Simple Oven Roast Chicken Recipe or Whole Roasted Chicken is a flavorful, family-friendly Chicken recipe for dinner that is perfect for someone who is looking for a turkey alternative during Thanksgiving. For a vegan Alternative you can make Whole Roasted Cauliflower.
You can roast your chicken in the oven or you can use your Air Fryer. Serve this with Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grandma's Turkey Stuffing, Sweet Corn Casserole, Maple Mustard Green Beans, Classic Homemade Apple Pie, and make it a complete meal.
Crispy roasted chicken which is juicy and tender on the inside and has that fresh flavors from rosemary, parsley, lemon juice is definitely going to be something that you are gonna LOVE ❤️
Seriously, when you are running out of time to make turkey and you cannot imagine brining your turkey and then serving it to your guests on time.
Then this flavorful whole roasted chicken comes in as a savior.
Seriously, once you try this you wouldn't want to eat takeaways again. And, trust me this puts all other chicken breast recipes and chicken thigh recipes way behind.
There is something so comforting and so appealing about this crispy oven roasted chicken that you just can't get enough of it.
Pair this with:
- Roasted Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
- Roasted Mushrooms with Herby Quinoa
- Roasted Garlic Parmesan Cauliflower
- Miso Carrots (Roasted)
- Roasted Red Pepper Shell Pasta
- Tex Mex Black Eyed Peas and Rice Casserole with Roasted Garlic
Jump to:
- Ingredients
- How to make Baked Whole Chicken
- How to Make Whole Chicken in Air Fryer
- How to Prepare Chicken before Roasting?
- How to store your whole roasted chicken?
- When roasting a whole chicken should it be covered?
- Is it better to bake or roast chicken?
- How do you keep chicken from drying out in the oven?
- Is roasting faster than baking?
- What's the difference between baked chicken and roasted chicken?
- How do I make my chicken tender and juicy?
- How long does it take to roast a 6lb chicken at 350 degrees?
- How often should I baste my chicken?
- TIPS to make Crispy Roasted Chicken
- Top Tips
- Side Dishes for Whole Chicken Roast
- My Favorite Recipes
- Recipe
- Simple Oven Roast Chicken Recipe (Air Fryer or Oven)
Ingredients
- Whole Chicken
- Melted Unsalted Butter
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- White Wine like Chardonnay or Sauv Blanc
- Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
- Salt and Freshly ground black pepper
- Freshly minced garlic cloves
- Freshly chopped parsley
To Stuff in the cavity
- lemon
- garlic cut in half horizontally through the middle crosswise
- Fresh Rosemary Sprigs or tarragon or thyme or sage
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Baked Whole Chicken
Step 1: Preheat
Preheat oven to 430 degrees F or 220 degree C.
Step 2: Discard Neck and remove fat
Discard neck and remove fat. Pat dry with paper towels.
Step 3: Rub Chicken and its cavity
Pour extra virgin olive oil, melted unsalted butter, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and white wine over chicken. Rub the remaining on the inside of the chicken. Season chicken (both inside and outside) with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Step 4: Stuff the cavity and tie the legs
Stuff the cavity with garlic head, fresh rosemary or thyme, and lemon cut in half. Tie the legs with kitchen strings.
Step 5: Roast for 1 hour 20 minutes
Roast chicken for 1 hour 20-30 minutes or until the juices run clear between the drumsticks and the body. Check the internal temperature of chicken. You'll know that your chicken is perfectly done when the internal temperature of chicken is at 165 degrees F.
Baste at 30-minute mark and 1-hour mark.
Step 6: Carve and Serve
Carve your chicken and serve right away. You can learn How to cut a whole chicken into Small Pieces from this article or See this article from Food.com and learn how to carve roasted chicken like a pro.
How to Make Whole Chicken in Air Fryer
Step 1: Season Chicken
Season chicken with Salt, Pepper, smoked paprika, dried thyme or rosemary. Sprinkle lemon juice, olive oil, and melted unsalted butter both inside and on the outside of the chicken.
Step 2: Place chicken breast side down in the air fryer basket
I figured that if you put chicken with legs on top then the legs gets way overcooked. So, it is better if you place the chicken with breast side down. This ensures juicy and tender chicken.
Step 3: Cook for 1 hour
Cook Chicken at 360 degrees F for 50-60 minutes.
Step 4: Flip Chicken to breast side up and cook for another 10-minutes
To ensure even cooking on both sides, flip chicken to breast side up and cook in the air fryer for another 10-12 minutes or until the juices run clear between drumsticks and the body. Check the internal temperature of chicken with an instant read thermometer. If it reads 165 degrees F then your chicken is perfectly cooked.
