Rock Salt Roast Chicken {Basically The Best Roast Chicken Ever}
This rock salt chicken is the best roast chicken ever; the rock salt base locks in the moisture and flavor to create juicy, tender chicken.
For years I’ve been buying rock salt (otherwise known as ice cream salt) in bulk. To make ice cream, you ask? Ha! My kids wish.
Nope. To make roast chicken! Seriously. Stick with me here.
This recipe was passed on to me by my Aunt Marilyn who got it from a friend of hers who happens to be an amazing Italian cook. You might think that roasting a whole chicken on a bed of rock salt would be asking for a big, salty problem. But you would be wrong, no offense.
Instead, the rock salt base locks in the moisture and flavor to create the most juicy, tender, tastiest chicken. Ever.
When you consider the thousands upon thousands of recipes that call for cooked, shredded chicken, I wouldn’t blame you if you are skimming the rest of this long-winded post so you can get in the kitchen and make this pronto.
Plus, you can save the bones (I prefer not to say carcass because I just don’t like that word and dang it, you just made me say it) and make your own chicken stock to freeze for later use.
However, if I’m being completely honest, 5.5 times out of 10 when I make this, I scrap the whole nice-dinner theme and we load the tender chicken onto rolls with mustard and sharp cheddar cheese and stuff our faces that way. Embrace the rock salt and make this chicken.
No matter how you use it, you are bound to fall in love.
What to Serve With This
I make this recipe frequently for Sunday dinner and serve it with cheesy potatoes, rolls, a green salad and steamed veggie.
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Rock Salt Roast Chicken {Basically The Best Roast Chicken Ever}
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken
- 4 pound box rock salt, also called ice cream salt
- 1 lemon
- 3-4 sprigs parsley
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Line a 9X13-inch pan with foil for easy cleanup and pour the rock salt into the pan, evening it into a thick, smooth layer. Remove and discard anything (like neck, gizzards, etc.) from inside the chicken, if included, and rinse the chicken inside and out, draining thoroughly. Generously salt and pepper the inside and outside of the chicken. With a fork, poke holes all over the lemon. Put the lemon, parsley and garlic into the cavity of the chicken. Secure the chicken closed with a toothpick or two. Place the chicken on the bed of salt.
- Bake for 40 minutes. Carefully flip the chicken over and bake for another 40-50 minutes until cooked through (the chicken should register 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer at the thickest part of the chicken breast).
Notes
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Recipe Source: from my Aunt Marilyn by way of her friend, Rosanna P.
When I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it. It just sounded unique, so why not? Well let me tell you, this rock salt chicken recipe is legit. When I put it on the kitchen table, my husband was a little skeptical thinking it might be too salty or what not, but he got a great surprise instead. He thought it was delicious as did my 3 teens and myself. The chicken turned out moist and very flavorful. It was very simple to prepare and fun too! Another recipe that I will definitely make again.
Thanks, Melanie (loved reading all your reviews popping up on recipes today!)
This recipe was perfect! The chicken came out tender moist and full of flavor! The ingredients were basic and simple, this will be added to my go to recipes! Thanks Mel!!!
I know this is a VERY late comment but wondering if you could make chicken broth with the bones or would it be too salty? When I make a whole chicken in my slow cooker, I always use the bones to make broth.
I’ve never tried it with this chicken because of the salt factor – sorry I don’t know!
Mel – I can’t wait to try this! When placing the chicken on the salt, do you first place it right-side up with the breast on top and then flip it over? Or do you start with the bird upside down and then turn it breast side up? Is there any difference in how it roasts?
I don’t think it matters, but I usually start with it right side up and then flip it over so it finished baking breast side down.
This is the most delicious chicken ever! I have been making it for several years now since you’ve posted! I usually make a lemon garlic cream sauce on the side to spoon over it! So delish! Every time I make it I wonder if I can stick two whole chickens on the tray! Do you think this is possible if they fit? Or do you think it would cook weird?
If they fit I think that would work great!
Made this be4. Family loved it! Will make again this Sunday.
This roast chicken is fantastic! So flavorful and so easy!
Is there any concern that on the box of rock salt it states “not intended for human consumption” ? I know we are not going to eat the rock salt, but I gather it influences the taste of the chicken. Thanks!
If you don’t want to use the rock salt, lots of others have used coarse, kosher salt.
I had never, ever in my life roasted a whole chicken before this recipe. I was too nervous, but I do love the rotisserie chickens from the store. It’s just that they can be a little oily. So I dared to try this. So so simple with just a feel ingredients but WOW what flavor!!! We were all blown away! Everyone ate it! Delicious and easy 🙂
So happy you loved this, Kelli – thanks for letting me know!
