Oven Roasted Chicken Recipe – Easy, Healthy & Delicious

Oven roasted chicken is a timeless and classic dish that is perfect to make on Sundays, holidays and even on busy weeknights. It is an easy dish to prepare, can feed a lot of people and is a budget friendly main dish that everyone loves.

It is the perfect recipe to make when the entire family is home for dinner. Golden brown and crispy skin chicken on a carving platter surrounded by mashed potatoes, buttered corn, and homemade dinner rolls.

However it is also a dish that I make as a healthy meal prep recipe. Simply cook the chicken and use the meat throughout the week for quick weeknight dinners or as the protein for your lunch time salad.

However, making chicken requires a little more than just throwing a bird in the oven and hoping for the best. But by following this simple recipe and a few recipe tips you will have a bird that is cooked to perfection with crispy skin and juicy, melt in your mouth meat.

And it all starts with picking out the best whole chicken at the store or market.

Choose the Right Chicken For Roasting

When you head to the grocery you are likely to find two types of fresh or frozen whole chickens to choose from: roaster and fryer chickens.

The label on the outside of the package will identify which type of chicken that it is. However if you are purchasing the meat from the butcher (without the commercial packaging) be sure to ask if the chicken is a roaster or fryer chicken.

Both roaster and fryer chickens are young chickens, but they have key differences in age, size, and best cooking methods.

Fryer Chicken:

• Age: Typically 6-8 weeks old.
• Weight: 2 1/2 – 3 1/2 pounds.
• Best Cooking Methods: Frying, grilling, broiling, stir-frying.
• Meat: Tender and flavorful.
• Skin: Thin and delicate.

Roaster Chicken:

• Age: 3-4 months old.
• Weight: 4-7 pounds.
• Best Cooking Methods: Roasting, baking, slow cooking.
• Meat: More developed and flavorful than fryer chickens.
• Skin: Thicker and able to crisp nicely when roasted.

Therefore, for this oven roasted chicken recipe it is best to choose a roaster chicken.

However for a high-quality bird, preferably organic or free-range, for the best flavor and texture. Look for a chicken with plump breasts, firm legs, and a healthy yellow skin color without obvious bruising.

How To Prepare The Chicken For Roasting

If you have purchased a frozen whole chicken be sure to give it a day or two to thaw out in the refrigerator. As a general rule of thumb, it takes 5 hours per pound for a chicken to thaw in the refrigerator.

1. Remove The Giblets, Rinse & Dry

Once you have your fresh or thawed chicken be sure to remove any giblets or excess fat from the cavity. Then rinse the chicken under cold running water and pat it dry with paper towels. Just be sure to dry both the skin and inside the cavity.

Now let the chicken rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. This will allow the skin to dry out which is important if you want a crispy exterior.

2. Season Inside & Out:

Seasoning is key to making your oven roasted chicken taste amazing. Besides Kosher salt and black pepper you will need thyme, lemon and garlic.

However, instead of seasoning only the skin the chicken, you will also season the inside cavity so the flavors can infuse directly into the meat. Cut the lemon and garlic in half and place them along with fresh thyme in the cavity that has already been seasoned with salt and pepper.

Then brush melted butter over the entire skin of the bird and season with salt and pepper.

3. Truss The Chicken

The last step before putting the pan in the oven to roast is to truss the chicken. Although not mandatory, trussing is a simple process that involves tying the legs together with kitchen twine.

By doing this the oven roasted chicken will cook more evenly and the meat will be more juicy and flavorful. I have included the basic steps of trussing a chicken below:

• Cut a 3 foot section of cooking twine.
• Place the chicken breast-side up, and run the center of the string right under the neck (or where the neck used to be).
• Bring the string up towards the wings. Use your thumbs to tuck the wings in as you bring the string down to the bottom of the breast (where the cavity is located). Keep the string tight to force the wings firmly against the body. The string should roughly follow outer edge of the chicken breast.
• Bring the string around between leg and breast, and intercross two ends of the string into a half knot and pull tight. The wings will be solidly pinned to the body, and the chicken breast will pop upward.
• Bring the ends of string down between the chicken’s legs, then cross the ankles with one above the other.
• Separate the strings, loop them around the outside of the chicken ankles, then tie a tight knot so the legs are firmly against the body. Trim off any excess twine.

4. Roast The Chicken

The ideal oven temperature for oven roasted chicken is between 400°F and 425°F. This ensures that the skin crisps up while the meat cooks through to a safe internal temperature of 165°F.

As a good rule of thumb it takes 15 minutes for every pound of a whole chicken to roast at 425°F. Depending on the size of your oven you may find the chicken browning too quickly. Therefore you will want to tent it loosely with aluminum foil to slow down the browning process.

However, if you are only cooking chicken leg quarters be sure to follow this recipe: Sheet Pan Chicken Leg Quarters so you don’t overcook the meat.

5. Resting Time

Once the chicken is cooked through, allow it to rest for at least 15 minutes before carving. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, resulting in a more tender and flavorful bird.

By following these tips and the recipe steps below you will have a perfectly golden, juicy, and flavorful whole roasted chicken every time.

Oven Roasted Chicken Dinner Recipe

*Specific measurements and complete recipe instructions are located in a printable recipe card at the bottom of this article. However, be sure to continue to read the tips and tricks to making this recipe below.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 roasting chicken, 5-6 pounds
• kosher salt
• ground black pepper
• 1 large bunch fresh thyme
• 1 lemon
• 1 head garlic
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 large yellow onion
• 4 large carrots
• 4 russet potatoes

OVEN ROASTED CHICKEN COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Clean out the center cavity of the chicken and rinse chicken with water then pat to dry. If you want crispy skin, be sure to let the chicken sit at room temperature, uncovered for 30 minutes to dry off.

Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).

While the oven begins to heat up cut the lemon and garlic in half through the middle. Salt and pepper the inside of the chicken and then add 3⁄4 of the thyme, and entire lemon and garlic halves into the cavity.

Truss the chicken with kitchen twine (instructions above). Brush the outside of the chicken with melted butter and then generously sprinkle salt and pepper over the entire chicken. Set aside.

Coarsely cut the onion, carrots and potatoes into medium sized chunks then place the vegetables in the bottom of a large roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to combine. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and add the rest of the thyme to the vegetables.

Place a rack in the bottom of the roasting pan and then place the chicken, breast side up, on top of the rack. If you don’t have a rack, add chicken directly on top of the vegetables.

Place the roasting pan in the preheated oven and bake for 90 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F.

Cover and let rest for 20 minutes before serving.

Enjoy! Mary

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