Now-and-Later Roast Chickens

Name: Now-and-Later Roast Chickens
Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Yield: 6–8 servings
Ingredients: ¼ cup (or more) extra-virgin olive oil; 2 Tbsp. garlic powder; 2 Tbsp. smoked paprika; 2 Tbsp. sugar; 2 3½–4-lb. whole chickens; 5 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 3 Tbsp. plus ¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt

By Shilpa Uskokovic

January 29, 2025

2 roast chickens on a wooden cutting surface

Photograph by Janice Chung, food styling by Lauren Stanek, prop styling by Raina Kattelson

Roasting two chickens at once is the efficient thing to do, resulting in one bird for now, one for later, and a sense of proud satisfaction when you eat the leftovers. Removing the backbones and splaying the chickens flat exposes more skin to the oven’s radiant heat, creating juicy, evenly browned chickens. If they’re browning too fast, cover loosely with foil and continue cooking until done.

Recipe notes