This was one delicious chicken. I used sprigs of rosemary instead of parsley [what I had on hand] and it was fabulous. I could taste the rosemary throughout the meat which was tender and moist.
Mel, I direct everyone I know to your site, even the Oster customer service. She thought it sounded delicious and I told her all of your recipes are. But my question…can I use this in a roasting pan? I am making 4 of your barbeque version of rock salt chicken and we have to go to a friends house. We have an exchange student from Spain and we are trying to give him an American dinner but it is 106 right now here in the Pacific northwest, something that I think NEVER happens. She is hosting us at her home and taking us out on the sound in her boat, etc, so I don’t want to be rude and say that I need to use her ovens. I want to scrap my whole idea and just make something easy, but it’s too late, I’ve already invested in the expensive organic chicken and have run out of time. I have googled since 4:15 am trying to find out if this will work. Do you know if I can just put the chickens in the roaster ovens (she has 2)?
I just reread my email…sorry, it is not very clear. She wants me to use her roaster ovens, not her regular oven, as the weather is so hot. I am cooking a total of 4 chickens, so have bought enough rock salt for the entire 4 chickens.
Hi Laura – I can’t believe it is so hot there! My in-laws and brother live in Portland and they are probably melting right now. As for the chicken, I haven’t tried it in the roaster, but I’m almost positive it would work. The skin of the chicken won’t be as crispy as in the oven, but I bet it will be juicy and delicious
When you say salt and pepper the inside and outside of the chicken, do you mean with rock salt as well? Or is the rock salt just for the bed?
Thank you!
Nope, just regular coarse, kosher salt (that’s what I use).
Hi! I just made this and it was delicious – thank you so much for the recipe! I didn’t use as much salt as you suggested and it turned out wonderfully, the skin was crispy and flavourful, the meat was so tender. Thank you again 🙂
Made this today for Sunday dinner, and it was delicious! I used the rock salt as well without worries. Highly recommend for anyone wanting a new way of cooking chicken. The meat was very moist and preparing/cooking it was a breeze.
Super moist and delicious! My kids gobbled it up serving after serving (after serving)…
Mel, What can I say????? Hands down the BEST roast chicken EVER!!!!!! Love, love, love it!!!! Thx for posting..
I have made a version of this for many years and it is always a hit- and so easy! I have always used a box of coarse kosher salt- and it works perfectly, FYI.
I use a little higher heat, it makes a super crispy skin that my kids fight for, and the inside is incredibly tender and juicy. Good without the lemon, herbs too.
Any thoughts as to whether or not I could do this in an electric roaster? I need to do a turkey and I always do it in my electric roaster and want to try the rock salt method with the turkey because I don’t feel like trying to keep a brine ice cold when it is over 100 degrees outside!
Kim – I’ve never used an electric roaster for this type of recipe so I’m not really sure but it’s certainly worth a try!
Kim did you try this in the roaster? I was thinking of doing the same thing! I don’t want to heat up my kitchen here in Vegas!
Hi Mel,
Not sure if you have already answered this but what do you do with all the leftover rock salt after cooking the chicken? Can you reuse it or into the bin after cooking?
Hi Alicia, I discard it since all the chicken juices have run down into it and I’m not certain it will keep well to use again.
Hi Mel,
I was wondering if the “list” of recipes using cooked chicken is inactive – or is it my computer nieivity at work again? Would love the list if it’s easily available. Thanks –
Wendy
Wendy – The post is pulling up OK for me, so try THIS link and see if it works. If not, let me know what isn’t working for you.
Thanks Mel – your new “this” worked!
I have used this method for chicken and turkey (YES BIG THANKSGIVING TURKEY) for over 30 years and I use coarse kosher salt______turns up wonderful every time
For the turkey use the turkey pan and make sure you have about 1″ salt under it (or more if it is to fat) No need to turn it May need to cover with foil and baste it (or spray it) with just water Use cooking time from any poultry cooking table and a temperature thermometer – place in lower rack
I have a question though …………anybody tried this in a crock pot ? How?
I am afraid the salt will make the temp to rise to much (may crack???)
Please reply if you have done it and your slow cooker survived
tks
healthy eating
Nery
I know this is an old comment – but THANK YOU for posting how to do this with turkey! I was just about to try this. 🙂
My husband and I absolutely LOVE this chicken! I have made it several times now. Better yet – I have adapted it to make it in the crockpot! Do yourself a favor and try this chicken! You will not regret it!
