There are endless good ways to roast a chicken: tied the traditional French way, with a spatchcock, under a brick. However, it’s my grandmother Sydney’s method that I like best. Your roast chicken comes out of the oven upright thanks to a vertical roaster.
A whole roast chicken makes any meal special; a standing chicken dominates the room. The difference is a pointed device that holds the chicken in a standing position during cooking, allowing the fat in the neck and breast to baste the chicken while gravity pulls the drips down. The upright position also allows the chicken to cook evenly on all sides, resulting in the crispiest skin and juiciest meat.
While I usually prefer my roast chicken to be simply rubbed in butter or oil and generously seasoned with salt and pepper, this concoction shines when it mimics your favorite roast chicken. Think about it: there’s not much difference between roasting your chicken vertically and roasting it over a skewer. In both cases, the entire chicken is exposed to hot air. Both methods produce a moist, juicy bird, only with a vertical roaster you don’t have to install a rotating skewer in your oven or manually turn a skewered bird over a roaring fire. Add a dry rub with some paprika, garlic powder, and brown sugar, and you have a delicious treat you only thought possible straight out of the grocery store warmer.
Before you even take the chicken out of the fridge, remove your oven racks, except for one on the bottom rung. It’s the only way a standing chicken will fit in a home oven, and it’s best to do this first before preheating the oven. Too many times I’ve found myself running around with a hot oven rack unsure of where to put it so it doesn’t damage my floors or furniture.
Next, simply pat your chicken dry, season, and place on the vertical roaster. To do this, the chicken must be placed over a large skewer that enters its cavity, and every time I roast a chicken vertically, at this stage I always whisper a soft apology to the poor bird who has already given his life for my dinner has, and that now must also give up its dignity.
Even if the chicken is placed that deep in the oven, the top breast will likely brown faster than the rest of the bird. Don’t worry about it – it won’t dry out the chicken. If the browning threatens to turn black (all ovens are different), turn the oven down 25 degrees or cover the top of the bird with a small piece of foil.
Once the chicken is cooked, you must perform the most difficult part of vertically roasting a chicken: removing it from its stand. As the chicken cooks and the bird loses water, it shrinks slightly, effectively clinging to the roaster. I recommend using tongs to remove the chicken while a second pair of hands hold the roaster down. It’s best to let the chicken rest for 15 minutes first so the meat stays juicy and you don’t burn yourself trying to pry it off.
Vertical roasters come in a variety of designs, some bulkier than others. dust makes a Cast iron model, this is one of the larger and more expensive options (costs almost $200); However, the design combines a vertical roasting pan with a roasting pan and does not require the use of an additional pan to catch drippings.
My favorite model is a lightweight stainless steel variant by Norpro. It includes a small tray for catching drips, but I would recommend placing this roaster on a sheet pan as the tray that comes with it will catch it the most the drop, but not all. The whole thing disassembles for easy cleaning and flat storage, and at under $20 there’s little reason not to give it a try.
Once you get your chickens vertical, you won’t want to fry them any other way. While a horizontal chicken will inevitably be mushy on one side, a vertical chicken is as browned and crispy as one straight off the rotisserie—and it couldn’t be easier (no trussing or broken bones!). With a roast chicken, every dinner feels like a cause for celebration, but a standing chicken seems to be celebrating itself.