The Best Roast Chicken

Are you ready for the BEST, easy roast chicken recipe? This whole roast chicken with crispy skin is juicy and tastes amazing!

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Easy to Make & Even Easier to Clean Up!

There’s a lot of reasons to love this roasted chicken. First being that it’s so easy to make. Second, whole chickens are a great way to meal prep with few ingredients that yield countless recipe options. While you can enjoy this chicken on it’s own or with veggies, you can also throw the cooked meat into soups, chilis or pasta dishes. Third, this is a one pot recipe! Which means an easy clean up for you!

Finally (and most importantly) my favorite aspect about this whole roasted chicken is the crispy skin and juicy meat. In just under an hour, you can have a perfectly cooked chicken that will serve the whole family!

Prepping the Chicken

When cooking any kind of poultry, it’s important to follow a set of rules to prep the meat. First, wash both the skin and inside cavity. Remove the neck, giblets, and anything else hiding in the cavity. Then, pat the meat dry with paper towels and allow it to come to room temperature.

Once the chicken has reached room temperature, season the inside of the cavity with salt and pepper before stuffing it. When it comes to stuffing poultry, you can use anything from veggies to a bread stuffing recipe. For this whole chicken, we’re going to add pearl onions, sliced lemons, thyme, celery and carrots. Once the cavity is stuffed, it’s time to tie the feet!

Now to tackle the skin. To make the perfect chicken that has tender, juicy meat you need to ensure the skin is nice and crispy. Start by whisking together lemon juice, olive oil, ginger paste, dijon mustard, soy sauce, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Then, pour the mixture over the chicken. Finally, fill your baking dish with vegetable broth. The broth will help the chicken stay nice and moist while you cook it.

Time to Cook this Bird

Place the chicken in the oven, uncovered. Cook the bird for 30 minutes at 425 Fahrenheit, basting every 15 minutes. Basting the chicken will prevent the skin from drying out. After 30 minutes, tent the chicken with foil will help lock in the moisture and keep the skin from burning.

After 30 minutes, the chicken should be golden brown and fully cooked. If the chicken looks like a little more on the golden than brown side, remove the foil and allow the chicken to cook for another 10 minutes. Just remember NOT to broil the chicken. This will cause the thin parts of the chicken to start to burn or overcook.

Once the chicken is fully cooked, remove the bird from the oven and allow it to cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting into it.

What to Serve Alongside the Roasted Chicken

Personally, I don’t like to cook my chicken with vegetables in the dish with it. I find that the vegetables get overcooked and take on the flavor of the chicken. Instead, I like to roast my chicken alone in the baking dish and have a separate pan for the vegetables.

If you want to serve your roast chicken with vegetables that will compliment it, use carrots, onions, and potatoes. Start by slicing the carrots and wash the baby potatoes. Then, season with olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook the vegetables on a baking dish at 425F for 20 minutes, then add a sliced white onion for the last 10 minutes. Garnish the potatoes and carrots with a bit of pesto or serve fresh arugula alongside the meal.