Why this recipe works: Our goal was to create a quick and simple weeknight roasted chicken breast recipe that would yield perfectly cooked meat and skin. One-and-a-half-pound whole, unsplit breasts rated best for availability, portion size, meat texture, and crispy skin—we made the skin even more crisp by oiling the top and smearing salted butter underneath. Elevating the meat was also key to our roasted chicken breast recipe: We not only perched the bird on the slotted top of a broiler pan, but also created a natural rack by pulling out the rib cage on each side of the whole breast so that it could stand up on its own, allowing the heat to circulate evenly around the meat.

• kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter , at room temperature
• 2 whole bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds each), patted dry with paper towels and trimmed of excess fat
• ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 450 degrees. Line bottom of broiler pan with foil, place broiler pan rack on top; set aside. In small bowl, mix 1/2 teaspoon salt and butter until combined. Sprinkle underside of chicken breasts liberally with salt and pepper. Gently lift skin at bottom of breast to create small pocket for butter. Using small spoon, place a quarter of softened butter under skin, directly on meat in center of each breast half. Using spoon, spread butter evenly over breast meat. Rub skin of each whole breast with 1 1/2 teaspoons oil and sprinkle liberally with pepper. Set chicken breasts on broiler pan rack, propping up breasts on rib bones.
2. Roast until thickest part of breast registers 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer chicken to cutting board and let rest 5 minutes.

• To make sure that the breasts cook at the same rate, purchase two similarly sized whole breasts (not split breasts) with skins fully intact. Whole chicken breasts weighing about 1 1/2 pounds work best because they require a cooking time long enough to ensure that the skin will brown and crisp nicely. If you do not own a broiler pan, use a roasting pan fitted with a flat wire rack. This recipe can easily be increased by 50 or 100 percent. If you do increase it, just make certain not to crowd the chicken breasts on the broiler pan, which can impede the browning and crisping of the skin.

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