Step 5: Carve and Serve
Carve chicken and serve right away.
How to Prepare Chicken before Roasting?
Whole chicken can be quite intimidating for first timers. But, don't fret it, just follow these steps.
- Remove chicken from any package.
- Reach into the body's cavity and remove any giblets from within.
- Look in the abdominal cavity and Check if the kidney is in place.
- Check once again and see that there are no red masses. If you find any red masses make sure you discard them.
- Rinse the chicken at least twice or thrice under cold water to remove any debris or feathers.
- Pat dry completely with a paper towel.
How to store your whole roasted chicken?
Storing leftovers of whole roasted chicken is very simple and easy. Just remove all the chicken from the bone first and then store it in an airtight container and keep it in your refrigerator for about 4-5 days. When you want to serve it again, reheat it in the microwave before doing it!
Freezing your whole roasted chicken is also an option that is available for you. Just make sure you first remove all the meat from the carcass as you cannot store the whole roasted chicken as it is. Then after this is done, you can easily pack all the roasted chicken meat in a freezable container and keep it in your freezer securely for as long as five months! When you want to have your frozen roasted chicken just let it first thaw overnight. Then just reheat it in the microwave or oven and it is ready to be served!
When roasting a whole chicken should it be covered?
Do you cover chicken while roasting? Well, I do not. But, I have seen many people ask this question. Basically, chicken cooks a lot faster when you cook uncovered. But, if you see that the skin is browning too fast, then you can wrap your chicken with an aluminium foil. This will protect the skin from browning.
Is it better to bake or roast chicken?
Personally, I like roasting than baking. When you roast chicken it takes a higher temperature such as 400 degrees F to roast it completely. Roasting involves high temperature But, you can bake chicken at lower temperature as well.
How do you keep chicken from drying out in the oven?
Proper basting is the solution to prevent your chicken from drying out in the oven. My basic rule of thumb is to baste chicken twice while roasting it in the oven. One - at 30-minute mark. Second - at 1-hour mark.
Is roasting faster than baking?
Baking is a slow technique where you preheat the oven to 350 degrees F or 360 degrees F and bake chicken for a long time until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
But, roasting is something else. When you roast chicken you preheat temperature to 400 degrees F or 420 degrees F and then roast it for about 1 hour 20-minutes or until the skin turns crispy on the outside and the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
SO, yes! Roasting is indeed faster than baking because while roasting the temperature is higher.
What's the difference between baked chicken and roasted chicken?
Baked Chicken and Roasted chicken is a term that people often get confused with. Many use both the term interchangeably.
But, they aren't the same.
Now you may ask - What makes baked chicken different from roasted chicken?
The answer is plain and simple. The crispy skin on the outside.
Roasted chicken has a crispy outer skin because you are cooking it at a high temperature of 400 or 420 degrees F.
But, in case of baked chicken the chicken gets cooked completely but you don't get a crispy outer skin.
How do I make my chicken tender and juicy?
As per my experience basting chicken as regular intervals i.e. at 30-minute mark and once again at 1-hour mark will make your chicken tender and juicy.
Basically, when you baste chicken the juices penetrates the chicken and makes the chicken moist.
This is important for your chicken to stay tender and juicy. Or else the high temperature and high heat will suck all the juices of your chicken and make it super-dry.
How long does it take to roast a 6lb chicken at 350 degrees?
Basically, it depends on the weight of the chicken.
I follow a basic calculation which is at 375 degrees 20 minutes per pound + an additional 20-minutes.
Meaning - For a 6 lbs chicken you need = 20x6 = 120 minutes (2 hours) + 20 minutes at 375 degrees F.
But, on the other hand if you want crispy skin with juicy meat which is not necessarily fall of the bone structure then I think you should roast your chicken at 400 degrees F or 420 degrees F for 1 hour 20-minutes basting at least twice.
Also, you should roast until you see the juices run clear. When you see the juices run clear between drumsticks and the body the chicken is done roasting.
How often should I baste my chicken?
Whether you are roasting chicken in the oven or in your air fryer you MUST baste your chicken as often as you can to make sure that you have tender and juicy chicken.
So, I suggest you baste every 20-minutes for best texture and taste.
TIPS to make Crispy Roasted Chicken
Top Tips
- If you have a large chicken of say 6 lbs or 8 lbs then roast at 430 degrees F or 230 degrees C for 1 hour. Then reduce the temperature to 160 degrees F. Baste and cover chicken with an aluminum foil and roast for an additional 45-60 minutes.
