This easy-to-make roasted chicken is one of our best chicken recipes yet and may become your favorite way to prepare a one-pot meal for your family.
A delicious, oven-roasted golden brown whole bird resting on a bed of vegetables is an almost effortless meal your whole family will love!
Oven-roasted chicken is a centuries-old classic comfort food recipe favored by adults and children alike. Even the pickiest eaters will love the subtle, warm flavors and hearty root vegetables this recipe calls for. And the minimal prep work will win you over, too!
Even better, experts recommend eating lean white meat like chicken several times a week. Keep chicken in your regular rotation for a healthy meat-based protein!
This recipe is deliciously simple, but you can always modify it to your liking by adding any blend of herbs and spices. If you’re looking for something with stronger flavors and seasoning but need some guidance or inspiration, I suggest our Herb Roasted Chicken recipe.
Tips for the Perfect Roast Chicken
Preparing a whole chicken recipe with golden skin and juicy meat is possible with the right recipe. Here are the best tips to follow when you’re using ours:
- Baste the chicken with melted butter.
- Don’t skip patting the chicken dry with a paper towel. The crispy skin relies on moisture to be removed!
- Use salt as directed. While it may be tempting to skip the added sodium, salt protects the meat from drying out.
- Let the chicken come to room temperature before cooking.
- Start with high heat. The variation in temperature is key to the recipe’s success. A meat thermometer will give you an accurate internal temperature if inserted into the thickest part of the breast, so monitor regularly after adjusting your temp.
Ingredients to make Roasted Chicken
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make our easy roasted chicken recipe. In Chef Speak, this is called the Mise en Place, which translates into Everything in its Place.
Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
Should I cover my chicken while roasting?
If you’re wondering whether you should roast your chicken covered or uncovered, I’m here to help.
You should not cover your chicken while roasting it. The hot, dry air in the oven should be free to circulate and crisp the skin of the chicken- the best part!
However, if the chicken starts to brown up too quickly before the internal temperature rises enough, you can tent the chicken with aluminum foil to help prevent the skin from burning.
How to make Roasted Chicken
Remove the chicken from the packaging and remove the giblets from the cavity of the bird.
- Pat the entire chicken down with paper towels to remove any moisture. This will help crisp up the skin.
- Coat the outside of the bird with kosher salt.
- Cut the onion and lemon into quarters and place them inside the cavity of the bird.
- Using butcher string, wrap one leg at the bottom of the drumstick and tie a knot. Then, bring the other side of the string over and wrap it around the other drumstick leg. Pull it snug so the legs pull up over the breast, and tie a knot to secure it.
*This will hold the legs upright, creating a better presentation and helping the bird cook more evenly.
- Allow the chicken to air dry for 30 minutes and allow it to come to room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.
- Use your favorite root vegetables to create a nest for the chicken to cook over, allowing the juices from the chicken to add flavor to the veggies. We used a combination of carrots, potatoes, turnips, and onions lightly coated with olive oil.
*This step is optional. The chicken can also be cooked on a wire rack over a baking sheet. - Place the chicken over the veggies and brush it with half the melted butter, reserving the rest for the finish. Place a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the bird.
- Place the pan on the center rack of the preheated oven and roast for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees and continue to roast for an additional 35-45 minutes or until an internal temperature of 165 degrees has been reached.
- Remove the roasted chicken from the oven and brush it with the remaining melted butter.
- Turn the oven off and place the vegetables back into the oven to keep warm.
Place the roasted chicken on a cutting board and let it rest for 15-20 minutes before slicing to allow the juices to redistribute back into the meat.
Roasted chicken is perfect for weeknights or a Sunday dinner with the family. I really love preparing this dish in the fall or winter- the warmth of the oven combined with the roast’s wholesome and comforting fragrance is cozy and inviting.
Store leftovers refrigerated in an airtight container or well-covered with plastic wrap for 4-5 days. I like to reuse my leftover chicken in a new way, like a chicken salad sandwich for lunch the following day.
If you have the time, I strongly recommend pairing roasted chicken with classic dinner rolls or artisan bread.
Do you enjoy easy chicken recipes for your oven? Check out our Easy Oven-Fried Chicken!
Recipe FAQ’s
While our roasted chicken is baked in a roasting pan, the difference between baking and roasting a chicken lies in the temperature.
Roasted chicken is cooked at higher temperatures to yield a browned, crispy skin.
You will want to serve approximately one pound of meat per person. Our recipe calls for a 4-6 lb chicken, which should serve at least four adults.
Chicken should be roasted breast-side up so the skin gets nice and crispy. Larger poultry like turkeys are often started breastside down, so the fat drips into the breast meat. But a chicken doesn’t take as long to cook, so it’s not a good idea to start it upside down.
More Chicken Recipes You’ll Love!
Easy Roasted Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 4-6 lb whole chicken
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt or coarse sea salt
- 1 small onion
- 1 lemon
- 4 tablespoon melted butter
Instructions
- Remove the chicken from the packaging and remove the giblets from the cavity of the bird.
- Pat the entire chicken down with paper towels to remove any moisture. This will help crisp up the skin.
- Coat the outside of the bird with kosher salt.
- Cut the onion and lemon into quarters and place them inside the cavity of the bird.
- Using butcher string, wrap one leg at the bottom of the drumstick and tie a knot. Then, bring the other side of the string over, and wrap it around the other drumstick leg, and pull it snug so the legs pull up over the breast of the chicken and tie a knot to secure it.*This will hold the legs upright, creating a better presentation and helping the bird cook more evenly. help
- Allow the chicken to air dry for 30 minutes and allow it to come to room temperature
- Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.
- We created a nest of root vegetables for the chicken to cook over, allowing the juices from the chicken to add flavor to the veggies. This step is optional. The chicken can also be cooked on a wire rack over a baking sheet.* for this recipe, we used a combination of carrots, potatoes, turnips, and onions lightly coated with olive oil.
- Place the chicken over the veggies and brush it with half the melted butter, reserving the rest for the finish.
- Place a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the bird I find the thigh works best.
- Place the pan on the center rack of the preheated oven and roast for 25 minutes.
- After 25 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees and continue to roast for an additional 35-45 minutes or until an internal temperature of 165 degrees has been reached.
- Remove the roasted chicken from the oven and brush it with the remaining melted butter. Place it on a cutting board and let it rest for 15-20 minutes before slicing to allow the juices to redistribute back into the meat.
- Turn the oven off and place the vegetables back into the oven to keep warm.
Ron says
I made this chicken for Sunday dinner, but used your spicing and cooking temps/times from your herb roasted chicken recipe, and the result was delicious. I didn’t have a wire rack, so used the bed of root veggies instead, exactly as in this recipe, and everyone loved it. I’d never roasted a chicken before, and learned I could do it…thank you! I really love your recipes in general.