Julia Louis-Dreyfus Says This ‘Scrumptious’ Chicken Recipe Is Her ‘Go-To’ When Hosting Guests (Exclusive)

Julia Louis-Dreyfus is a comic genius — but that doesn’t mean the Seinfeld and Veep star doesn’t have other other talents up her sleeve: She is also a dedicated and enthusiastic home cook.

In PEOPLE's latest cover story interview, the Emmy-winning actress spoke of her love of being in the kitchen. When she's "cooking for people," Louis-Dreyfus says she has a "couple of go-tos." One of her favorite no-fuss recipes? Acclaimed chef Thomas Keller’s roast chicken.

“Thomas Keller's roast chicken is amazing, and I don't know if you've ever tried it, but look it up. It's shockingly simple and absolutely scrumptious,” says the actress, 62, who can currently be seen in the movie You Hurt My Feelings.

Louis-Dreyfus describes the easy process of putting the whole dish together.

“It's a chicken that you bring to almost room temperature and you pat it dry so that the skin is completely dry. And then you truss it and then you salt and pepper the hell all over it — much more salt than you think you need to. And then you stick it in the oven for whatever the time is, at a high heat, I think 425 — or maybe it's 450 even — and just stick it in there for a little under an hour," she says.

Related: Julia Louis-Dreyfus Says She’s a 'Little Bit of a Momager’ to Her Rising-Star Sons: ‘My Baby Men’ (Exclusive)

Related: Jennifer Garner Says 'Rarely a Week Goes by' That She's Not Making This Recipe from Emily Blunt

She adds: "There's something about drying it and then putting the salt on it that makes it the most moist chicken you've ever had. I've done it for a lot of people coming over and it's truly tasty.”

Perhaps she’ll prepare it for legendary food writer Ruth Reichl, who was a recent guest on Louis-Dreyfus’ new hit podcast Wiser Than Me? The star impulsively invited Riechl over to her house for a meal at the end of their conversation.

“We've been back and forth with one another, unfortunately, because of my schedule, and then they had some challenges when they were in California, so it turns out we haven't had that [meal] yet,” says the star, whose recent podcast guests include actress Jane Fonda, designer Diane von Furstenberg and writer Amy Tan. “But it is on our list, and I did send her a sh-- ton of marmalade in the interim.” (The actress, who has orange trees at her house, often gifts homemade marmalade to her friends.)

“She makes a happy home, between the cooking and all the things,” says Michaela Watkins, who plays Louis-Dreyfus’ sister in You Hurt My Feelings and has been friends with the star since they worked together on The New Adventures of Old Christine. “That woman can put away a meal — she loves to eat. And it’s really fun when you can go out to dinner with somebody and both order pasta and wine.”

For more on Julia Louis-Dreyfus, pick up this week's issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.