From Solo Lisa's Kitchen: Roast Chicken

Remember last week when I said that I was tempted to try roasting a chicken next? Well, today I present the delectable results of Sunday afternoon's culinary venture! Trust me when I say that this chicken was irresistible. It smelled so good. The skin was salty, crispy, and crackly, and the meat was moist and juicy. I started eating it. Then my family tried some. And they tried some more. By the time we went to bed, it was all gone--the dish that I thought would be several days' worth of lunches had dwindled to one drumstick on a saran-wrapped plate in the fridge.

My mom's reaction was probably the most hilarious of all, though. She's been so supportive of my culinary experiments and has tried to offer constructive criticism after each one. When I baked, for example, she'd say, "The next time you make the banana cupcakes"--and then a pause--"you shouldn't put so much sugar in the icing." With the chicken, she said, "The next time you roast chicken"--she paused and I braced myself--"you should make two. There's enough room in the oven and you have it turned on anyway. You might as well stick another one in there!"

I pretty much followed Michael Ruhlman's roast chicken recipe except that I brushed butter on the skin before sprinkling the salt on; I substituted regular salt for kosher; and I sprinkled black pepper on top. Because I had my oven set to 425 and I don't have a meat thermometer, I left the oven on for 1 hour 15 minutes to ensure the chicken was cooked thoroughly before turning it off.

This was quite possibly one of the easiest recipes ever and the results were so impressive. Have you made roast chicken before? Do you have a recipe you swear by? If you've never made one, would you consider it?