The chefs' secret for a perfect roast chicken: salt, sugar, and lemon

Preparing a juicy roast chicken with crispy skin seems easy, but everyone has had that disappointing result at some point. With a poorly adjusted oven or an improvised preparation, the meat ends up dry and the dish loses all its charm. Chefs are starting to abandon the lemon trick in favor of a combination that really makes a difference: a pre-treatment with salt and sugar.

Chef Vero Gómez, from MasterChef 10, explains that this technique radically changes the outcome. It's not just an aioli or a citrus touch, but how we treat the piece before the oven. According to her, letting the chicken rest for hours in this mixture makes the meat more tender, the salting even, and the skin much crispier.

The key is in the pre-treatment with salt and sugar

Why this combination?

The mix of salt and sugar is not a new invention, but in the world of roast chicken it has become popular as a trick that makes a difference in the juiciness of the meat. Salt helps the chicken absorb and retain moisture better, while sugar enhances the browning and the texture of the skin. The result? A chicken that is not only tasty inside, but with an outer layer that stands out for its crunchiness.

Practical tips from Vero Gómez

Letting the chicken rest between 4 hours and overnight in this mixture is fundamental, according to the chef. She also recommends adding herbs and citrus, like lemon or orange, to bring freshness and aroma without overshadowing the true star: the well-prepared meat. The final touch is a bath of extra virgin olive oil and spices, which further enhances the flavors.

Time and temperature: the essential pair

Cooking with precision

Another area where many fail is the cooking. For a chicken of about 2 kg, the usual recommendation is to roast at 200 degrees for between 60 and 75 minutes. But every oven is unique, so the best is to trust a thermometer: when the internal temperature in the thigh reaches 74 degrees, the chicken is ready.

Resting before cutting

We often forget the final step, but letting the chicken rest a few minutes after the oven is key to prevent the juices from being lost when cutting it. This detail makes the meat keep all its juiciness and not dry out, a trick that many professionals recommend but few remember.

Opinions and practices of chefs

The professionals’ assessment

Several cooks agree that the secret is not a single ingredient, but the set of steps well followed. The pre-treatment with salt and sugar before cooking has revolutionized their kitchens and left behind the traditional obsession with lemon as the main element.

What do the experts say?

Chef Vero Gómez insists that the resting time and the pre-treatment are more important than the citrus touch. You can also explore other recipes and tricks from Catalan chefs who have changed the way of cooking classics.

The reality is that if you want a roast chicken that looks good and tastes even better, set impatience aside and opt for a pre-treatment with salt, sugar, and herbs. Lemon can remain secondary, but without this base, the result will fall short.