There’s something undeniably comforting about the aroma of a chicken roasting in the oven. This classic dish, with its golden-brown skin and juicy interior, has been a staple at family gatherings, holiday feasts, and everyday dinners. Roasted chicken is more than just a meal; it’s a symbol of home, love, and the simple joys of life.
Ingredient Notes
- Whole Fryer Chicken: Use any size. Just be sure to remove anything inside the cavity of the chicken and ensure it’s fully thawed.
- Dried Basil and Oregano: Fresh herbs can be used (increase quantity by three times). Other herbs like thyme, sage, or rosemary are also great alternatives.
- Paprika: This will add color to the chicken as well as a little flavor. You can use a smoked paprika to add a smoky flavor.
- White Pepper: You can use black pepper instead, but white pepper gives a better visual.
- Salted Butter: Keeps your meat moist, but also helps the skin crisp up. You can use olive oil instead of butter and rub that over the skin.
- Fresh Rosemary: This is an aromatic that will infuse flavor into your meat, but also make your house smell amazing as the chicken roasts.
Food Safety: Don’t Rinse Your Chicken
The CDC cautions home cooks to not rinse their chicken. We know, it’s something our grandparents used to do. However, food health and safety data shows that we increase the risk of cross-contamination of food-born pathogens when we rinse raw chicken. The USDA tells us that those pathogens are killed during the cooking process, so we do not need to worry.
We strongly encourage you to follow CDC and USDA guidelines to prevent illness.
Baking Pan Options
When it comes to roasting a chicken, the pan you choose can significantly affect the outcome of your dish.
- The traditional roasting pan, often made from heavy-duty materials like stainless steel or aluminum, is a common choice. Its high sides are great for containing splatter and making gravy from the drippings, but it can be cumbersome to handle and store.
- For those seeking simplicity, a sturdy baking sheet paired with a wire rack can serve well; it allows for excellent air circulation resulting in crispy skin, though it offers little in the way of collecting juices.
- Cast iron skillets are another favorite; their excellent heat retention ensures even cooking, but they can be heavy and require proper seasoning to maintain their non-stick properties.
- A lightweight, enamel-coated Dutch oven can also be used, trapping moisture for a juicier bird, but it may prevent the skin from crisping as effectively as open-air methods.
Each option has its unique benefits and potential downsides, so consider your priorities—crispy skin, easy cleanup, gravy preparation—when selecting your pan.
To Baste or Not to Baste
In theory, basting is a great idea. Unfortunately, heat is lost each time the oven door is opened to baste, and we do not recommend basting because of this oven temperature fluctuation. If you do decide to baste, do it as minimally, quickly, and safely as possible.
How to Carve a Roasted Chicken
- Once your chicken is cooked it’s time to carve it. You can either carve it at serving, or you can remove all the meat from the bones for later use.
- If you look at the breast there is a line running down the center. Place a sharp knife just to one side of that line and press down firmly. You’ll hear ribs crack. Do the same on the other side as well and you’ll be able to remove the center bone.
- At this point you’ll be able to fold open the chicken and see exactly where your knife needs to go to remove the breast meat in one swoop. You’ll be able to remove all the chicken fairly quickly.
- Now don’t throw away the bones quite yet. Either put them in the fridge or freezer and use them to make homemade chicken stock.
Storage & Reheating Instructions
Leftover roasted chicken should be refrigerated within two hours of cooking. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. When reheating, place the chicken in an oven set to 325 degrees Fahrenheit until it’s warmed through.
If you’re freezing leftovers, ensure it’s properly wrapped to avoid freezer burn. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
More Favorite Roasting Recipes
Watch the video below where Rachel will walk you through every step of this recipe. Sometimes it helps to have a visual, and we’ve always got you covered with our cooking show. You can find the complete collection of recipes on YouTube, Facebook Watch, or our Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.
Is it better to roast with the lid or without? Thank you! I can’t wait to cook this tonight!
Without a lid. A lid will cause the chicken to steam.
Hi Rachel,
I’ve used this roast chicken recipe many times since finding you. I have also used your “30 recipes for using pre-cooked chicken. I keep this recipe handy with a bookmark, however, I bookmark so often that it still tends to get buried.
xMy question to you is would you consider adding the Just a Pinch recipe box link? JustaPinch.com is a website many use to organize our FAV recipes and share them. Thanks a million if you decide to do so.
I Love Your Recipes!
Unfortunately Just a Pinch takes my recipes without providing me any compensation. This website costs an incredible amount each year to run so I’m not able to give away my recipes for free to websites or apps like Just A Pinch who try to profit off of my work. I encourage people not to use apps like that because it steals from people like me and lines the pocket of dishonest and greedy people.
Wow, I had no idea!
Thank you!
wow learn something new! Will not use those apps .
I love your site . I am so glad you mention this.
Stay Safe
Easy and delicious! I didn’t even have a lemon or fresh rosemary, so I just omitted them all together and it turned out great. I also used your “how to make gravy” recipe and I think it’s the best gravy I’ve ever made. Thank you!
We LOVE this recipe. The first we used it, I cooked young hens. This second time, I used large whole chickens because we would have more dinner guests. Well, lesson learned, stick to the young hens. The large chickens were tough and dry where as the young hens were tender and juicy.
If I cook this recipe in the crockpot do I follow the very same recipe and don’t you have to have some liquid in the pot? If so can you tell me what to use and how much and what temperature you cook it on and how long? Sorry so many questions I really want to fix this but to use the oven it really heats up my whole house and it’s 90 here now. Thank you
You can make the same recipe in the crockpot. You won’t get a crispy skin though so it’s a good idea to remove the chicken carefully (it’ll be falling apart) and put it under the broil setting to crisp the skin up. Low for 8 hours. No liquid is required for slow cookers.
This is similar to what I do with my turkey and chicken. I used just the butter under the skin but I will now try the seasoned butter.. I also take the bones and of the turkey or chicken and boil them but will now use my new Instant Pot. It makes the best stock for chicken vegetable soup.
Turned out Perfect!
I used a 4lb fryer chicken. Cooked it at recommended temps in recipe but added 20min for a total of 80min in the oven (rule of thumb cook chicken 20min per pound )
Then I took it out of the oven and covered it and allowed it to rest for additional 20min
I never basted it until I took it out at the end, I just poured some of the juices over it once and covered it.
I also didn’t put lemon or anything inside of the chicken or tie up the legs .
I did squeeze half a lemon over the top before roasting
It turned out PERFECT! So Tender and flavorful my husband and I were impressed… this is a keeper. Thankyou 🙂
Oh my goodness I will never roast chicken any other way again! This was absolutely delicious thank yoy
I don’t leave reviews usually but this one is a keeper. I loved it! It’s very simple and easy to follow will be done in one hour super flavorful and moist
Really delicious spice mix. This turned out great. Beautiful crisp skin.