Of the Many Ways to Roast a Chicken, What's Your Favorite? May 4, 2012, 3:52 pm There are so many techniques for roasting a whole chicken. I've spent my share of time at the stove flipping the chicken halfway, experimenting with V-racks, vertical racks and even a bundt pan. I've basted, not basted, trussed, not trussed, stuffed compound butter under the skin and herbs and lemon in the cavity. I've roasted them fast at high heat and slowly at low heat. I've laid the bird on a bed of bread. I've seared the legs on the stove top before putting the whole thing in the oven. And as long as I've used enough salt to season the chicken, and then not over- or undercooked it, it always comes out well. That's the beauty of roast chicken. In this week's column I share yet another roast chicken recipe, this time for a splayed bird that is basically a tweak on a technique demonstrated here by my colleague Mark Bittman. It's my new favorite weeknight chicken-roasting method, ousting spatchcocking only because it's easier not to have to cut out the backbone. And the results are similarly tasty, especially with the roasted ramps, garlic and capers that cook alongside the bird in its lovely fat. But I know there are plenty of other chicken-roasting techniques out there and I'm looking forward to trying them. What's your favorite way to roast a chicken? We really want to know. And here's my latest video, demonstrating this week's recipe for splayed roast chicken with caramelized ramps, garlic and capers: