• Before You Start…Please note that this recipe requires 12 hours or up to a full day of dry brining time for the chicken.

12–24 HOURS BEFORE ROASTING

• Gather all the ingredients. If your chicken comes with giblets, remove them.
  
• In a small bowl, combine 3 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper.
  

To Spatchcock the Chicken

• Place 1 (4-pound) whole chicken breast side down on a cutting board with the tail end facing towards you. Using sharp poultry or kitchen shears*, remove the backbone of the chicken by cutting along both sides of the spine (cut close to the spine so that you do not remove any excess meat). *We have tried various kitchen shears and this Kuhn Rikon pair is the victor.
  
• Cut open the rib cage, trim off any fat, and clean up the inside of the chicken.
  
• Pat the chicken dry with paper towels on both sides.
  
• Place the breast side up. Using the heel of your hands, flatten the chicken by pressing down firmly on the chicken’s breastbone until you hear a crack. The legs and breasts should lay completely flat so all parts of the chicken are roasted evenly.
  

To Dry Brine the Chicken

• Carefully separate the skin from the breasts (and thighs, if you‘d like), by gently lifting the skin.
  
• Rub the dry brine under the skin of the chicken breasts (and thighs, if you‘d like).
  
• Sprinkle the seasoning on all sides and rub it to distribute. I use a Maraca Sifter for even sprinkling.
  
• Transfer the chicken skin side up to a wire rack set in a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Position the chicken so the breasts are aligned with the center of the baking sheet. Store the chicken, uncovered, on the bottom shelf of your refrigerator for at least 12 hours or up to a full day. This allows the skin to dry out slightly and crisp up better during roasting. Make sure it is not touching other items in the refrigerator.
  

To Make the Honey Soy Glaze

• In a small saucepan, whisk together the ingredients for the Honey Soy Glaze: ¼ cup soy sauce, ¼ cup sake, ¼ cup mirin, 2 Tbsp honey, and ½ Tbsp sugar. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium heat.
  
• When boiling, turn the heat to low to maintain a simmer and reduce the sauce in half, about 25 minutes. You can leave out the sauce overnight on the kitchen counter or you can refrigerate it if you live in a humid environment.
  

ON ROASTING DAY

• Preheat a convection oven, with a rack in the upper-middle position, to 450°F (232°C). Convection cooking uses a fan to evenly distribute hot air throughout the oven and promotes more even browning. If you don’t have a convection oven, preheat to 475ºF (246ºC).
• Peel and grate the ginger and measure 1 tsp ginger (grated, with juice). In a small bowl, combine 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil, the grated ginger, and 1 clove garlic (crushed).
  
• Rub the sesame oil mixture all over the chicken.
  
• Rub the sesame oil mixture under the chicken skin.
  

To Roast the Chicken

• Insert the oven meat probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast close to the bone. Optionally, you can tuck the wing tips under the chicken so they don't burn (I skipped this step).
  
• Set the target temperature of the meat probe* to 150°F (66°C). Roast the chicken at 450°F (232°C on convection), for a total of 40–45 minutes. Roughly 10 minutes before the chicken is done, when the probe thermometer registers at 135ºF (57ºC), pull out the baking sheet and brush the Honey Soy Glaze on the chicken. *If your oven doesn’t come with the probe function, we highly recommend this Thermoworks Chef’s Alarm for cooking.
  
• While the chicken is roasting, prepare a brush and the Honey Soy Glaze. If you kept it in the refrigerator, bring it back to room temperature.
  
• As the chicken approaches doneness, around 135ºF (57ºC), pull out the baking sheet and apply the Honey Soy Glaze quickly so you don’t lose the heat.
  
• Continue to roast the chicken until the thickest part of the breast close to bone registers 150°F (66°C) on the meat probe or an instant-read thermometer. The temperature of the chicken will increase as much as 5–10ºF while it rests, so you do not want to remove the chicken any later, or the chicken breast will begin to dry out.
  
• Remove the chicken from oven, tent loosely with foil, and allow to rest for 10 minutes before carving. This allows the chicken to remain at 150°F (66°C) for 3 minutes (equivalent to the safe internal temperature for cooked chicken of 165ºF (74ºC), according to the UDSA). It also allows the juices in the chicken to distribute more evenly throughout the meat, resulting in juicier chicken.
  

To Serve

• Transfer to a serving platter or a cutting board and garnish the chicken with optional sage, pomegranate, and cranberries. Remove the legs (cutting the drumsticks from the thighs, if desired), then remove the entire chicken breasts and carve at a slight angle against the grain of the meat to create tender cuts of chicken breast.