Whole Young Chicken, roasted
This fail-proof method of making oven-roasted whole chicken yourself is straightforward enough for a novice cook, but satisfying enough to serve for holidays and entertaining! The method is straightforward comfort food and can be used in many chicken recipes.
This Whole Roasted Chicken Recipe is suited to entertaining!
Don’t get us wrong, we love to grab a rotisserie chicken from the store when we're in a pinch. But what if we told you that making your own was so much better and as straightforward?
All you need is a whole chicken and a few staple ingredients you probably already have on hand.
Why is this recipe better than anyone else’s? It’s incredibly straightforward to cook! It’s such great comfort food and so satisfying in other recipes.
It’s easier than you think to have a well-balanced roasted chicken with a crisp skin.
Try shredding it up to use in Chicken salad Or add it to Greek chicken bowls.
Why you will come back to this Roasted Whole Chicken Recipe
Not only is this recipe plain enough for weeknight dinners, but it’s nice enough for both guests and a holiday meal.
You will come back to this recipe, for a few reasons:
- This oven-roasted chicken is short-list to make!
- Roasted chicken is so comforting and cozy.
- You can eat the chicken straight off the bone or use it in other recipes.
- It’s made entirely with plain ingredients found at your local grocery store.
Oven Roasted Chicken Recipe ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this whole chicken at home:
- Young chicken: we like to use a 5-6 lb chicken for this recipe. You’ll want to remove the giblets before cooking. They’re often stored in a small bag in the cavity of the chicken.
- Unsalted butter: You can use salted butter but cut down on the added salt to accommodate. You could also substitute olive oil or avocado oil in a pinch.
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Dried thyme: You can use fresh thyme rather than dried.
- Dried rosemary: Similarly, fresh rosemary works too.
- Coarse kosher salt: Coarse sea salt is a fine substitute.
- Black pepper: Freshly ground has a house favorite flavor.
Seasoning for Oven Roasted Whole Chicken
Season roast chicken with a dry rub made of garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme, dried rosemary, salt, and pepper.
Fresh herbs like thyme and rosemary can be used rather than dried if you like.
Brush the chicken with melted butter and sprinkle the seasoning over top.
How to make a Roasted Whole Young Chicken
Roasting a whole chicken is much, much easier than you’d think:
- Get started by preheating the oven to 450°F.
- Place the chicken in a Dutch oven, roasting pan, or deep skillet. A cast iron skillet works great for this. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel and discard the paper towels.
- In a small bowl, stir together the butter, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme, dried rosemary, salt and pepper.
- Brush the chicken with melted butter and sprinkle the herb mixture all over the chicken over top of the skin and underneath. This creates a evenly crispy skin on the chicken.
- Bake the chicken in the oven for 40 minutes. With a turkey baster or basting brush, baste the chicken with the pan drippings and bake for 30 minutes more. You want to ensure the internal temperature reads 155°F to 160°F at the thickest part of the breast. You can use an instant-read thermometer to check for this.
- Once it has reached temperature, remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes before slicing.
How long to cook a Roasted Whole Young Chicken
A 5-6 lb whole chicken must cook for about an hour. Halfway through, baste the chicken all over with the juices in the bottom of the pan.
Remove the chicken when it reaches an internal temperature of 155°F to 160°F at the thickest part of the breast with a meat thermometer.
Once the chicken is out of the oven, let it rest for 15 minutes before slicing.
What temperature should roasted chicken be when done?
A whole chicken is ready when the internal temperature is 155°F to 160°F at the thickest part of the breast. This can be checked with an instant read thermometer.
The chicken will continue to cook after you remove it from the oven as it rests. It should rest for about 15 minutes after being removed from the oven so that the juices can settle and the breasts can continue cooking.
Roasted Whole Chicken Recipe variations
If you want to play with flavors for this chicken, you can use different spice blends, seasonings, or rubs.
- Greek whole chicken: Use from-scratch Greek seasoning. Add it to pitas or salads.
- Fajita whole chicken: Rub it with Fajita seasoning. Great for tacos and burritos!
