Hello, welcome. Thank you so much for being here!
Today I’m sharing the easiest way to roast a whole chicken in the oven.
I love recipes that don’t take much thought and hardly any prep time, and this post is exactly that. Just 10 minutes to prep this whole chicken, toss it into the oven, and forget about it for an hour.
There also are two great opportunities for you after you roast a whole chicken.
1. Homemade bone broth
2. Already cooked and seasoned protein that is easy to dump in future meals
By buying whole chickens, we have the ingredients to prepare a homemade, nourishing broth in its purest form that will contain more nutrients and flavor than any store bought broth you can find.
By roasting whole chickens, we have the protein already cooked and seasoned for future weekly meals. This significantly cuts down the time and effort put into those meals.
I’ve used this precooked chicken in chicken pot pie freezer meals, soups, salads, and even pastas - and they all take less effort to whip up since I don’t have to cook the meat the day of.
Common Questions
What can I serve with this roast chicken?
There are so many possibilities! I love sautéed fresh green beans in garlic as a side. Of course, there are the basic mashed potatoes, which you could change into mashed sweet potatoes. You could serve it with a simple side salad and some seasoned rice.
Organic, antibiotic free, free range?
Listed above are a few descriptors seen on the packaging of chickens. I am not an expert. I highly encourage you to do your own research as to what ingredients you are okay with your family consuming. What I typically choose for my family is organic – and if not organic – then definitely antibiotic free. In the future, I hope to buy chickens from a local farmer.
How to Roast a Whole Chicken in the Oven
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Set time: 15 minutes
Tools you may need
9×13 casserole dish
Kitchen scissors
Ingredients list
Avocado oil
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
2. Before seasoning the meat we are going to spatchcock the chicken, that is remove the neck and spinal column from the bird so that it will lay flat in our pan and cook evenly in the oven. You can use your hands or a pair of kitchen scissors to spatchcock your chicken. Make sure to set aside the neck in a freezable container or bag so that you can make bone broth with it later.
3. Drizzle oil in the bottom of your pan and settle the chicken in the dish so that it lays flat.
4. Drizzle oil over the chicken and apply spices to cover the entire chicken.
5. Bake the chicken at 400 F for 1 hour, or until internal temperature reaches 155 F. If you notice the skin blackening and burning, cover the chicken with some foil for the remaining baking time.
6. Remove the chicken from the oven and let rest on the counter for 15 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165 F.
7. Don’t forget to save the bones in that freezer bag to make bone broth with it later!
Plan of Action
If you’re anticipating serving dinner at 5:00 PM, preheat your oven and prep your chicken with the seasonings at 3:30 PM. Place your chicken in the oven at 3:45 PM. Remove the chicken from the oven at 4:45 PM if the internal temperature has reached 155 F. Let it sit on your counter to cook the remaining 10 degrees until 5:00 PM. Make sure the internal temperature is 165 F before serving.
Thank you for your time!
