Gordon Ramsay's Simple Prep Tip For The Crispiest Roasted Chicken

One of the most cost-efficient ways to eat chicken is by buying and cooking them whole. In many households, this means a lot of roast chicken dinners. If you're going to do this, however, make sure they're also worth the effort; you want a succulent, juicy roast chicken with satisfyingly crispy skin. To get the latter, chef Gordon Ramsay says all you need is an egg wash. Most of us might know an egg wash gives pastries a bakery-level finish, but it also works surprisingly well for roast chicken, crisping up the skin in the same way it gives dough a flaky, golden crust.

Ramsay teaches that a perfectly roasted chicken is a labor of love involving proper prep. This includes lightly brushing the skin with an egg wash. There's nothing fancy about the wash he uses: It's just a single whisked egg, no water or cream mixed in. Apply a thin coat of the wash with a pastry brush before seasoning the chicken, then proceed to roasting it. If you don't have a pastry brush, you can improvise and apply the egg wash in a number of creative ways. The results, a roast chicken with delightfully crisp skin that's a beautiful shade of brown, speak for themselves. While other prep methods (and cook time) contribute to the skin's texture, it's clear that an egg wash makes a major contribution.

Gordon Ramsay's egg wash tip for roast chicken makes the skin crispier because of the proteins they add to the surface. The heat from the oven causes these proteins to coagulate and pull moisture from the chicken's skin, and the dryer skin is, the crispier it gets. These proteins also help promote the Maillard reaction, which gives the chicken a glossier, more golden-brown finish.

Texture isn't the only thing an egg wash improves; it also boosts the flavor of your roast chicken by creating an adhesive surface your seasonings can stick to. The fat contained in the yolk prevents moisture from weakening the adhesion. By applying a thin coat of egg on the surface of your chicken, you're essentially building a crackling layer of seasoning all over its skin. It's a great way to pack a dish with more flavor, which is why Ramsay amps up his roast chicken with Szechuan pepper using this technique. As Ramsay proves, prep plays a huge role in how your chicken turns out, so try combining the egg wash with other crisping techniques. You can, for example, pour boiling water over the chicken to make it even crispier by tightening the skin. You can also dry-brine your chicken to get that ASMR-worthy crackle, or spatchcock it as part of your prep.