- Italian whole chicken: Season the chicken with Italian seasoning. It’s suited to pasta and pizza.
Oven Roasted Whole Chicken Recipe tips
A house favorite knife to cut a whole chicken is a boning knife.
Save the pan juices to make Gravy. It’s oh-so-good on mashed potatoes!
Be sure to use a meat thermometer to keep tabs on the chicken temperature. This is a house favorite way to have well-balanced roast chicken.
We only baste the chicken once throughout the cooking process so that the skin of the chicken gets nice and golden brown. We also don’t cover it with aluminum foil so that the skin has the chance to get nice and crispy while keeping a juicy meat.
Cooking this at 450ºF may feel like a high temperature, but it’s what will help keep that outside nice and crispy without overcooking the breast meat.
You can add a bright touch of flavor by adding in some lemon zest to your seasonings.
Letting the chicken rest after cooking is important to make sure the juices redistribute. You can transfer it to a cutting board while it rests.
While some recipes call for trussing the legs with kitchen twine or kitchen string, we don’t find it necessary.
Save the leftovers and bones to make From-scratch chicken stock!
We don’t stuff the chicken with anything because it affects the cooking time. Heat isn’t able to circulate into the cavity.
Rather than covering it in butter and herbs, you can also make herb butter by mixing the two and then covering the chicken. Feel free to do whichever is easiest for you!
Kitchen tools to roast a whole chicken in the oven
Dutch oven
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Measuring spoons
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Basting brush
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Instant read meat thermometer
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What to serve with this Roasted Whole Chicken Recipe
Roast chicken is satisfying with tons of great side dishes.
- Potatoes: Try it with Boursin mashed potatoes Or Potato skins.
- Vegetables: Any veggie goes with chicken, like Brown sugar roasted carrots Or Oven-roasted broccoli.
- Casseroles: A casserole is well-balanced to go with chicken. Try it with Green bean casserole Or SMoked mac & cheese.
- Bread: Bread instantly upgrades a meal to feel fancy! We love Cornbread Or Garlic bread, depending on the theme of the meal.
Storing leftover Oven Roasted Whole Chicken
Once the chicken has completely cooled to room temperature, refrigerate it within 2 hours. Store leftover chicken in a food-safe, airtight container in the refrigerator. It’s important that it’s in a sealed container.
The USDA Recommends using cooked chicken within three to four days.
Best way to reheat Oven Roasted Chicken
Reheat the entire chicken on a rimmed baking sheet or baking dish at 350°F for 20-25 minutes or 400°F for 15 minutes. Let it rest for five minutes before serving.
How to reheat a Whole Roasted Chicken
Reheating a whole roasted chicken while still keeping it juicy and moist can be tricky, but it’s still possible.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes. By doing this, it will help it reheat more evenly.
- Place the chicken in an oven safe baking dish. Pour in about 1/2-1 cup of chicken broth into the bottom of the pan. Cover it loosely with foil.
- Bake it in the oven for about 25 minutes. Remove it from the oven, leave the foil on, and let it rest for 10 minutes.
If you want to crisp the skin back up, you can remove the foil and broil it quickly for a minute or two. If you do this, keep a close eye on it because it can burn quickly.
Can this Oven Roasted Chicken Recipe be frozen?
Roasted chicken can be frozen. Once cooked, let it cool completely. Carve the chicken and individually wrap the wings, thighs, legs and breasts. Place in a freezer-safe container and freeze.
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Prep 10 minutesCook 1 hour 10 minutesTotal 1 hour 35 minutesMakes 8 people
Ingredients
- 5-6 lb young chicken giblets removed
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Add the chicken to a dutch oven, roasting pan, or deep skillet . Pat it dry with a paper towel and discard the paper towels.
- To a small bowl, combine the butter, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme, dried pepper, rosemary, and salt.
- Brush the butter and herb mix all over the chicken on top of the skin and underneath.
- Bake the chicken in the oven for 40 minutes. Baste the chicken with the pan juice and bake for an additional 30 minutes or until the internal temperature reads 155°-160°F at the thickest part of the breast.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes before slicing.
