Whole Roasted Chicken

When it comes to an easy dinnertime meal, this Whole Roasted Chicken is super flavorful and a hit with the whole family.

I’m a sucker for chicken, it is one of those meats that I prefer among pretty much all others.

This Whole Roasted Chicken is one of those recipes that can last you for a few days, and everyone loves it.

With a simple but flavorful rub that is above and below the skin, this Roasted Chicken is mouthwatering.

We love keeping all types of chicken on hand to do whatever with, but this is one recipe that we love to make all year long.

It is a great dinnertime staple that doesn’t take too long to throw together and creates a nice large meal for the family.

If you have been looking for a tasty chicken recipe, then you absolutely cannot go wrong with this Whole Roasted Chicken.

Some of my other favorite chicken recipes that we have on our site include: Chicken Parmesan Sandwiches, Bourbon Chicken and French Onion Chicken.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

• Simple ingredients help this come together quickly.
• This makes a large meal, enough to have leftovers.
• The flavors go really well together, and are a family hit.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST):

Whole chicken
Smoked paprika
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Salt
Black pepper
Unsalted butter
Onion

HOW TO MAKE A WHOLE ROASTED CHICKEN, STEP BY STEP:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Pat chicken dry all over with paper towel.
3. In a small bowl, add all the spices and mix well.
4. Season the inside of the cavity of the chicken.
5. Fill the cavity with the onion wedges.
6. Mix 1 teaspoon of the seasoning mixture with the butter.
7. Push this seasoned butter under the skin of the breast.
8. Place the chicken on a rack in a baking pan big enough to contain the chicken then rub all over with the remaining seasoning.
9. Bake, uncovered, in the oven for 20 minutes per pound. Turn the oven up to 450°F when there is 20 minutes of cooking time left.
10. Use an instant read thermometer to check the thickest part of the thigh (without touching bone), it needs to have reached 165 degrees F.
11. Use a tent foil over the chicken and allow to rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.
12. Serve with your favorite sides and gravy if desired.

HOW LARGE OF A CHICKEN DO I NEED?

You will want to go with a 4-5 pound chicken for this recipe.

WHY DO YOU TURN THE HEAT UP AT THE END?

While we believe that cooking the Roasted Chicken at a lower temperature through the main part of cooking is desirable we do increase the heat at the end.

We do this to get a nice crispy outside coating on the skin of the chicken, one of the best parts! It really helps seal in that moisture.

DO I HAVE TO TIE THE LEGS TOGETHER?

We did not tie the legs together in this particular recipe as we did not stuff it with anything but onions.

You can absolutely tie the legs together if you desire. This is usually done to keep the shape of the chicken and to not dry it out.

We haven’t had any problems with our chicken drying out, but if you want to truss your chicken (tie the legs together) you can absolutely do that.

CAN I MAKE GRAVY FROM THE DRIPPINGS?

Yes you can, we opted not to do it with this recipe and used a beef gravy as my family prefers that with their sides.

You can easily make a chicken gravy from the remaining drippings and this Gravy Recipe is a great one to follow!

HOW TO STORE:

We like to carve our chicken and then store it. Place in an airtight container or bag and it will keep for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.

This can also be frozen, again carve you chicken and place it in a freezer container or bag and it will keep for up to 3 months.

To defrost, remove from the freezer to the refrigerator until thawed. To reheat, place your chicken in a baking dish and add some chicken broth.

Cover the dish with foil and bake at 350 until heated through (165 degrees F).

TIPS AND TRICKS:

• Make sure you are using a 4-5 pound chicken for this.
• You do not have to tie the legs together, but you absolutely can if you’d like.
• We find the best temperature to cook this at is 350, then we hike it up at the end to 450 to crisp up the skin.
• Make sure that you cover with foil after baking and let it rest for at least 20 minutes so the juices stay inside the chicken.
• You can make your own gravy from the drippings, or use any of your favorite store bought gravy if desired.
• Make sure you really get under the skin with the butter and seasoning mixture so you have that flavor really concentrated around.
• Serve with any of your favorite side dishes.
• This can be frozen, see above on how to do that.

Want that perfectly moist but crispy chicken? Then you have to make my Whole Roasted Chicken, you will not be disappointed.

If you like this recipe you might also like:

• Smothered Chicken
• Grandma’s Fried Chicken
• Beer Can Chicken
• Roasted Chicken Thighs
• Brown Sugar Bacon Wrapped Chicken

If you’ve tried this WHOLE ROASTED CHICKEN or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and what shenanigans I’m getting into!