How To Roast a Whole Chicken in the Oven
Learn how easy it is to roast a whole chicken in the oven. This is a forgotten skill in many kitchens these days. Let’s bring back this easy nourishing and economic meal to our family tables.
The Makings of a Cook
I have a very vivid memory of trying to wash a large turkey for the first time when I was in my teens. I was a horse girl back then and hadn’t spent much time in the kitchen learning to cook from scratch.
Somehow I got the job of getting the Thanksgiving turkey ready and I had no idea what I was doing. As I wrestled the large slippery bird around in the sink, I remember thinking I never wanted to cook like this again.
But here I am years later, more mature and more educated in what traditional nourishing food looks and feels like, and cooking raw whole slippery chickens from scratch at least once a week. And yes, I’ve even cooked a large whole turkey again too.
But It’s Daunting…
Learning something new can be daunting. I remember the first couple of times I cooked a whole chicken, I was paranoid that it wasn’t cooked through. I ended up over cooking many many whole chickens because I was sure it just wasn’t done yet.
Now that I have been cooking for many years, I’ve had a chance to perfect my skills and rarely overcook my chicken anymore.
Like with anything, it just gets easier the more you do it. Although, I still allow myself to become paralyzed by the unknown many times, I know in my mind it is rarely as hard as it first seems.
Eating a Whole Chicken is Economical
In a time where everything seems to be getting more expensive, finding delicious ways to make food stretch is important for many people. Purchasing a whole chicken is a really economical way to make your food dollar stretch.
I’ve only purchased chicken parts (breasts, wings, thighs) for my family to eat a handful of times in the last 7 or 8 years. Roasting a whole chicken is just so easy.
We get close to two-three meals out of our whole chicken, depending on the size of the bird. By purchasing a whole chicken, there is so much more versatility for how to cook and what to do with the leftovers.
How to Get Three (or more) Meals Out of a Whole Chicken
Here is an example of how I might use a whole chicken for three separate meals.
1st meal – Roasted chicken with side of veggies and potatoes or rice.
2nd meal – Leftover chicken in a stir-fry, chicken salad, on sandwiches or added to soup.
3rd meal – Make chicken bone broth with leftover bones, skin, cartilage. Don’t throw anything out! It all makes the broth taste that much better. Use the broth to make soup or to add to other dishes. Here is a favorite soup from our kitchen that uses bone broth.
Where to Purchase Your Chicken
While you can buy whole chickens in most grocery stores, I highly recommend finding a farmer to purchase from.
There are so many benefits to purchasing directly from the farmer. I won’t go into all of them here but here are a few reasons to consider:
- You will get so much of a better quality chicken than you can ever purchase from the store.
- Also, there is less chance of getting contaminated birds because these chickens are raised in a healthy environment as opposed to the crowded chicken houses of commercial chicken farmers.
- Knowing your farmer and where you food comes from is so valuable. Your purchase directly impacts a family and provides for their needs.
Do I Need to Wash My Chicken Before Cooking It?
I don’t technically know the correctly answer to this question, but I rarely wash my chicken before cooking it. I might rinse out the inside cavity if it was previously frozen because sometimes the inside still has a bit of ice left in it.
Do what makes you feel most comfortable.
Equipment Needed to Roast a Whole Chicken in the Oven
- Dutch Oven with lid
- Small Pan for melting butter
- Digital Meat Thermometer
How to Roast a Whole Chicken in the Oven
I wrote down exact measurements here for you, but here’s a secret, I never measure anymore. So add more or less depending on what you like. It’s really hard to mess this up.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken
- 2-3 Tablespoons melted butter or coconut oil, lard, leftover bacon grease, etc. Don’t use industrial seed oils. They are so bad for your health!
- 1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt
- 1/8 Teaspoon Pepper
- 1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder or 2 Fresh Minced Garlic Cloves
- 1/4 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Italian Herb Seasoning
- Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
Optional: for stuffing the chicken
- 2 small lemon slices
- 2 crushed garlic cloves
- several sprigs of fresh thyme, rosemary, or other herbs.
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Rinse (optional) and pat dry whole chicken. Place in a dutch oven.
Melt butter in a small pan and add minced garlic (if using fresh garlic) and sauté for a minute.
Pour melted butter and minced garlic over chicken. Using a basting brush if necessary to get melted butter over the whole chicken.
Sprinkle sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and Italian herbs over chicken. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over chicken, about a quarter of a lemon.
Optional: stuff chicken with two crushed garlic cloves, two small lemon slices and several sprigs of fresh thyme.
Bake at 425 for 40 minutes with lid on. Remove lid and bake until the top is golden brown and the juices run clear (about another 15-20 minutes). The exact time will depend on the size of the chicken you are cooking.
Tip – use a digital thermometer inserted into the thickest portion of your chicken to check if done. Temperature should read 165 degrees F.
*note – while you don’t need to use a dutch oven to bake this chicken, I find the meat is more moist when left covered for most of the baking time. Removing the top at the end gives you the crispy skin with a moist meat inside.
Print How to Roast a Whole Chicken in the Oven
How To Roast a Whole Chicken in the Oven
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken
- 2-3 Tablespoons Melted Butter or coconut oil, lard, leftover bacon grease, etc. Don't use industrial seed oils. They are so bad for your health!
- 1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt
- 1/8 Teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder or Fresh Minced Garlic
- 1/4 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Italian Herb Seasoning Blend
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
-
Rinse (optional) and pat dry whole chicken. Place in a dutch oven.
-
Melt butter in a small pan and add minced garlic (if using fresh garlic) and sauté for a minute.
-
Pour melted butter and minced garlic over chicken. Using a basting brush if necessary to get melted butter over the whole chicken.
-
Sprinkle sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and Italian herbs over chicken.
-
Optional: stuff chicken with two crushed garlic cloves, two small lemon slices and several sprigs of fresh thyme.
-
Bake at 425 for 40 minutes with lid on. Remove lid and bake until the top is golden brown and the juices run clear (about another 15-20 minutes). The exact time will depend on the size of the chicken you are cooking.
-
Tip – use a digital thermometer inserted into the thickest portion of your chicken to check if done. Temperature should read 165 degrees F.
Recipe Notes
*note – while you don’t need to use a dutch oven to bake this chicken, I find the meat is more moist when left covered for most of the baking time. Removing the top at the end gives you the crispy skin with a moist meat inside.
Another Way to Cook a Whole Chicken
Simple from scratch Chicken Vegetable Soup
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