My recipe for oven-roasted chicken is easy, healthy, and I think it tastes a lot better than any rotisserie chicken that I've bought from the grocery store. I have to tell you though, my favorite part of roasting this delicious chicken is the aroma that fills the house while it cooks. If comfort had a scent, this would definitely be it!
I was just a newlywed when I first made this roast chicken for my husband, and it's still one of his favorite weeknight meals. There is a little bit of prep involved, but after that is done, the chicken goes in the oven and you can forget about it for a while. The high oven temperature ensures a juicy chicken with a golden, crispy skin. This is the only recipe I ever use for a perfect roast chicken, and it takes minimal effort.
Since this chicken is great for leftovers, I always roast two chickens instead of one. Leftover chicken is an easy way to add protein into any salad, making it a complete meal. Or if you are looking for something to warm you up, shredded chicken is a great addition to a short cut chicken noodle soup.
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Jump to:
- Simple Ingredients for Easy Oven Roasted Chicken
- How to Make this Easy Oven Roasted Chicken Recipe
- Preparing a Chicken for Roasting
- How to Season a Roast Chicken
- How to Determine When the Oven Roasted Chicken is Done
- Vegetables to Roast Along with Your Oven Roasted Chicken
- Serving Oven Roasted Chicken
- Storing Oven Roasted Chicken
- Making a Flavorful Stock with Chicken Bones
- Did You Make the Recipe?
- Easy Oven Roasted Chicken Recipe
Simple Ingredients for Easy Oven Roasted Chicken
- whole chicken
- avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil, (optional, a combination of oil and melted butter)
- fresh parsley, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, or other fresh herbs
- whole garlic heads
- lemon
- onion
- kosher salt or coarse sea salt
- chili lime salt (I use Trader Joe's Chile Lime Seasoning Blend)
- brown sugar
- cinnamon
- roasting vegetables (carrots, potatoes, onions)
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make this Easy Oven Roasted Chicken Recipe
Step 1: Remove the giblets from the cavity of the chicken. Then wash and fully pat dry the entire chicken using paper towels. Place the chicken on a large baking tray covered with a sheet of aluminum foil. This is optional, but I like to use kitchen shears or a sharp knife to cut the loose chicken skin around the cavity of the chicken. I also clip the wings, as it often has feathers.
Step 2: Rub oil on the skin of the chicken, including the undersides. Then generously rub chili lime seasoning, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and cracked black pepper all over, and optionally, under the skin. This will ensure a delicious golden skin. To add additional richness, you can add a tablespoon of melted butter.
Step 3: Fill the cavity of the chicken with the aromatics. I use lemon, onion, parsley, and garlic, but feel free to make substitutions as you wish.
Step 4: Place your peeled and cut vegetables in a single layer in the baking pan and drizzle them generously with oil, salt, pepper, and extra chili lime seasoning.
Step 5: Bake the chicken in a preheated oven, 425 degrees Fahrenheit. The cooking time will vary between 80 to 90 minutes, depending on your oven and the size of the chicken.
Extra Step: At around the 70 minute mark, remove the aromatics from the chicken cavity, then place back in the oven. This will allow the onion, parsley, lemon, and garlic to roast and turn golden brown.
Step 6: Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving. Cut the chicken into serving size pieces and serve it with the roasted vegetables drizzled with the pan juices and enjoy!
Preparing a Chicken for Roasting
Preparing a chicken for roasting involves just a few steps. First, remove the neck and giblets from inside the cavity. Then rinse the chicken thoroughly under running water and pat it dry with paper towels. Place the chicken on a baking tray and now you are ready for the cosmetic enhancements. This involves cutting off any loose skin around the cavity of the chicken, and clipping off the wing tips, as they tend to have the most feathers. Trussing the chicken with twine is an optional step, but personally, the difference in juiciness is not significant enough for me to warrant the extra effort. Now the chicken is ready to be seasoned.
How to Season a Roast Chicken
Chile Lime Seasoning Blend: I buy this blend from Trader Joes. It's the perfect balance of heat and lime to bring out the best flavors of the chicken. The main ingredients are sea salt, chili pepper, red bell pepper, lime juice powder, and citric acid.
Sugar and Cinnamon: I don't like adding extra sugar to my food, but in this case, it really does make a difference in creating a golden crispy skin. Alternatively, you can add honey, maple syrup or agave. The cinnamon is optional, but I find that in the fall and winter months, it creates a warm, appetizing aroma.
Salt and Pepper: I sprinkle generous amounts of salt and pepper to the bed of vegetables, as well as the outside of the chicken and the cavity of the bird.
How to Determine When the Oven Roasted Chicken is Done
This whole roasted chicken takes anywhere between 80 to 90 minutes to cook thoroughly. Several factors influence the cooking time, including your oven's heat retention and the size of your chicken.
As a general rule, if you insert a knife between the leg and the wing, and the liquid runs clear, your chicken is cooked. If you are using a meat thermometer, the safe temperature for cooked chicken is an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Approximately 70 minutes into the cooking process, insert the instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh, avoiding contact with the bone, to obtain a temperature reading.
