Oven Roasted Whole Chicken
Oven Roasted Whole Chicken roasted with potatoes, onions, lemon and garlic is the perfect, comforting dinner recipe. Say goodbye to dry, flavorless chicken and hello to a golden, juicy roast that’s sure to impress.
This roasted chicken recipe is incredibly easy to throw together and needs less than an hour in the oven (depending on the size of your chicken). I prefer to spatchcock the chicken to speed up the cooking time but also to guarantee even cooking. This way, the breast meat and thighs cook at the same time giving you evenly crisp and golden skin with no dry meat in sight.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Whole chicken. I prefer using a 3lb/1.5kg free-range/organic chicken. This will mean something different, depending on where you are in the world. Try to get the very best chicken you can, preferably one that was treated well during its life. The difference in taste and texture can’t be compared.
- Extra-virgin olive oil.
- Fresh lemon juice.
- Seasonings: I used garlic powder, smoked paprika, dried oregano, fresh thyme, salt and black pepper. I prefer using garlic powder over fresh garlic in the rub as fresh garlic burns quickly when cooked at this heat. Chicken is a great blank canvas for flavor so play around with your favorite seasonings. Herbs like sage, rosemary, parsley and marjoram are all delicious with chicken. Spices like coriander, cumin, garam masala, etc. will all be delicious.
- Potatoes, lemons, onions and whole garlic. This is optional but makes a fantastic bed to roast the chicken on and there is NOTHING better than potatoes roasted in chicken fat.
How to make oven roasted whole chicken
- Prepare the chicken: Spatchcock the chicken by cutting out the back bone and flattening the chicken’s breast bone. Pat dry with paper towel then loosen the skin from the meat carefully then rub the seasoning and oil over the chicken breasts and all over the skin. Remember to season the bottom of the chicken too.
- Roast: Thinly slice potatoes, onions and lemons and place in a large roasting pan/rimmed sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil then season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken, breast-side up, on top of the vegetables then place in the oven to roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour. You’ll know the chicken is done when the juices run clear when cut between the thigh and breast. The meat will be juicy on the inside but opaque all the way to the bone. If you prefer using a meat thermometer, the chicken is cooked when it reaches 165°F/74°C but remember that it will continue cooking as it rests so pull it out of the oven when it reads 160°F/70°C.
- Rest: Remove from the oven and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes then carve and serve.
How long to roast a whole chicken
Depending on the size of your chicken, you’ll need to bake it for 45 minutes to 1 hour at 350°F/180°C. I always crank up the heat to 430°F/220°C for the last 15 minutes to get the skin crisp and golden.
Can I make this ahead?
Whole roasted chicken is a fantastic recipe to make ahead and keep in the fridge. I definitely love it most served straight after cooking but it makes delicious leftovers that are great to have in the fridge. We use it often for chicken salad and soup and I always make stock from the chicken carcass.
Serving suggestions
Serve this whole roasted chicken rice and vegetables of your choice. We love it with rice and a salad for a weeknight meal or with brussels sprouts and glazed carrots for a Sunday dinner.
Video
Ingredients
- 3 lb / 1.5kg whole chicken
- ¼ cup olive oil + more for the potatoes
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp fresh thyme
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 4 medium potatoes
- 1 onion
- 1 lemon
- 2 garlic bulbs tops cut off
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
- Spatchcock the chicken by cutting out the back bone with a sharp knife or kitchen shears. Turn the chicken over so the breast meat is on top then, using your hand, flatten out the chicken's breast bone.
- Combine the oil and seasonings together.
- Pat dry with paper towel then loosen the skin from the meat carefully then rub the seasoning and oil over the chicken breasts and all over the skin. Remember to season the bottom of the chicken too.
- Thinly slice potatoes, onions, garlic bulbs and lemons and place in a large roasting pan/rimmed sheet pan.
- Drizzle with olive oil then season with salt and pepper.
- Place the chicken, breast-side up, on top of the vegetables then place in the oven to roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Remove from the oven and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes then carve and serve.
Notes
- You’ll know the chicken is done when the juices run clear when cut between the thigh and breast. The meat will be juicy on the inside but opaque all the way to the bone. If you prefer using a meat thermometer, the chicken is cooked when it reaches 165°F/74°C but remember that it will continue cooking as it rests so pull it out of the oven when it reads 160°F/70°C.
Roast Chicken Recipes
What do we do with the garlic bulbs? It’s listed in the ingredients but no mention of it in the preparation…?
Updated the recipe card 🙂
This was amazing. I added little more seasoning (thyme and kosher salt) once it was on the tray. We ate the whole chicken in one sitting it was that good. 🙂
Kosher salt was soooo much better than table.
Perfect! I’ve made this 5 times with organic chickens from Aldi and my family loves it. Simple ingredients, so easy and so tasty. Thanks so much for sharing!
This recipe is an absolute winner! The flavors and aromas are tantalizingly good. I also did not have fresh thyme so I used a fraction of the dried herb. I also like a little punch so I added some heat with a little cayenne so as to not change the flavor profile. Husband loved it so this is my new go to for whole chickens.
Very delicious! I didn’t have fresh thyme, but even so, it was amazing. Great flavours, and moist chicken!
Simple ingredients and great flavor! A definite go to recipe.