Vic's Chicken

I have been making a version of this recipe, adapted from my grandmother, for as long as I remember.

Easily adaptable to the number of people you’re serving — and their appetites.

I don’t recommend chicken breasts here; thighs stay tender and flavorful during a longer cook. If you must use breasts, choose bone-in, skin-on.

If you're concerned about judging when the chicken is cooked, an instant-read thermometer will tell you when they reach the safe temperature for chicken, 165°F.

I usually cook the chicken in a 10- or 12-inch cast-iron skillet, depending on the number of pieces I’m roasting.

Please read the whole recipe through before you start, as steps are taken to avoid contamination from any bacteria that may be on the raw chicken.

If you have time, salt the chicken pieces all over, place them on a rack on a platter, and refrigerate for a few hours. This dry brining will help the chicken to crisp. However, more often than not I skip this step because I haven’t planned it long enough in advance — and it’s still great.

My preferred chicken is Bell & Evans, and I go out of my way to get it. The dried herb I use is Greek oregano from Kalustyan’s, which is dried and still on the stem; I remove it from the stems, crush it, and sift out any large bits through a coarse strainer.

Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or whole chicken legs, as many as you like
(If you insist on using breasts, use bone-in, skin-on, and shorten the cook time so they don't dry out)
Vegetable oil (I use grapeseed)
Salt
Pepper, generous
Garlic powder, to taste
Dried herbs (oregano or another favorite for chicken)

Preheat the oven to 400°F. If you have a roast setting, use it now.

Have the pan you’re going to roast the chicken in ready on the counter or stove. Slick a tiny amount of oil in the pan and wipe any excess out with a paper towel.

Set a plate or platter large enough to hold the uncooked chicken next to the sink.

Place a sheet of aluminum foil in the bottom of the sink. Put the chicken pieces on the foil and drizzle with a little oil. Season generously with salt (unless pre-salted), pepper, garlic powder, and dried herbs. Rub everything in with your hands to coat the chicken evenly.

Transfer the chicken to the plate or platter next to the sink, then place the pieces into the roasting pan.

Throw away the foil and wash your hands before touching anything else. The chicken should not have touched the sink; you can wash it to be sure, but all these steps are so the chicken does not touch the sink at all.

Put the pan in the oven and roast until the chicken is very, very crisp — 45 minutes to an hour. I usually cook it for an hour because the result I want is extremely crisp, well-done chicken. I baste occasionally while it’s cooking, but I do not turn the pieces over.

Note for anyone using bone-in, skin-on breasts: start checking at 35 minutes; remove any pieces that reach 165°F at the thickest point (avoid the bone), and return the rest to finish. Tent cooked pieces lightly with foil while the others crisp.

Serve hot.