How to Roast A Whole Chicken Easily
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There is something deeply comforting about the smell of a whole chicken roasting in the oven. It’s simple, nourishing, and a true staple for any homestead kitchen. I’m excited to share with you how to roast a whole chicken with confidence!
Roasting a whole chicken might sound intimidating if you have never done it before. Honestly it used to scare me to too, but once I finally did it, and realized how delicious and juicy it could actually turn out, it has made such a difference in our weekly meals and cooking at home.
My goal is to not just give you a recipe for this, but to give you the foundation and basics so you can have the confidence to roast a chicken without an exact recipe.
After you make this chicken, check out how to utilize the carcass and drippings for nourishing bone broth!
Let’s learn how to roast a whole chicken!
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken: I like to get the organic chickens from Costco, but any whole chicken will work great.
1/2 stick of butter
drizzle of olive or avocado oil
Salt: I love to do a natural grain mineral sea salt from Baja Gold Salt. The Natural grain is a more course grain and is perfect for seasoning meats.
Black Pepper
Seasoning Blend: I have been using an organic “Herbs De Provence” blend, but an Italian blend or lemon pepper or any seasonings you have on hand will work like thyme, basil, rosemary, tarragon. oregano, bay leaf.
about 1/2 an onion
2-3 cloves of fresh garlic
2 cups of water
Instructions:
Prepping your chicken:
The first step is to push some slices of butter underneath the chicken skin. You can put seasoning with this butter or just the butter will work. I save out a slice and just place it somewhere on top of the chicken as well.
Next, stuff the chicken inside with most of the onion and garlic. I leave out a little bit and put it in the bottom of the pan around the chicken.
Next, pour a drizzle of olive or avocado oil on the top of the chicken and rub it all over the chicken. This will help the seasoning to stick to the chicken.
After that, add on a generous amount of salt to the surface of the chicken.
Then shake on some pepper and the seasonings that you choose.
After this, pour about 2 cups of water in the bottom of the skillet.
Roasting Your Chicken:
Put in the oven at 400 F for about 30 minutes to start.
The entire cooking time will take roughly 2 hours, depending on the size of your chicken, but I recommend setting the timer for 30 minute blocks because you will take it out and baste it in it’s juices about every 30 minutes.
Every 30 minutes you will remove the chicken, and using a spoon pour spoonfuls of the liquid at the bottom of the pan over the whole chicken. This is going to keep the chicken moist, help give the skin a perfect crisp, and add so much depth of flavor to the chicken.
at the 30 to 60 minute mark, when the top is browning nicely, you can turn down your oven to 350 F so that the top of the chicken doesn’t burn.
You will continue doing this for about 2 hours, until the internal temperature reaches 165 F.
Please Note:
When cooking large amounts of meat, like a whole chicken, it is really important to have a reliable meat thermometer so that you can tell what the temperature of the center of the chicken is. It’s hard to guess when it is done without one because the outside can look well done, but the inside not so much. It is also helpful to know the temperature so you don’t accidentally overcook the chicken which can result in dry meat.
Here is the meat thermometer I use and highly recommend. It is a quick read thermometer and works perfectly for me every time! This gives me peace of mind that I will not be cutting into a surprise undercooked chicken!
ThermoMaven Quick Read Meat Thermometer
Once it is done cooking, letting it rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting it can help the juices to seep into the meat and keep it nice and moist.
Now that you know how to roast a whole chicken, experiment with different seasoning combinations and look forward to putting a beautiful chicken on the table!
To maximize your chicken, be sure to check out how to make nourishing chicken bone broth using the carcass of your chicken…
If you are ready to make some tasty sourdough bread to go with your chicken, be sure to check out my Sourdough Artisan Bread Recipe here!
Xo, Emily
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