Julia Child will tell you: The key to a really good roast chicken is butter. For these, I softened butter and spread it under the skin of the breast and thigh, then nestled some herbs in there, too. To get a really crisp skin like this, hit the broiler for a couple of minutes at the end.
Roast Chicken
2 (3/1/2 to 4 pound) chickens, equal in size
About 3 tablespoons Kosher salt
1 stick of butter, softened
4 large sprigs thyme
2 large sprigs rosemary
2 lemons
4 cloves garlic
1 onion
Dry brine the chicken, up to 24 hours and until 1 hour before roasting the chicken. Remove the giblets from inside the cavity of the chickens. Place the chickens on a sheet pan and salt them very liberally, inside and out. Place the sheet pan in the refrigerator, chickens uncovered, until 45 minutes before cooking. About 45 minutes before cooking, remove the chickens from the fridge and let them come to room temperature on the counter. Set the butter out to soften. Preheat the over to 375.
Using kitchen shears, snip the wingtips and the Pope’s nose — that nubby part by the butt — off the chicken. Using a paper towel, lightly dab any moisture off the skin of the chicken.
Using one hand, lift the skin of the chicken by the neck. With the fingertips of the other hand, gently separate the skin from the chicken breast. As you wiggle your hand further down the breast, under the skin, continue to gently lift and separate skin from meat. Get your hand down to the leg and thigh, gently pulling and separating as you go.
Take about 1/4 of the stick of butter and, using the same separating motion, spread it between skin and meat. Some on the thigh, but mostly on the breast. Add a sprig of thyme on top of the thigh and one on top of the breast. Add the sprig of rosemary on top of the breast. Repeat for the other quarters of the chickens.
Zest one lemon over one chicken, then cut it in half. Squeeze the juice over the chicken, then put the lemon in the cavity. Repeat for the other chicken. Smash 2 garlic cloves and rub the garlic over the skin of one chicken, then place in the cavity. Repeat for the other chicken. Cut the onion into quarters.
Place the onion quarters under the rack in a roasting pan. Rub olive oil all over both chicken and place them breast side down in the rack. Roast for 30 minutes. Using oven mitts and tongs, turn the chickens on their sides. Roast for 30 minutes. Using oven mitts and tongs, roast for 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. If the skin is not as golden brown as you would like, set the broiler to 500 degrees and broil for 3 to 4 minutes.
Let the chickens rest at least 20 minutes before carving.
