Roast Chicken: the flavorful main dish recipe for a juicy, tender whole roast chicken

Roast chicken is a classic main dish recipe everyone should know how to cook. With a delicious crispy skin, whole roast chicken is juicy, tender on the inside and rich in flavor thanks to butter and aromatic herbs such as rosemary, sage and thyme. Perfect for a family dinner as well as for a special occasion, this recipe is so tasty and easy to make that will beat any rotisserie chicken.

The recipe is quite easy to make and you need a few simple ingredients. It is best to leave the whole chicken with the skin on. The fat released during cooking will keep the meat soft and succulent. Clean the chicken well, then spread a mixture of butter, aromatic herbs, salt and pepper on the meat. Finally, roast the chicken in the oven until the skin is golden brown and crispy to perfection.

Just remember from time to time to sprinkle the chicken with the released juices, keeping an eye on timing to prevent the meat from drying out. Before serving, let the bird rest for about 10 minutes, then carve as you would do for a turkey.

Serve your roast chicken with a portion of roasted or fried potatoes or carrots, and you will really delight your guests. So let’s find out how to make a perfect roast chicken by following our step-by-step procedure and tips.

How long to Roast a Chicken?

When roasting a whole chicken it is important to keep an eye on the cooking time which depends on the size. Generally, a chicken of 1 kg or smaller takes about one hour to cook at 200°C.
For this recipe, we used a bird of about 1.5 kg/4 pounds which took about 1 hour and 20 minutes to cook completely at 180°C. Let it rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.

For a larger chicken, cooking time could also reach 1 hour and 40 minutes.

What is the best temperature to Roast a Chicken?

You should usually roast or bake a whole chicken between 180°C/350°F and 220°C/425°F.

If you want to cook the bird to perfection, you can also start by cooking it at 200°C/400°F for the first 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 180°C/350°F.
Once it's done cooking, make sure your instant-read thermometer registers an internal temperature of the chicken that ranges between 75°C/165°F and 80°C/175°F.

What to serve with Roast Chicken

You can serve your roast chicken with roasted, mashed or pan-fried potatoes. Also baked sweet potatoes, candied yams and macaroni salad are great options.

For a slightly healthier side, you can pair roast chicken with baked or candied carrots, roasted asparagus, or asparagus feta salad.

Tips for making Tender Whole Roast Chicken

You can add garlic and lemon to the spread mixture.

For a richer flavor, you can pour a small glass of white wine while the chicken is cooking.

You can use your favorite aromatic herbs.

If you have roast chicken leftovers, you can also use them as a filling for sandwiches or tacos. You can also stir it in a frittata, salad or omelette.

How to store Roast Chicken

Roast chicken can be stored in the refrigerator, in an airtight container, for 1-2 days. You can also freeze it.

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How to Roast a Whole Chicken

Chop the aromatic herbs.

In a small bowl, soften the butter, working it with a spoon.

Add the chopped aromatic herbs to the butter.

Season with salt and ground pepper.

Take the chicken, arrange it on a cutting board and tie the hind legs with kitchen twine.

Do the same with the front ones.

Eliminate any remaining feathers with a flame.

Arrange the chicken in a baking dish.

Lightly salt the skin.

Spread the butter mixture on the bird skin.

Cover with foil and roast the chicken in a static oven at 350°F/180°C for about 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Halfway through cooking, sprinkle the surface of the chicken with the juices collected in the baking dish. You can repeat this operation several times, to ensure that your chicken remains moist, juicy and crispy at the same time.

After cooking time, remove the roast chicken from the oven. Let it rest for about 10 minutes, carve and serve.