recipe and take it out of the roast chicken section. Every other recipe from this app has been A+. This one? F!

RIP Molly O’Neil. I miss your NYC recipes.