Oven Roasted Whole Chicken
Unleash your inner chef with my foolproof oven roasted whole chicken. This straightforward recipe combines zesty citrus, pungent garlic, and aromatic herbs with essential roasting techniques to create a juicy roast where crisp skin and succulent meat collide. Get ready to impress and brighten up your dinner table with this simple lemony roasted chicken!
Equipment
- 1 Roasting Pan or Rimmed Baking Sheet - with wire rack (for brining and roasting the whole chicken)
- 1 Small mixing bowl - for the chicken seasoning
- 1 Pastry brush - for brushing chicken with seasoning and oil
Ingredients
- 1 3 ½ to 4 ½ pound Whole Chicken – giblets and neck discarded
- As Needed Kosher Salt and Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 Whole Lemon – cut into quarters
- 4-6 Cloves Garlic – lightly crushed and peeled
- 1 ¼ tsp Onion Powder
- 1 tsp Dried Thyme
- ¾ teaspoon Dried Rosemary
- 2-3 TBS Neutral Oil – such as canola or vegetable oil; depending upon size of chicken
Instructions
- Dry Brine the Chicken: Arrange a wire rack or v-rack on a rimmed baking sheet and set aside. Place the bird on a clean work surface and pat the chicken completely dry with paper towels. Then, season the inside cavity of the chicken with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Next, carefully loosen the skin by running your hand or the handle of a wooden spoon between the skin and the breast meat. Then use your fingers to rub 1 teaspoon of kosher salt underneath the skin. In a small bowl, combine 2 teaspoons of kosher salt with the baking powder and ½ teaspoon ground black pepper. Next, use your hands and rub the baking powder mixture all over the outside of the chicken, including the underside of the chicken.
- Let Chicken Brine in Fridge: Place the dry rubbed chicken onto the wire rack and refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 8 hours, ideally for 12 hours, or up to 24 hours.
- Preheat Oven and Prep Pan: Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and then preheat the oven to 450-degrees Fahrenheit. Line a roasting pan or heavy rimmed baking sheet with lightly crumbled aluminum foil and then set a wire rack on top of the foil. Set the pan aside. (Why crumple the aluminum? Anytime you are roasting at high heat, crumple the aluminum foil and then spread that wrinkled sheet onto your baking sheet. The crumpled foil will create tiny air pockets with aid in air circulation.)
- Stuff Chicken Cavity with lemon and Garlic: Place the chicken on a clean work surface and use paper towels and pat the outside and inside of the chicken completely dry again. Next, stuff the lemon quarters and peeled, crushed garlic cloves inside the cavity of the chicken.
- Truss the Chicken: Arrange the whole chicken so that it’s breast side up on your work surface. First, tuck the wings behind the chicken's back. Then, using butcher’s twine, run the center of the twine under the tip of the tail end and truss the chicken by tying the drumsticks together at their ends, securing the legs and the tip of the tail together in one bundle. Next, crisscross the twine and pass along the crevasse where the legs meet the breast and pass the twine over the wings to hold them into place. Finally, tie the twine securely around the stump of the neck. And then set the chicken aside.
- Combine Oil and Seasonings for Chicken: In a small bowl, combine the onion powder, rosemary, thyme, and oil until thoroughly combined.
- Brush Chicken with Seasoned Oil: Use a pastry brush to brush a little more than half of the oil and spice mixture all over the outside of the breast side of the whole chicken. Next, arrange the chicken on the wire rack so that the chicken is breast-side-down in the pan. Then brush the remaining oil all over the back of the chicken.
- Roast Whole Chicken at 450 degrees: Place the chicken into the preheated oven and roast for 20 minutes.
- Rotate Chicken, Reduce Oven Temp, Continue to Roast: Remove the pan from the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 350-degrees Fahrenheit. Using wads of paper towels to protect your hands, flip the bird over so that the chicken breasts are facing up. Return to the oven and continue to roast the chicken for 25 to 40 minutes, or until the breasts register 130-degrees on an instant read thermometer.
- Increase Oven Temperature and Continue to Roast: Increase the oven temperature to 500-degrees Fahrenheit. Once the oven is preheated, return the whole chicken to the oven, and continue to roast for 10 to 20 minutes, or until the skin is golden brown and crisp; the breasts register 160-degrees, and the thighs register 175-degrees.
- Let Chicken Rest: Remove the roasted chicken from the oven and place on to a clean work surface. Let rest for 20 minutes.
- Carve and Serve Oven Roasted Whole Chicken: Carve the roast chicken or use the roasted chicken meat in your favorite recipes that call for rotisserie chicken. Enjoy!
Notes
- Brine it for Moisture. Be sure to dry brine the bird with a combination of kosher salt, baking powder, black pepper for at least 8 hours, or up to 24 hours, before roasting. Brining keeps the meat juicy during cooking.
- Use Baking Powder. Using baking powder in your brine helps achieve that coveted crispy skin.
- Dry the Skin. Make sure you pat the whole chicken completely dry with paper towels paper towels before seasoning and roasting. This step removes excess moisture and aids in the browning and crisping of the skin.
- Stuffing Chicken Cavity: You can add any aromatics you like with chicken to the cavity of the bird. Think of flavoring ingredients such: as sprigs of thyme or parsley, peeled and quartered shallots, and so on.
- Room Temperature Chicken. To ensure even roasting, let the raw chicken sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour before roasting.
- Don't Baste the Chicken. Basting the whole chicken with hot juices actually causes dry meat and keeps the skin from crisping. Plus, opening the oven door prevents even roasting.
- Need to Scale the Recipe? Hover your mouse over the number of servings in the recipe card. You'll see a sliding scale pop up, you can use that to scale the recipe up or down as needed.
- Got questions? I've got answers! If you ever run into an issue, have a question, or need any clarification - please feel free to drop them in the comments section. I'm happy to help when I can!
Nutrition
Calories: 71kcal Carbohydrates: 2g Protein: 0.3g Fat: 7g Saturated Fat: 1g Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g Monounsaturated Fat: 4g Trans Fat: 0.03g Cholesterol: 0.2mg Sodium: 2mg Potassium: 122mg Fiber: 0.3g Sugar: 0.1g Vitamin A: 11IU Vitamin C: 1mg Calcium: 56mg Iron: 0.5mg