Whole Oven Roasted Chicken
By: Stephanie Wagner RDN, LDN
So I have been telling you all about how my life has been a little hectic lately. I’ve been slacking in the kitchen and feeling pretty lazy overall. If you checked out my fridge, you’d notice the serious lack of meals prepped and ready to go. I was literally saved during my trip to Aldi’s this week. Whole chickens were on sale and I decided I needed to play. Believe it or not but I have never tried to make whole oven roasted chicken. I usually cheat and pick up a rotisserie chicken from Sam’s Club, but I figured I could probably pull off something similar.
I had an awesome, homestyle meal on the table for me and my hubby. Best of all, I had a bunch of prepped lunches to boot. Furthermore, a whole oven roasted chicken makes for the best leftovers. Chicken is incredibly versatile. You could use the extra chicken to make tacos, chicken salad, or even on homemade pizza. The options are seriouslly endless!
Last year I made my first Thanksgiving turkey, so that gave me a little background as to where to start. First of all, I pulled the chicken out of the bag, drained the excess juices, and removed the giblets. It always feels like im violating the bird a bit! Then I rinsed the chicken to remove any excess juices, not sure if this is necessary. In any case, I did it. Next, generously coat the chicken cavity with salt and pepper. I am probably a little excessive in the way of pepper, but I just like it so darn much.
Meanwhile, I cut up some baby red potatoes into quarters. I took the potatoes and baby carrots and stuffed the chicken cavity with as many as I could stuff in there. Next, the remaining potatoes and carrots were spread over the bottom of my baking dish, sprinkled with salt and pepper, and covered with stock. Then I just placed the chicken over the top and drizzled with some olive oil. In a seperate bowl I combined garlic powder, sage, thyme, salt, and pepper. I took this mixture and pour over the whole chicken. Using my hands I rubbed the mixture over the entire chicken as well as under the skin as best I could.
I popped this baby in the oven at 375 and let roast for about 90 minutes. However, timing will be different depending on the size of your chicken. You can expect the chicken to take about 20 minutes per pound of chicken. My recipe is based on a four and half pound chicken. (In the mean time, I suggest sitting on the couch with a glass of wine.) Then, place a thermometer in the thickest part of the chicken. You will want the internal temperature to be 165 degrees. Remove the chicken from the oven and let rest for 10-15 minutes.
Oven Roasted Whole Chicken
- 1, whole chicken (4-5lbs), rinsed with giblets removed
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1-2 pounds baby red potatoes, quartered
- 1 pound baby carrots
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon sage
- 2 tablespoons thyme, fresh
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Preheat your oven to 375 F.
- Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out.
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Then, generously salt and pepper the inside of the chicken.
- Stuff the chicken cavity with potatoes and carrots. Place the remaining potatoes and carrot on the bottom of a large baking dish, sprinkling with salt and pepper. Pour chicken stock over potatoes and carrots.
- Place chicken on top of potatoes and carrots. Drizzle chicken with olive oil.
- Place seasoning on top of chicken. Using hands or a cooking brush, evenly coat chicken with oil and seasoning. Make sure mixture is applied on outer skin and under the skin of the chicken.
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Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear. Remove chicken from the oven to temp chicken. Chicken should read 165 degrees at the thickest part of the chicken.
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Cover with aluminum foil and allow chicken to rest for 15-20 minutes.
- Slice chicken and serve with potatoes and vegetables.
