Dallas, October 15, 2025
News Summary
Chefs and culinary experts are lauding Ina Garten’s ‘Perfect Roast Chicken’ as a reliable comfort-food recipe. They offer tips to enhance the dish’s moisture and flavor, including using giblets in gravy and brining the chicken. The recipe features straightforward steps using a 5- to 6-pound chicken, seasoned simply and stuffed with thyme, lemon, and garlic before roasting. The recognition of this recipe highlights its versatility and accessibility for both home cooks and professionals.
Washington, D.C. — Chefs and culinary professionals are praising Ina Garten’s “Perfect Roast Chicken” as a reliable, comfort-food recipe while offering targeted suggestions to enhance its moisture, crispness, and depth of flavor.
Key points
Chefs agree that the recipe exemplifies simplicity and effectiveness, featuring straightforward steps and precise timing. The basic recipe includes a 5- to 6-pound chicken with giblets removed, rinsed, dried, and seasoned with salt and pepper. The chicken is stuffed with thyme, lemon, and garlic, basted with butter, and roasted at 425°F for 1.5 hours. Slices of Spanish onion are scattered around the chicken in the roasting pan, enhancing flavor. An optional gravy recipe can be made from the fat scraped from the roasting pan mixed with chicken stock and flour.
What chefs are saying and suggested enhancements
Nick Walker, corporate director of culinary for Whiskey Cake in Dallas, Texas, praises the aromatic flavors and exact timing in Garten’s recipe. Kelli Bunch, owner of KB Table in Austin, Texas, highlights the purposeful steps in the recipe, including rinsing the chicken. Annie Berger, personal chef at Little Lady Chef in Washington, D.C., notes the roast chicken serves as a versatile template that can be adapted with different flavor profiles.
Chef Sophina Uong suggests a number of practical improvements. Suggested changes include using giblets in the gravy to deepen flavor, bringing the chicken to room temperature before cooking to promote even cooking, and adding butter under the skin to increase crispiness. Additional technique adjustments include basting the chicken during cooking and starting at a lower oven temperature before increasing it to achieve a crispier skin. Nick Walker also supports the idea of brining the bird overnight for added moisture and flavor.
Supporting recipe details
The recipe’s core steps are concise and repeatable for home cooks: prepare a 5- to 6-pound chicken, remove giblets, rinse and dry the bird, season simply with salt and pepper, stuff with thyme, lemon, and garlic, baste with butter, and roast at 425°F for 1.5 hours. Placing slices of Spanish onion in the roasting pan serves to flavor the pan juices, which can be used as a base for an optional gravy made from the roasting fat, chicken stock, and flour.
Context on Ina Garten and reception
Ina Garten became a familiar name in food media following the premiere of her show The Barefoot Contessa in 2002 on Food Network. She gained increased popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, marked by a significant increase in social media followers and cookbook sales. Garten’s cooking background includes self-teaching and using Julia Child’s cookbooks, as she was previously a government worker. She has had a successful and celebrated career in the food industry with more than 1,300 recipes published, and she emphasizes the joy of cooking for others and the goal of inspiring home cooking through simple, accessible recipes.
Personal and public notes
Garten is known for personal preferences that inform some recipe choices: she avoids cooking with cilantro, prefers small dinner parties, dislikes passive-aggressive people, and often prepares her famous roast chicken for significant life events. She maintains a consistent breakfast routine of oatmeal and coffee and prefers McCANN’s quick-cooking oatmeal. Her public presence is marked by warmth and a strong connection with fans, which many observers say highlights the unifying power of food.
Why this matters
The attention from professional chefs underscores the recipe’s value as both an accessible weeknight roast and a foundation for technique-driven improvements. The combination of a simple method, clear timing, and a small set of quality ingredients makes the recipe broadly useful in home and small restaurant kitchens. Suggested enhancements from chefs offer practical options for cooks who want to increase moisture, intensify pan flavors, or achieve a crisper skin.
FAQ
What does the basic recipe include?
The basic recipe includes a 5- to 6-pound chicken with giblets removed, rinsed, dried, and seasoned with salt and pepper.
How is the chicken prepared and cooked?
The chicken is stuffed with thyme, lemon, and garlic, basted with butter, and roasted at 425°F for 1.5 hours.
Are there additional flavor elements in the roasting pan?
Slices of Spanish onion are scattered around the chicken in the roasting pan, enhancing flavor.
Is there an optional gravy?
An optional gravy recipe can be made from the fat scraped from the roasting pan mixed with chicken stock and flour.
Which chefs commented on the recipe?
Nick Walker, corporate director of culinary for Whiskey Cake in Dallas, Texas, praises the aromatic flavors and exact timing in Garten’s recipe.
What improvements did Chef Sophina Uong suggest?
Chef Sophina Uong suggests improvements including using giblets in the gravy, bringing the chicken to room temperature before cooking, and adding butter under the skin for crispiness.
Did any chef recommend brining?
Walker supports the idea of brining the bird overnight for added moisture and flavor.
What is Ina Garten’s cooking background?
Garten’s cooking background includes self-teaching and using Julia Child’s cookbooks, as she was previously a government worker.
How extensive is Garten’s published work?
She has had a successful and celebrated career in the food industry with more than 1,300 recipes published.
How is the recipe commonly described?
Her “Perfect Roast Chicken” recipe is a favorite among home cooks and professionals, described as comfort food.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Chicken size | 5- to 6-pound |
| Temperature | 425°F |
| Cooking time | 1.5 hours |
| Stuffing | Thyme, lemon, and garlic |
| Pan flavoring | Slices of Spanish onion |
| Optional sauce | Gravy from fat, chicken stock, and flour |
| Chef enhancements | Use giblets in gravy; bring to room temperature; butter under skin; brine overnight |
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HERE Resources
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Additional Resources
- Southern Living: Ina Garten’s Perfect Roast Chicken
- Mashed: The Untold Truth of Ina Garten
- Better Homes & Gardens: Ina Garten’s Lemon Chicken
- EatingWell: Ina Garten’s Tips for Cooking Chicken
- Google Search: Ina Garten Perfect Roast Chicken
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