Roast Chicken Recipe:
This roast chicken recipe is simple to prepare, and full of flavor. An oven roasted chicken that results in a tender and juicy bird perfect for dinner.
Have you baked chicken? This is one of the best roast chicken recipes you’ll ever try and the simplest you’ll ever see. If you have ever been intimidated by buying a whole chicken, or wondered how to roast a chicken, this is the most for you. This easy and delicious roasted whole chicken recipe is so simple that anyone can make a perfect roast chicken in their very own kitchen.
Serve with a side of rice pilaf, potatoes, or sweet potato casserole for a complete meal worthy of a family dinner or a dinner party.
What is the healthiest way to eat chicken?
The healthiest way to eat chicken would be a plain boiled breast, but uh…yuck! Honestly, if you want healthy chicken, roasting it is great because you get juicy, amazing flavor, without the added oils and fats. It plays up the natural flavors.
While our family loves a lot of vegetables, we usually include a meat for the protein in our dinners 5 or 6 nights a week. When we are trying to eat healthier, we opt for chicken or fish over pork or beef. Pork and beef tend to have a fairly high fat content. Replacing them with healthier choices such as fish or chicken cuts some calories.
Chicken is one of my favorite choices because it can be served with a variety of side dishes and it’s still delicious. Baking chicken or roasting it in the oven is the easiest, most hands free way to cook chicken. It’s much healthier than most methods for cooking chicken because it doesn’t have a bunch of additional fats from the oils or the sauces they’re covered in.
Chicken is high in protein and low in fat. And this is the best roast chicken you’ll ever taste. No need for unhealthy sauces and dressings to make this chicken taste better.
This whole roasted chicken may be simple to make and only require a few ingredients, but don’t let that fool you, the fewer ingredients are to let the natural flavors really shine. Delicious, simple, and it can be served with nearly any side dish. That is a huge win.
How do you cook a roast chicken?
Roast chicken is actually quite simple to make. There is minimal preparation required to make this baked whole chicken. And with a few tips and tricks you will learn here, it will turn out beautiful, tender, juicy, and with a delightful crispy skin.
- You have to dry and salt the skin.
- Add an herb butter under the skin to baste it.
- Let it rest when it is done cooking.
To make roast chicken in your own kitchen all you need is:
- An oven
- A roasting pan: I like this one because it is non-stick and not super expensive
- The ability to read and follow this simple recipe.
Tips for Roast Chicken
Of course, when baking chicken a few tips and tricks can’t hurt, so here is what you should know:
- Pat it dry. If you don’t pat it dry, the liquid on the bird will steam the skin instead of make it crispy. You do not want this. Take the time to pat it dry.
- Salt the exterior. You could salt it a few days early to help dry out the skin and make it even crispier, but you can even salt it a few minutes before and it will help.
- Use an herb and butter rub under the skin. This will baste the chicken while it cooks, add flavor, and be just so amazing. Do not skip this step. It adds insane flavor. You need it.
- Put the chicken in the oven bum-first so the slower-cooking legs are closer to the heat. It helps them to cook through without overcooking the rest.
- Baste your chicken with pan juices after you are done cooking! Amazing.
- Rest the chicken after removing it from the oven. It will allow the juices to reabsorb and help it be so juicy and delicious.
- Use leftovers in creative ways: Chicken Avocado Caesar Salad
Great Sides for Roasted or Baked Chicken:
- Roasted Garlic Bleu Cheese Mashed Potatoes
- Garlic Parmesan Roasted Potatoes
- Sour Cream Yeast Rolls
- Brussels Sprouts
- Bacon Wrapped Green Beans
Roast Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 3-4 pound whole chicken with giblets and neck removed from cavity
- 1 Tbs Kosher salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsps minced fresh thyme
- 1 tsp minced fresh rosemary
- 1 tsp minced fresh parsley
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 5 Tbs butter
- 2 Tbs Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Rinse the chicken, then dry it well with paper towels, inside and out.
- Salt and pepper the cavity, as well as the exterior skin of the chicken
- Mix your butter, mustard, garlic and fresh herbs together, and using your fingers, make a space between the skin and the chicken breast, being careful not to tear or rip the skin, and fill it with half your butter mixture. Rub the remaining butter mixture across the exterior of the bird and into the cavity.
- Truss the bird. (Optional)
- Place the chicken in a sauté pan or roasting pan and, when the oven is up to temperature, put the chicken in the oven.
- Roast it until it's done, 50 to 60 minutes. Until internal temperature is 165 degrees.
- Remove it from the oven and baste the chicken with the juices in the pan, let it rest for 15 minutes on a cutting board.
- Carve and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
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Margie says
Salting skin before oil or butter will dry out chicken meat.
If you go low temp 300° 350° and long time, will also dry out meat.