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Seasoned with lemon zest and herbs, your Sunday Roasted Chicken will shine in all it’s simplicity. The Best Roasted Whole Chicken requires only minutes of hands on time and should be a staple in your easy dinner arsenal.
This is, by far, the Best Roast Chicken recipe you’ll ever make.
I love the simple things in life. Mostly because in my life, laziness prevails. But because of my lazy ways I’ve learned to appreciate simplicity especially when it comes to my food. Think juicy, ripe summer tomatoes still warm from the sun, sprinkled generously with sea salt. Is your mouth watering yet?
How about a slice of watermelon, slightly chilled and dripping with juice? Refreshing. Or a whole roasted chicken with just a few herbs, some salt and lemon? Drool. And for some reason these are the things that impress me the most.
A simple chicken dinner just screams Sunday family meal to me. I’m not sure why but for some reason I only roast a whole chicken on Sundays. It’s like a thing for me. Even though it’s not something that requires a lot of time or energy and it certainly doesn’t need to cook for hours.
And yet….I have friends that are terrified of roasting a whole chicken. It’s baffling. My entire roast chicken recipe costs less than $9 to make. NINE DOLLARS!!! And it feeds us dinner, and lunch for days. The perfect way to keep your sanity during the school year, especially.
How To Roast a Chicken
This Simple Roast Chicken recipe is just what it sounds like. Simple. A handful of ingredients are used to maintain moisture and pump up the flavor just a tad. For this recipe, I am careful to not overdo it with the extra flavor enhancers since I like to use the leftovers in a few lunchbox lunches during the week.
I stick with the basics…kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, olive oil, lemon, thyme, garlic. That’s it.
The key to making sure those flavors are actually in the meat and not on the bottom of the pan is by rubbing it all under the skin. I use this same technique in my roasted turkey at Thanksgiving every year and it ensures that I have the juiciest turkey in all the land. Seriously, you should try it sometime.
How Long To Roast A Whole Chicken
Depending on the size of your chicken, roasting a whole chicken should take only about an hour. I like to roast my chicken at a 425˚F so that I have the juiciest, crispy roast chicken ever. It’s a higher temperature than most recipes but it ensures a perfect roast chicken without much fuss.
A 5-6 pound chicken will take about 1 hour and 10 minutes to fully cook. Your chicken is finished cooking when an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165˚F. For an accurate reading, be sure the thermometer is not touching the bone.
If your chicken is beginning to brown too quickly, you can cover it with foil after the skin is crispy and golden brown. The foil will keep the skin from browning and burning, as well as, keep the chicken breast from drying out.
If you want to roast your chicken at a lower temperature, be sure to follow this chart as a guide:
- 2-1/2 to 3 pounds: Roast at 375 degrees F for 1 to 1-1/4 hours.
- 3 to 3-1/2 pounds: Roast at 375 degrees F for 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours.
- 3-1/2 to 4 pounds: Roast at 375 degrees F for 1-1/4 to 1-3/4 hours.
- 4-1/2 to 5 pounds: Roast at 375 degrees F for 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
A general rule of thumb for my recommended 425˚ roasting temperature is 10 minutes per pound for the chicken to be fully cooked.
Roasted Chicken vs. Baked Chicken
Roasting occurs at a higher temperature, generally 375˚ and above. Anything below 375˚F would be considered baking a chicken. Both work, but if you’re looking for a crispy skinned whole chicken you definitely need the higher temperatures to render the fat and crisp up the skin.
We LOVE this Oven Baked Chicken Breast for quick, easy dinners if you’re not wanting to roast a whole chicken.
Best Sides For Roast Chicken
This easy Whole Roasted Chicken is spectacular served with these Funeral Potatoes, Country Mashed Potatoes or Cheesy Spinach Au Gratin….your Sunday dinner guests may never leave.
We’re also loving this Green Beans Almondine and Best Sweet Potato Casserole if you’re feeling a little fancy….even though they’re super EASY to make.
How to Store Leftovers
Be sure to save the leftovers for lunches during the week. It makes life so much easier because you can throw them into things like this Lemon Tarragon Chicken Salad and this Chicken Tortellini Soup.
Transfer any leftover roast chicken meat to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you want to make homemade chicken stock, transfer the bones to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
We love using both leftover chicken and homemade chicken stock to make the best chicken soup recipe and this easy chicken noodle soup.
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More Easy Chicken Recipes
Oven Roast Whole Chicken Recipe
Equipment
- roasting pan
Ingredients
- 5 pound Whole Chicken
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1/4 cup Olive Oil
- 1 tablespoon Black Pepper Grinder
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1 lemon, cut in quarters
- 1 head of garlic cut in half horizontally
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425˚F.
- In a small bowl, mix together the salt, pepper, lemon zest and thyme until well blended. Using your clean hands, carefully separate the skin from the meat on the chicken breast. Spread the salt mixture over the meat.
- Stuff the lemon and garlic in the cavity of the chicken. Tuck the wings of the chicken under the breast and tie the legs together with kitchen twine.
- Drizzle the olive oil over the chicken and season with any remaining salt mixture.
- Place the chicken in a medium sized roasting pan and roast for approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes or until the juices run clear. The chicken is done cooking when it registers 165˚F on an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh.
- Cover the chicken with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes before carving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The chicken was delicious but brushing it with oil then putting it in a very hot oven was a disaster! There was a coat of oil over my entire oven and it smoked so much it set off two smoke alarms in my house!
Waist of oil and time its doesn’t need oils to bake perfectly
Excellent
Thank you so much!
sounds really good and i will be cooking it
Thank you! You will love it!
The chicken was DELICIOUS!! It was very juicy. Each bite had flavor. I will definitely keep this recipe to make again!!
Thank you so much for your comment! I’m happy you enjoyed it!
I assume the. Hi Ken roasts uncovered ? Right.
Yes, uncovered unless it starts to brown too quickly then I’ll cover with a piece of foil.
The chicken looks wonderful!
Looking forward to making it and trying others on your site.
Is that 4843 mg of sodium per serving?
Thanks Kellie!
That is incorrect, I’ll try to recalculate it asap.
I have to share that based off your instructions I had the best whole chicken I’ve ever tasted/made. Thank you!
Thank you so much! I’m so happy you enjoyed it! It’s definitely our favorite and I’ve been making it this way for over 20 years.
What happens with the olive oil?
You use it to drizzle on the outside of the chicken. It’s in the recipe card instructions.
wow the sheen on that looks spectacular drool-worthy and finger-licking delicious love it! A must try soon and please visit us: https://www.beckandbulow.com