Oven Whole Roasted Chicken

Enjoy this simple Oven Whole Roasted Chicken Recipe, perfect for a weekend family dinner. Tender, juicy whole chicken with a crispy golden skin that can cover multiple meals such as our Bacon Chicken Caesar Salad Wrap, Buffalo Chicken Pizza or add it to our Vegetable Fried Rice!

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In the Crumbs house, there are four main ways to cook a whole chicken. We could bake chicken in a slow cooker, in the Instant Pot for Instant Pot whole chicken, as a rotisserie on the grill (with this attachment), or roasted in the oven.

Although Mr. Crumbs is not a fan of chicken in a slow cooker for some reason, and I am not a fan of smelling like grill smoke from grilling chicken…

I DO have my own secret up my sleeve for a whole chicken recipe that my family absolutely loved!

It’s a whole roasted, turned chicken in the oven!

Yes, a long name I know, but well worth each and every syllable because this method makes the bird absolutely moist and absolutely delicious, every. single. time.

This delicious roast chicken is easily roasted in the same pan with any root vegetables of your choice! Saves time on dishes and on prep!!

Whole Roasted Turned Chicken in the Oven

Besides the fact that it’s a healthy, wholesome family meal, this recipe for roasted chicken is also:

Delicious, tender and juicy with big whole pieces.
One bird can cover multiple meals (at least 3, but usually 5 since we rarely finish the whole half bird).
With chicken already cooked and chopped/sliced and portioned aside, some prep work for future meals is done.
Roasted chicken usually means roasted vegetables, which means more cooked food with less dishes to wash.

Ingredients for Whole Roasted Chicken

This is such a great recipe with only a few simple ingredients…

A whole chicken
Salt and pepper
Butter
Paprika, garlic powder, Italian seasoning
Roasting vegetables, i.e. carrots, onions, celery, potatoes, garlic cloves (optional)

Note: For people avoiding dairy, olive oil can always be used instead of butter.

With such simple ingredients such as a whole chicken, butter and seasonings, the prep is so easy for this oven whole roasted chicken!

How long does it take to cook a whole roasted chicken?

I’ll warn you – this is not a fast dinner. Oh no. You need to plan a head a little bit to pull it off. It cooks for at least an hour, and if you include the prep time and resting time, you’re looking at two hours in the kitchen at minimum…

But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make it.

On the contrary! This is our family’s “special dinner” and it’s my own nerdy way of thanking my family for graciously trying my frugal tactics on how to save money on real food, and continually eating my kitchen experiments.

How to make whole roasted chicken

Rub and massage the entire chicken with salt. Sprinkle seasonings on top.
Place the chicken on its side with one leg up. Brush the skin with the melted butter and roast for 25 minutes.
Turn the chicken to its other side with the other leg facing up. Brush the skin with the melted butter and roast for 25 minutes.
Turn the chicken breast side up and roast for 15 minutes more.
Remove to a platter and let stand.

Enjoy!

Turning the chicken for the oven roasted chicken recipe is really the key to an even golden and crispy skin. YUM!

What is the temperature for a whole roasted chicken?

Roast the whole chicken in the oven at 400 degrees. It is done cooking when a thermometer inserted into the part between the leg and the body reaches 170 degrees.

Do you roast a chicken covered or uncovered?

We are roasting this chicken uncovered in the oven.

What is the difference between roasting and baking a chicken?

Actually, it’s kind of interesting because the only difference is the wording and the parts of the chicken that you are cooking.

You ‘roast’ a whole chicken, but you ‘bake’ the parts of the chicken (breasts, thighs, drumsticks). Both cooking ‘methods’ occur in the oven under dry heat.

Why is this whole roasted chicken turned in the oven?

A simple way of roasting a whole chicken is to lay the chicken on top of sliced root vegetables or balls of foil in the roasting pan.

I know, I know, taking the time to turn the chicken throughout the roasting process is a tad more work…

BUT the results are SO worth it. What you get is a delicious, crispy, golden brown bird that is evenly roasted on all sides. YUM!

If you'd like to save time and money, go ahead and roast two chickens in the oven at the same time! That way, you'll have dinner for now, and plenty of meat for future meals.

Want to save time roasting a chicken in the oven?

Try roasting TWO chickens at a time. If the oven is already on, and you’re already turning one chicken, why not save time and turn two? You can pull the meat off the bones and use it in my chicken and spinach enchiladas, sweet and sour chicken or even my southwestern chicken salad!

More Simple Chicken Recipes

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5 from 3 reviews

Author: Tiffany
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1.25 hours
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Yield: 1 whole chicken
Category: Main Meals
Method: Oven Roast
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

1 whole chicken
1 Tbsp salt
3 Tbsp butter, melted
1/2 tsp each: pepper, salt, paprika, garlic powder, Italian seasoning
Roasting vegetables, i.e. carrots, onions, celery, potatoes (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400F.
Remove innards from chicken cavity and set aside for stock. Rinse and pat dry chicken.
Rub and massage the entire chicken with salt. Sprinkle seasonings on top.
In a 9×13 roasting pan, place the chicken on its side with one leg up. Surround the chicken with the roasting vegetables, if using, to help keep the chicken on its side. You can use crumpled up balls of aluminum foil if you are not using vegetables and need to prevent the chicken from falling over.
Brush the skin with the melted butter and roast for 25 minutes.
Using gloves or mitts, turn the chicken completely over so that it is on its other side with the other leg facing up. Again, use the roasting vegetables or the aluminum foil to prevent the chicken from falling over.
Brush the skin with the melted butter and roast for 25 minutes.
Using gloves or mitts, turn the chicken breast side up and roast or 15-30 minutes more, or until the chicken registers 170F on an instant read thermometer and the juices run clear.
Remove to a platter and let stand for 10 to 15 minutes.

Keywords: Whole Roasted Chicken

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