Hi Liz! I know your post was from ages ago but would you share your crockpot version? I would love to give it a try! Thank you so much in advance, and thank you Mel for what sounds like an amazing recipe, I can’t wait to try it but I don’t have an oven yet
OOPS!! I checked the actual recipe and that should be 475 degrees, “very high heat” – !
I was introduced to salt roasted chicken by a le Creuset saucepan recipe booklet, promising “the best tasting chicken you’ve ever had!” That recipe is similar to yours, except that it specifies a 3.5 lb chicken, then in addition to parsley, chives plus 2 T fresh herbs of choice but no garlic — then it calls for 50 minutes cooking time sitting in a 2 qt cast iron saucepan and doesn’t have one turning the bird over at all. Temp may be lower than 400 — will have to check…
I once cooked a 3.5 lb duck this way, substituting orange for the lemon. The result was a duck unlike any other I’ve ever had: very light in flavor, not at all fatty and overly rich — delicious!!. Two friends who adamantly disliked duck tried it then both agreed that this was a duck flavor they could really enjoy.
I told my daughter about this and now we’ve decided to try this for Thanksgiving this year. The only trouble is that the local market’s ducks are bigger than 3.5 lbs, so I’ll have to guess about the cooking time…
So…this might be a seriously dumb and/or weird question, but could I just use the same kind of salt that is sitting in my water softener downstairs? It’s what I use when making ice cream, and I’ve got a whole bin of it just sitting there. I hope the answer is yes. But if not, I will be okay too.
Danielle – my first instinct is no. But that’s because I thought water softener salt was different than rock salt. Many people have commented on this thread that they wouldn’t use ice cream salt either because it’s not for consumption. I use it and feel fine about it but the water softener salt makes me a little nervous (although I could be proven wrong if it really is the same thing).
Hi Mel – I found your blog from a pinterest link and I haven’t been back to pinterest for a recipe since! Everything I have made so far from your site has been spot-on in terms of what I expected the end result to be.
As far as the chicken goes… This chicken was perfect. I didn’t have rock salt, but used Kosher salt and it seemed to work just fine. While a few other readers have said they want to embellish this with additional sauces or glazes… to them I say: it’s truly NOT needed and you would lose the true flavor of the chicken. Save your embellishments for your side dishes. 🙂
Thanks for a great blog!
I am not a fan of bone-in chicken. I’m wondering if this recipe would also work with boneless, skinless breasts (obviously the cooking time would be greatly reduced.)
I had a whole chicken just sitting around, begging to be roasted. When I saw this, I chuckled to myself and thought, Mel always says that everything is the best! I knew it would be delicious but I was not prepared for just HOW delicious it was. You are right, Mel. How could I have ever doubted it? It was the BEST! Our daughters were asleep when we finally sat down to eat which just enhanced this dining experience! I just kept shoving it in my face saying “it’s just so juicy! Why is it so juicy? I can’t believe it!” YUM YUM. Thanks again. This is my go-to recipe site and it NEVER fails. I am constantly forwarding these recipes to my friends and recommending your site. You are truly the best!
We have made this several times and its SOOO good. I am so glad I found this recipe here. We only use half a box of rock salt in our pampered chef deep covered baker and it works amazingly. We usually stuff with whatever we have on hand. onions apples etc. Its a very flexible recipe as long as you use the rock salt. Thanks Mel. We will be keeping this forever.
I have used this basic method for roasting prime rib, and it is fabulous. The method is slightly different. I seasoned my roast with salt and pepper. I lined a deep roasting pan with foil. Then I poured some rock salt in the bottom and moistened it slightly, put in the roast, and poured more rock salt over the top. (Try to cover the meat all over.) Then I tented the foil over the top of the meat and put it in the oven at 500 degrees. (Do not completely seal the foil.) Bake 15 minutes per pound. PS: I like my meat well done. The salt bits must be removed from the outside of the meat before serving.
Very intrigued & after reading comments gotta try it but will have to wait until the temp here in Illinois drops below a humid 97 degrees. Found you on Pinterest. Glad I did!
Made this tonight for my family (used a lime instead of a lemon because I didn’t have a lemon) and it was a hit! Everyone wanted more chicken. It was moist, flavorful and gorgeous to behold. Wowee! It was also super easy to make on a day when I already had the oven going for a lot of other things. Hooray! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I will definitely be making it again – especially if I need to take a dinner to someone.
I made this tonight in the crockpot and it was wonderful!! I also seasoned it with lemon pepper (salt free!) My fiancé and I agreed it was the best chicken I have made!! I will definitely make this a regular in my home.
