Roast Chicken

Steps

• 1
  Two hours before roasting, take the chicken out of the fridge and thoroughly salt it on all sides with one tablespoon of salt. Mix the remaining salt with the sweet paprika.
• 2
  Preheat the oven to 170°C.
• 3
  Pat the chicken dry, halve the butter, and place it under the chicken breast skin. Sprinkle all sides of the chicken with the salt and paprika mixture.
• 4
  Pour water into a baking tray to a height of 1 cm. Place a rack on the tray, then place the prepared chicken on it, and put the whole thing into the preheated oven.
• 5
  Roast for 90 minutes, basting the chicken with its juices during this time.
• 6
  The chicken is ready when the thigh bone can be moved easily, without resistance.
• 7
  You can place thyme or rosemary sprigs and bay leaves inside the chicken. You can also add thyme, rosemary, peeled onion, peeled garlic, or a few slices of bacon to the baking tray. You can add a teaspoon of dried garlic or a tablespoon of milk powder to the salt and paprika mixture, which will make the skin even crispier after roasting. You can replace the paprika with curry spices. Do not open the oven too often during roasting, as this can increase the total cooking time. Baste the chicken three times during the second half of the roasting time.