Perfectly Roasted Chicken
- PREP 15min
- COOK 1hrs 30min
- TOTAL 1hrs 45min
Our recipe for roasting a whole chicken is easy and adaptable to what you love. We use a preheated 425°F oven to guarantee crispy, golden-brown skin and firm, juicy meat. If you prefer roasted chicken with softer, fall-off-the-bone meat, roast at 325°F.
You Will Need
1 whole chicken, 5 to 6 pounds, patted dry
Salt and fresh ground pepper
1 onion, sliced
1/2 cup (120ml) water or chicken broth
1 lemon, quartered, optional
1 whole head garlic, halved crosswise, optional
Small bunch fresh herbs, such as thyme, rosemary and sage, optional
Directions
Generously season the chicken inside and out with salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C), or for softer meat use 325°F (165°C).
Scatter the sliced onions over the bottom of a baking dish or oven-safe skillet. Pour in the water (or broth).
Place the chicken, breast-side up, on top of the onions.
If using them, stuff the cavity with lemon wedges, halved garlic, and herbs. Use kitchen twine to tie the legs together. If you don’t have twine, leave the legs as they are.
Roast the chicken for 1 hour. Then, roast for another 20 to 30 minutes, occasionally opening the oven to spoon rendered fat at the bottom of the pan over the chicken (watch me do this in the video). If roasting at the lower oven temperature, expect the chicken to take 1 ½ to 2 hours.
Roast chicken is done when an internal thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F or when the chicken juices run clear when you cut between a leg and a thigh.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Make gravy: The pan juices left in the bottom of the dish after roasting are delicious when used to make gravy. Here’s our easy gravy recipe to walk you through it.
- Roasted chicken with crispy skin: Before roasting in the oven, refrigerate the seasoned chicken, uncovered, overnight in the fridge. The night in the fridge dries out the skin and helps it to crisp in the oven the next day.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.