Vegetables to Roast Along with Your Oven Roasted Chicken
Potatoes are perfect for this roast chicken. If you are using russet potatoes, I recommend peeling and cutting them into roughly 2-inch pieces. For fingerling, yukon gold, or red potatoes, the peel can be left on as they are thin enough.
Sweet potatoes add natural sweetness and caramelization to the roast. I keep the peels on as they help hold their shape during baking, and cut them into 1-inch rings.
Whole Garlic Cloves are used inside of the chicken cavity as an aromatic, but are also delicious when roasted with the vegetables. I cut the top of each garlic head, exposing just the tips of the cloves. Once roasted, they become butter-like in texture, and are perfect smeared on the white meat chicken, or on a piece of crusty bread.
Onions serve as an aromatic inside of the chicken, but they are also fantastic roasted. They become caramelized and sweet and add so much flavor to this simple roast chicken recipe.
Carrots add sweetness and a beautiful color to the vegetables. I peel them and cut them into 2-inch segments.
Hardy Vegetables such as parsnips, turnips, and butternut squash can also be added. I think using what is in season always produces the best results.
Serving Oven Roasted Chicken
Once you remove the chicken from the oven, allow it to rest for about 10 minutes. This ensures that all those lovely juices don't come rushing out when you carve it. You may loosely cover the chicken with foil during this period so that it retains its heat. When you are ready to cut and serve this delicious roasted chicken, cut each leg in half, separating the thigh from the drumstick. While one thigh or drumstick typically is a single serving, breasts can yield two servings each. To serve the breasts, cut each one in half, keeping the skin for presentation.
Storing Oven Roasted Chicken
I like to take all the meat off the bones before placing the leftover chicken in the refrigerator. From experience, I know that it is much easier removing the meat at room temperature than when it is cold.
In an airtight container, the chicken will remain fresh for 2-3 days. However, if you plan to keep it longer, I recommend freezing it. For best results, wrap the chicken tightly in plastic wrap before placing it in a freezer plastic bag.
Making a Flavorful Stock with Chicken Bones
Once you have removed all of the meat from the oven roasted chicken carcass, just add the chicken bones, half an onion, a celery stick, and a carrot to a large pot. Add filtered water just to cover the bones, allow it to come to a boil, and then put it on a low simmer for 3-4 hours. Alternatively, add all the ingredients to an instant pot and set for 1 hour. Then strain the broth and you have a nutritious homemade chicken stock that can be used to make a delicious soup.
Did You Make the Recipe?
I would love to hear your feedback! Please leave a comment and star rating below. You can also pin my recipe on Pinterest or share your creation on Instagram by tagging me @mulberryblvd. Thank you.
Easy Oven Roasted Chicken Recipe
Equipment
- oven
Ingredients
Roasted Chicken
- 1 whole chickens between 4-5 pounds
- 1 heads of garlic tops of garlic removed
- ½ lemon
- ¼ white onion
- 3 sprigs of parsley or herb of your choice
- 2 tablespoon oil olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon butter optional
- 1 tablespoon coarse salt
- ½ tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 ½ tablespoon chili lime seasoning please see note
Roasted Vegetables
- ½ lb potatoes
- 2 red onions
- 2 heads of garlic
- ½ lb carrots
Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the Chicken
- Remove the giblets from the chicken cavity and discard them.
- Wash and pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
- Place the chicken on a baking sheet double lined with aluminum foil.
- (Optional) Trim any loose skin around the chicken cavity and clip the wing tips.
Step 2: Season the Chicken
- Rub the chicken with oil, including the undersides.
- Generously sprinkle chili lime seasoning, brown sugar, cinnamon, coarse salt, and black pepper all over the chicken, including under the skin if desired.
- Optional: for added richness, brush the chicken with melted butter or place 1 tablespoon of butter under the skin.
Step 3: Stuff the Chicken
- Fill the chicken cavity with half a lemon, ¼ of an onion, 3 sprigs of parsley, and an entire head of garlic. You can substitute other aromatics as desired.
Step 4: Prepare the Vegetables
- Peel and cut the vegetables. Place the vegetables in the baking pan around the chicken.
- Drizzle generously with oil, and sprinkle on salt, pepper, and extra chili lime seasoning if desired.
Step 5: Roast the Chicken and Vegetables
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Optional: set your timer to 70 minutes, then remove the aromatics from the cavity of the chicken in order for them to become golden in color with the rest of the vegetables.
- Roast the chicken and vegetables for 80-90 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken.
Step 6: Check for Doneness and Serve
- Insert a knife into the thickest part of the thigh, and if the juices run clear, or if a thermometer inserted into the same area reads 165 degrees Fahrenheit, the chicken is cooked through.
- Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving. Cut the chicken into serving sized pieces and serve with roasted vegetables drizzled with the pan juices.