- Make sure you remove any giblet from the body cavity before roasting chicken.
- Make sure you run chicken under cold water at least twice or thrice to remove any debris or feathers.
- Pat chicken dry using a paper towel to ensure you have a golden brown coating on chicken when completely roasted.
- Baste chicken at every 20-minute for a tender and juicy roasted chicken.
- Place roasted chicken on a serving dish or a cutting dish and wrap it up with an aluminum foil. Allow it to sit for 20-minutes before carving it up and serving.
- The cooking time totally depends on the size of the chicken and the temperature that you roast.
- A general rule of thumb is 20-minutes per pound + an additional 20 minutes.
- Meaning for a 4 lbs chicken you need = 20x4 = 80 minutes + 20 minutes = 100 minutes or 1 hour 40 minutes at 375 degrees F.
- For a 6 lbs chicken you need = 20x6 = 120 minutes (2 hours) + 20 minutes at 375 degrees F.
- Make sure you use separate utensil for raw meat. Use an antibacterial soap to clean the surfaces that come in contact with raw meat.
Side Dishes for Whole Chicken Roast
Green Bean Sides
- Green Beans Almondine Recipe
- Chicken and Green beans
- Cheesy Green Beans
- Maple Mustard Glazed Green Beans
Sweet Potato Sides
- Sweet Potato Soup
- Air Fryer Sweet Potato Chips
- Loaded Sweet Potato Skins
- Candied Sweet Potatoes with Pecan Topping
- Crispy Cajun Air-Fryer Sweet Potato Fries (Zero Oil)
Potato Sides
- Creamy Potato Soup
- Egg and Potato Casserole Recipe {3-Methods}
- Garlic Parmesan Potato Wedges in Air Fryer
My Favorite Recipes
- Maple Mustard Chicken in Crock Pot
- Spinach and Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breasts
- Crock Pot Salsa Verde Chicken
- Crockpot Buffalo Ranch Chicken
- Crockpot Chicken Fajita
Recipe
Simple Oven Roast Chicken Recipe (Air Fryer or Oven)
INGREDIENTS
- 4 lbs whole chicken (2kg) remove giblets and neck from the cavity
- ¼ cup melted unsalted butter
- 4 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ¼ cup white wine chardonnay
- Kosher Salt as per taste
- Freshly ground black pepper as per taste
- 2-3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice to baste chicken
- 4 cloves garlic finely minced
- 3 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
to stuff in the cavity
- 1 large lemon to stuff in the cavity
- 1 large garlic bulb outer peel removed and cut in half crosswise
- 3 fresh rosemary or thyme sprigs
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 420 degrees F or 220 degrees C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
- Combine unsalted melted butter, extra virgin olive oil, white wine, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, freshly squeezed lemon juice, finely minced cloves of garlic, and freshly chopped parsley in a medium sized mixing bowl.
- Season half of this butter and seasoning mix over chicken and the remaining half inside the cavity. Rub the mixture liberally over the chicken and on the inside.
- Stuff the cavity with a large lemon, few sprigs of thyme or rosemary, and a large garlic bulb with the outer paper like peel removed and cut in half horizontally through the middle crosswise. Tie the legs with a kitchen strings.
- Place chicken breast side up in the prepared baking dish. Roast in a preheated oven for 1 hour 20 minutes. Baste midway at 30-minute mark and at 1-hour mark. Cook until the juices run clear between the drumsticks and the body. Check the internal temperature of chicken with an instant read thermometer. If it reads 165 degrees F then your chicken is perfectly cooked and safe to consume.
- If you want more crispy and brown skin turn on the broiler and broil for another 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. (optional)
- Remove whole roasted chicken from the oven and cover with a foil. Allow it to stand for 10-minutes. Then carve and serve.
Instructions for making whole roasted chicken in an Air Fryer
- Make the butter and seasoning mix by combining everything listed above except chicken in a medium sized mixing bowl.
- Rub this seasoning mix over chicken and on the inside. Tie the legs with a kitchen string.
- Place chicken in the air fryer basket breast side down.
- Roast at 360 degrees F for 50-60 minutes. Baste midway at 30-minute mark.
- Flip over and roast for an additional 10-20 minutes or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Check the internal temperature of chicken using an instant read thermometer. If it reads 165 degrees F then your chicken is perfectly cooked and safe for consumption.
- Remove chicken from air fryer basket and serve it in a plate. Cover with a foil and allow it to stand for about 10-minutes. Then carve chicken and serve.
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