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Recently I made a whole roasted chicken recipe. Having not made many (or only one if I am being completely honest), whole roasted chicken recipes before in my life, I was a little intimidated. It’s so easy to dry the chicken out and that in turn leaves much to be desired when you go to eat dinner, am I right? However, this time I rocked it out in the kitchen and had, what I claim to be…THE BEST WHOLE ROASTED CHICKEN RECIPE EVAH!
Seriously, it was so good. I have picky kids and they even loved it. The issues I have had in the past when cooking a whole roasted chicken is I either dried it out or the skin was not crispy. Both of those chicken disasters make this momma not want to eat the chicken (and what a sad thing to waste a whole roasted chicken). Thankfully the kitchen Gods smiled down on me and when I tried my hand at an easy whole roasted chicken recipe, I had crispy skin and a chicken that was moist (even the breast, which is usually the dry meat). So, today, I am sharing with you the best whole roasted chicken recipe I used in hopes you will brave a whole chicken! This recipe is from the McCormick Recipe Inspiration kit, but I adjusted the recipe to make a whole roasted chicken instead of their suggested chicken breasts.
Food Safe Gloves For Handling Raw Chicken
Pro Tip: I am not a fan of getting my hands covered in raw chicken. So the best thing to have in the kitchen is a box of food safe gloves. Make sure they are powder and latex free. They are great for handling raw meats. They also help keep strong odors like onion and garlic off your hands. And no more worrying about staining your hands with frozen berries. These food safe gloves are a must-have for when I am prepping meals!
Whole Roasted Chicken Recipe
Ingredients:
- Whole Chicken (3-4 lbs)
- 4 white oninos (quartered)
- 2 whole lemons (halved)
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 10 whole garlic cloves
- 8 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 tsp. black pepper
- 2 tsp. salt
- 4 tsp. minced garlic cloves
- 6 tsp. dried crushed rosemary leaves
- 8 tsp.Paprika
Instructions:
- Layer onions and 5 garlic cloves in bottom of Pampered Chef Rectangular Baker (or this Rachel Ray Baker works great too)
- Pour chicken stock into baker or roasting pan
- Wash and clean out chicken (removing insides)
- Add the 2 lemons, thyme sprigs, and 5 of the whole garlic cloves to the cavity.
- Lay on top of onions and garlic
- Mix olive oil, black pepper, salt, minced garlic, rosemary leaves, and paprika in a bowl.
- Rub under breast skin of chicken, use generously.
- Rub mixture on outside of whole chicken coating well.
- Bake at 425 for about 1.5 hours (for 4 lb chicken, basting with mixture the last 30 minutes.**
- Make sure juices run clean and internal temp is 180 before removing
- Remove from oven and let cool before cutting to preserve moistness
Having the right products on hand will make your time in the kitchen much less stressful. In addition to the ingredients for the roast chicken, these are some of my must-have items for making roasted chicken.
&
Chef Knife For Cutting VegetablesAnti-Bacterial Cutting Board for Keeping Counter CleanLysol Disinfecting WipesCovered Rectangular RoasterFood Safe Gloves For Keeping Hands Clean
I am telling you this whole roasted chicken recipe was so good. I, as mentioned, in the past have not had great luck with cooking a whole roasted chicken…the skin was slimy and the inside dry. I don’t know if it was the cookware I used, broth in the pan or what but this was perfectly moist with crispy skin. Basting the outside of the skin during the last half hour of cooking made the skin flavor so yummy! So this roasted chicken recipe was definitely a win and will be a regular meal in our home!
**time may need to be adjusted depending on your oven*
* Originally posted 2/2013, had to move back to top so new readers could try this recipe*
Toni Patton
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I love doing whole chickens but like you said it is so hit and miss. I am trying this recipe next week!
this looks delicious toni!
trisha
Oh I love making whole chickens … except for the part where you have to stick your hand inside to dig out the bag of … uhhh .. parts. Gag! But I always put mine in the slow cooker and then under the broiler to crisp up the skin.
This is EXACTLY how I do mine. I love using the slow-cooker/broiler method. Perfect every time.
Oh wow that looks great! I usually cook a whole chicken in the slow cooker. 🙂
See I have never thought to do it in a slow cooker. I am definitely going to have to try that.
I used to have one of those Pampered Chef pans and it is a great way to bake a chicken.
I don’t make whole chickens because my husband and I only eat white meat. BUT I do make breasts on the bone a lot, so I’ll try this with those!
I either do the slow cooker or buy a rotisserie chicken from my local grocery store. 🙂 This looks so good, though!
This sounds SOOO good!!! I pinned it and stumbled 🙂
I have never done a whole chicken. Too scared. 🙂
It looks delicious, Toni.
I have not tried to risk a whole chicken (or turkey). I am way too scared. yours came out looking like perfection.
sounds easy and looks delicious YUMMY
It looks amazing and tasty!
Sadly, I’ve never really roasted a whole chicken. It’s on my kitchen bucket list, along with deboning a fish.
It looks yummy!
Totally making this!
I love roasting a chicken. We do it a lot.
This recipe comes at the most perfect time! I have been wanting to tackle a whole chicken for quite awhile.
It definitely looks super delicious!
I’m cooking a chicken tomorrow 🙂
I’ve always wanted to roast a whole chicken, so I’m definitely going to have to try this out! 🙂
Oh my goodness – this looks devine! Definitely going to try this one out!
I LOVE roasted chicken. I love making broth with the leftovers too 🙂
I love cooking whole chickens- so easy! This recipe looks delicious. It would be good for leftovers too!
This looks delicious! Totally going to try your recipe
Yum! I love using my toaster oven rotisserie to cook whole chickens, they come out juicy
Love whole chicken dinners. Must try this.
this looks super yummy. seriously going to try it.
I rarely make a whole chicken, but this looks just like my moms makes it!! YUMMY
I have made quite a few turkeys but I have never made a whole chicken. Yours looks yummy!
Looks very yummy!
I love how easy cooking a whole chicken really is!
That chicken looks so good!
Oh, I love the spices you used in this recipe.
I have this in the oven right now! Easy and I just know it is going to be flavorful. I miss my big Pampered Chef dish, but it broke in half one night while I was roasting a salmon dish. There just isn’t a pan to compare.
That looks so tasty but I only eat white meat. When my son is here on college break, I can try it though. He’ll eat anything!
I’ll give it a try!
Whole Roasted Chicken is my fave. I’ll have to try this!
Sounds amazing! I love cooking the whole chicken – but no one really eats dark meat.
This sounds great! I have everything needed in hand. Just one question and I’m sorry if it has been addressed. I didn’t see it in the comments. How much chicken stock is used? It doesn’t say. Thanks so much!
I just poured enough in to cover the bottom of the pan, no specific measurement 🙂
Yeah thank you
Hi there,
I am making this tonight for dinner as I too have always been “shy” when it comes to roasting a whole chicken. The directions say to pour the chicken stock into the baker but it doesn’t tell you how much to use. Please let me know. Thanks for the recipe!
How do you keep the top of the chicken from burning? Do you use foil for part of the time. Mine was almost burnt 10 minutes in.
This looks so good Toni – we’ll definitely be trying this over the weekend! Totally with you on the food safe gloves as well, great tip! Thanks for sharing!