This simple whole roasted chicken is a great family meal. With crispy skin and juicy meat this chicken recipe is delicious and versatile. It’s seasoned simply with salt and pepper, and then fresh herbs and lemon slices are arranged around it to flavor the pan drippings.
Thyme, rosemary, parsley and lemon are going to flavor the drippings that we’ll use at the end to serve with the chicken. Plus, this is a really good way to use up extra herbs so they don’t go bad in the vegetable crisper.
Roasting a whole chicken may seem like too much, especially if you’re only cooking for yourself or for two. But, there are plenty of things you can do with leftover chicken. Use it to make chicken salad sandwich, chicken pot pie soup, or this easy chicken tortilla soup.
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Roasting time
How long does it take to roast a whole chicken? Well, that depends on the oven temperature and the weight of the bird.
As a general rule, apply 20 minutes per pound plus an additional 15 minutes if you’re roasting at 350°F or 375°F.
For example, our chicken weighs about 4½ pounds and the cooking time was a little shy of 20 minutes per pound. But, we started off in a really hot oven then lowered the temperature.
- 15 minutes at 425°F
- 1 hour and 15 minutes at 375°F
- With a rest time of 15 minutes, the internal temperature was just over 165°F.
Trussing
Trussing is tying the drums and the wings so that they are close to the body of the chicken. It helps keep the wings and legs from burning and the breast from drying out.
Do you have to truss the chicken? At the very least I recommend that you tie the drums together in order to close up the cavity. If the wings have the wing tip intact I usually just tuck them behind the chicken.
How to tell if the chicken is cooked
- The chicken is fully cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F at the thickest part of the dark meat.
- The best way to know if chicken is cooked through is to use an instant read thermometer. Check the internal temperature by inserting the thermometer into the inner thigh, without touching the bone.
- The juices will run clear when it’s pricked with a knife or a fork.
- The legs will be loose and won’t offer resistance when tugged on.
- The meat will be completely opaque with no signs of pink or red.
Ingredients
- Whole Chicken – Keep the chicken at around 4 – 5 pounds which should be enough for 4-6 servings.
- Olive Oil – We use extra virgin because it’s what we have on hand, but regular or light tasting will do.
- Salt – It’s best to use a coarse salt like kosher or sea salt (we use kosher salt).
- Black Pepper – Use fresh ground black pepper if you have it.
- Fresh Herbs – Thyme, rosemary and parsley are a no-hassle way to flavor the drippings.
- Lemon – Serves the same purpose as the herbs, just a little extra flavor.
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position so that the chicken breast is not sitting too close to the top element.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Prepare the chicken by removing it from the bag. Check the inside cavity for a baggie containing the giblets. Remove the bag and save for another use, if desired or discard.
- Use paper towels to pat the chicken dry, including the inside cavity.
- If there are any loose pieces of fat cut them off.
- Rub the chicken all over with the olive oil, including the inside of the cavity.
- Rub the chicken with the salt and pepper, the inside cavity too.
- Tie the chicken’s legs using cooking twine and cut off any excess.
- Tuck the wing tips behind the bird: stretch them out, bend them backwards and tuck them behind and under (this can only be done if the wing tips are intact)
- Place the chicken, breast side up, in a small roasting pan, casserole dish or other rimmed, oven-safe dish. Use a vessel that will collect the drippings and that is not too large. Keep it just a bit larger than the roaster. We used our trusty casserole dish that is 11×7 inches.
Finally arrange the herbs and the lemon slices around the chicken. Tuck them in wherever you find some space. Place it in the oven and cook for 15 minutes at 425°F.
Lower the heat to 375°F without opening the oven. Continue cooking for 75 minutes to 100 minutes, or until the internal temperature on an instant read thermometer is at least 165°F at the thickest part of the dark meat. Check the thigh right between the leg and the breast.
The cooking time will depend on the size of the chicken. As a reference, our 4½ pound chicken took 75 minutes plus the initial 15 minutes.
If the chicken is not up to temperature, continue roasting for 15-20 minutes and check again.
Resting and serving
When the chicken is out of the oven let it rest for 10-15 minutes before carving. Resting meat after cooking allows the juices to redistribute.
Carve the chicken and serve it with the pan juices and your favorite side dishes. If you need some ideas, consider these twice baked potatoes, classic mashed potatoes, or loaded sweet potatoes.
Storing and freezing
Leftover chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can freeze the chicken for up to 3 months. Wrap it well and keep in an airtight container.
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Simple Roasted Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 – 5 pound Whole Chicken patted dry and trimmed of excess fat
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 tablespoon Salt we use kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 3 – 4 Thyme Sprigs
- 3 – 4 Parsley Stems with leaves
- 1-2 Rosemary Sprigs
- 1 Lemon cut into thick slices
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position so that the chicken is not sitting too close to the top element.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F
- Prepare the chicken by removing it from the bag. Check the inside cavity to see if it contains a baggie with giblets. Remove the bag and save for another use, if desired or discard.
- Use paper towels to pat the chicken dry, including the inside cavity. If there are any loose pieces of fat cut them off.
- Rub the chicken all over with the olive oil, including the inside of the cavity.
- Rub the chicken with salt and pepper, including the inside of the cavity.
- Tie the chicken’s legs using cooking twine and cut off any excess.
- Tuck the wing tips behind the bird.
- Place the chicken, breast side up, on a small roasting pan, casserole dish or other rimmed, oven-safe dish.
- Arrange the thyme, parsley, rosemary and lemon slices around the chicken.
- Place the chicken in the oven. Cook it for 15 minutes.
- Lower the oven temperature to 375°F and cook for 75 -100 minutes or until the internal temperature on an instant read thermometer reads at least 165°F at the thickest part of the dark meat (check the thigh right between the leg and the breast).
- If the chicken is not up to temperature then continue roasting for 15-20 minutes and check again.
- When the chicken is out of the oven let it rest for 10-15 minutes before carving.
- Serve with the pan drippings and your favorite side dishes.
Notes
- The cooking time will depend on the size of the chicken. As a reference, our 4½ pound chicken took 75 minutes plus the initial 15 minutes.
- Try not to open the oven during the cooking time so that the temperature stays constant.
- Use a vessel that will collect the drippings and that is not too large. Keep it just a bit larger than the roaster. We used our trusty casserole dish that is 11×7 inches.
- The number of servings will depend on the size of the chicken.
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