Search
Close this search box.

Whole Roasted Chicken

I’m not sure about you, but I’m finding myself spending a lot more time in the kitchen lately. Now more than ever I want and need fast recipes and also need to be able to find the ingredients! While chicken thighs and breasts are harder to find, whole chickens are much more available. But is roasting a whole chicken hard? I’ll tackle that question and actually show you how making a whole roasted chicken couldn’t be easier!

Whole Roased Chicken with Vegetables

How you do prepare a whole chicken?

Cooking a whole roasted chicken couldn’t be easier, even though it seems intimidating if you’ve never done it before! Start by removing the giblet bag from inside the chicken (sometimes it’s not there- if not, no worries). I like to rinse my chicken then pat dry before placing on a rack in a pan, breast side down. I recommend rubbing with an oil with a high smoke point (avocado is usually my oil of choice!) and giving the chicken a generous coating followed by minced garlic and savory herbs. If you want to get creative with herb rubs, I really like these DIY mix recipes!

Whole Roasted Chicken

What vegetables go with a whole chicken?

Choose vegetables that will take a while to cook. My favorites are carrots, potatoes, celery and onions. The carrots and onions will begin to caramelize and it’s absolutely delicious! You could also try sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts or other root vegetables!

If wanting to incorporate vegetables that cook faster, I would recommend preparing them on the stovetop while the chicken is cooking. These Maple Balsamic Mushrooms go beautifully with a whole roasted chicken!

Whole Roasted Chicken

How do you make a juicy whole chicken?

The idea of roasting a whole chicken sounds nice and easy by now, but how do you keep the bird from getting dry? It’s a combination of a few things but you can do everything from brining your bird (I don’t find this step to be necessary but it can be helpful), being very generous with oil and also cooking breast side down so the juices from the darker meat soak down. I will say this last suggestion does make a bird look a little different (i.e. upside down) than usual but to me, it’s worth it. 

KISS Tip: Fill the bird’s cavity with onions, fresh herbs or lemons for extra flavor!

Whole Roasted Chicken

How long does a whole chicken cook for?

Using this recipe, the chicken will cook approximately 15 minutes per pound since we’re cooking at a pretty high heat (425 degrees). Some recipes will have you cook the whole chicken for up to 20 minutes a pound, but those are lower cooking temperatures. Regardless, use a thermometer to ensure your bird is at least 165 degrees!

KISS Tip: Put a foil tent on your chicken about 45 minutes into cooking if the bird is cooking too quickly. I love crispy skin and having it slightly overdone on the outside (it’s not a reflection of being overdone on the inside), but I should have tented this one sooner!

What are some recipes and ideas for leftover chicken?

I will always be a fan of chicken salad and chicken soup. I polled a bunch of my Instagram followers and y’all agreed! This Whole30 Approved Dill Chicken Salad is one of my absolute favorites. It has super fresh flavors, crispy ingredients and hearty chunks of chicken that your whole chicken is perfect for!

If you’re in the soup mood, this Avocado Chicken Soup is to die for. A friend recently made it and her husband said it was the best chicken soup he’d ever had- what a compliment!

If comfort food is more your jam, this Chicken and Rice Casserole is so hearty and nourishing!

 

Whole30 Dill Chicken Salad

This is also the perfect chicken salad to sub pantry staples in for some of the ingredients! Whether you used canned chicken or make this whole roasted chicken so you’ll have all the leftovers, it’s definitely worth a try. If you give this whole chicken a whirl, I’d love to know how you enjoyed it!

Print Recipe
5 from 2 votes

KISS Whole Roasted Chicken

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 6

Equipment

  • 1 baking rack*

Ingredients

  • 1 whole chicken (3-4 lbs)
  • 4 minced garlic cloves or 4 tbsp minced, jarred garlic
  • 1 lb carrots , peeled and cut into 4 inch pieces
  • 1/2 celery stalk , ends trimmed and cut into 4-inch pieces
  • 4 small white or red potatoes , cut into 1/4ths
  • 1 large onion
  • 4 tbsp avocado oil , 1 tbsp reserved for veggies
  • 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 tbsp pepper
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp onion powder

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees and make sure baking rack is in the center of the oven.
  • Remove giblets (if present) from inside chicken. Rinse and dry chicken and place breast side down on large baking pan on top of a rack.
  • Rub about 3 Tbsp of avocado oil on all sides of the chicken, followed by the minced garlic.
  • Next rub the dried herbs all over the chicken and make sure it is breast side down.
  • Place the chopped veggies all around the chicken and drizzle with remaining avocado oil. Sprinkle salt and pepper all around veggies.
  • Roast for approximately 1 hour to 1 hour & 15 minutes depending on chicken size  but also use a thermometer to make sure it’s at least 165.
  • Serve with the roasted veggies and enjoy! This Dill Chicken Salad or Avocado Chicken soup are excellent ways to enjoy the leftovers!

Notes

*the rack is important to help air flow circulate around chicken. If you don’t have a rack, you can stagger carrots and celery to keep the bird from resting directly on the pan.

Pin for later: 

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating





Welcome to KISS in the Kitchen! I’m Shannon, and my dad always told me “Keep it simple, Shannon”. And that’s what you’ll find here- simple recipes and simple ideas to help you get healthier and happier. Read more…

services

SAFER SKINCARE

recipe archive

work with shannOn

About
KISS

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Privacy Policy