I made this last week and it was wonderful. Usually I always discard the skin on roasted chickens because it’s flabby and gross! This recipe made it crisp up nice and crunchy and I actually ate some of it. I put a few extra drumsticks into the pan but I don’t think they need as long to cook, so next time I’ll add them at the flipping point.
Just out of curiosity, are you really using the actual “ice cream salt”? I have a box of Morton brand Ice Cream Salt, and it specifically states that it is not intended for consumption.
Tracey – yes, I do buy the ice cream salt when I can’t find boxes of rock salt. I guess I’ve always justified it because you aren’t actually consuming the salt – although it does help impart flavor. I’m pretty sure someone said they used coarse kosher salt in place of rock salt so you may try that if you are worried about the rock salt…but I haven’t tried it myself so don’t hate me if it’s too salty. 🙂
Hi Mel, I just wanted to say how amazing this chicken was! My husband and I declared this the best roast chicken recipe we have ever had! I was wanting to make this for a larger crowd so if I were to use a 10 pound chicken how much rock salt would I use? Would I still use 4 pounds? Thanks!
Stephanie – as long as the chicken fits on the same size of pan there is no need to increase the rock salt – it’s only if you have to use a larger pan size that you’d want to increase the salt so it is at least 1 inch thick.
I tried this for the first time today, and it won’t be my last! The chicken was juicy and flavorful. (I used Kosher salt rather than rock salt.)
Thanks, Mel!
There’s rock salt (Brown) and rock salt (white) – white is fine for consumption.
I have never made a whole chicken before so I was a little nervous. The grocery store only had a 6.35 lb chicken so I was also worried about adjusting the cooking time. However, this was amazing!!!!!!! I was dying. It was delicious. I did make a lemon, garlic, cream sauce and served it on the side and I think it made it even more delish. Thanks for the recipe! It’s incredible!
The most delicious roast chicken I have ever had!! The whole family LOVED it! Thank you!!!
Wow! This was the best chicken ever! I was skeptical but it was so delicious. My husband and I absolutely loved it. Thank you for sharing this recipe. We will definitely be making this again!
A friend recommended your site to me, which I gladly have been reading & trying recipes from. By far this is one of my favorite recipes so far! It was the first time EVER that I roasted a chicken and WOW was it delicious! It had such good flavor and was so juicy, not to mention super simple to do. Thank you!
Karen -yes, I think you could (I’m pretty sure it’s the same philosophy) but I haven’t actually tried it so I can’t guarantee the results.
This seriously is basically the best roasted chicken ever! Wow. LOVED it. Thank you!!
Maybe someone has already asked this question but I was just wondering if you could use a Himalayn Salt Block (which you can buy cooking grade ones) instead of the rock salt. I hate the thought of wasting rock salt each time. I’ve made the chicken and it is delicious and would love to make it more.
Thanks so much Mel
Just the best!!! Like a brined chicken. An incredible PLUS…..your home will smell amazing, even the next morning. I’ve never seen a recipe like this but will definitely be doing it again. The lemon adds great flavor, and the salt (HOW?) makes it all so moist….white and dark meat. My husband was iffy also…..found a piece of the salt in the Farro Salad I made as a side dish and thought it was glass!!!! Fantastic recipe…..THANK YOU!
I did this last night, and it was a huge hit… we’ll be happily picking off the leftovers for a while. We used about half the amount of salt, and used sea salt (had to use what we had on hand!) and it still turned out great. And the kids loved helping with it. I blogged a bit more about it today!
Samantha – you could definitely do 2 chickens as long as they fit in the pan (with some space between – you don’t want them smashed up against each other). As for the glaze, I haven’t tried it but you could experiment and see how it works out. Good luck!
G Andolina – I haven’t heard of pyrex dishes exploding in the oven but I always use my aluminum 9X13-inch pan for this and it works great.
I would caution you all NOT to use a Pyrex dish for this. there have been instances of them exploding and I can see that this might easily set up the kind of elements that lead to that. use a metal or corningware pan.
That said I really need to try out this recipe. I like the idea of doing a couple of chickens at a time. That salt isn’t cheap.
I wonder how cornish hens or game birds might do with this. I was thinking about duck even, but I need to see this first.
Another thing I am thinking about is using a Silpat pad or two for turning a chicken or turkey over. I haven’t tried it yet. If anyone does soon, let me know how it worked. Make usr you wash it immediately because they absorb odors.
Also, if I wanted to feed a crowd, could I do two smaller chickens on the same bed of rock salt? Thanks so much Mel!