Easy Whole Roasted Chicken Recipe
Published 10/24/2023
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A delicious herby whole roasted chicken recipe made with an entire head of garlic and lemon is the perfect weeknight meal you’ll be so happy you made.
I’ve made this recipe dozens of times, and it always turns out perfectly. The chicken is always moist and flavorful, and the skin is crispy and delicious. If you’re looking for an easy and delicious way to cook a whole chicken, this recipe is perfect for you.
We love roasting whole chicken at the beginning of the week because not only is it delicious to eat the day of, but it’s so delicious as leftovers, too. This recipe is a great high-protein main (21g protein/serving) that’s made in a single pot, and serves a crowd!
A quick rundown on roasting a whole chicken: Start by flavoring the chicken with butter and spices under the skin. Then, add onion and herbs to the cavity and lemon and garlic underneath. Add some white wine and chicken broth and roast for 30 minutes. Baste and roast for 30 more minutes.
What You Need to Make a Whole Roasted Chicken
- Chicken: we used a 2-3 lb. bird and found that was the perfect size for our Dutch oven.
- Butter: butter will help infuse the chicken with yummy flavors.
- Seasonings/Herbs: seasonings and herbs will help perfectly flavor your chicken.
- Onion + Garlic: don’t forget the onion and garlic. 2 staple flavors in every roasted chicken recipe!
- Fresh Lemon: you can’t go wrong with fresh lemon on the bottom of your roasting dish.
- Wine + Chicken Broth: these liquids will help moisten the chicken and be used for basting.
Roasted Whole Chicken Variations
- Fat: instead of butter, try using olive oil in stead.
- Seasonings: we kept things pretty basic, but you could also use a premade spice mix like chicken seasoning.
- Liquid for basting: of you don’t have white wine, feel free to use all chicken broth.
- Fresh herbs: any kind of herbs you have on hand will work. Try thyme, parsley, or sage.
How long to roast a whole chicken?
A 2-3 lb. whole chicken will take around 75 minutes (plus or minus) at 400ºF. The key is measuring the thickest part with a meat thermometer. It should read anywhere from 160ºF to 165ºF.
Have a bigger chicken?
If you have a whole chicken 4 lbs. or greater, start with 10 extra minutes. The goal is to reach 165ºF at the thickest part of the chicken. So continue cooking in increments of 10 minutes until it reaches that temperature.
The Perfect (smaller) Alternative to a Thanksgiving Turkey
If you’re looking to make a smaller Thanksgiving turkey recipe this whole roasted chicken is a great idea! A 2-3 lb. bird will feed around 4-6. Here are more recipe pairing suggestions to complete your meal:
How to Serve Your Whole Roasted Chicken
While I love slicing and eating roasted chicken as-is (bigggg fan of both the breast and chicken legs!), there are so many different ways to serve it! Check out some ideas below:
Shred & Flavor: Once your roasted chicken has cooled completely, remove as much meat from the carcass as possible. Then, use 2 forks to shred the chicken. Season it with your favorite sauce and voila! Here are some sauce ideas:
Nachos: When in doubt, top your nachos with shredded roasted chicken and all the nacho fixings. Here is some good chicken nachos inspiration.
Soup: Either shred/chop your roasted chicken and add it to a soup or chili for some extra protein and flavor. Try making our ultimate chicken soup.
Got leftover roasted chicken? Save the carcass!
Once you’ve removed as much meat as possible from the carcass, save it so you can make homemade chicken broth! Check out our Chicken Broth recipe HERE.
Herby Whole Roasted Chicken
Ingredients
- 2-3 lb. whole chicken, innards removed
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 medium white onion, chopped
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 medium lemon, sliced into three pieces
- 1 whole head of garlic, one end sliced off
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
Instructions
- First, preheat the oven to 400ºF and oil a large dutch oven with olive oil or cooking spray. Set aside.
- Remove moisture from the chicken by patting the chicken down with a paper towel. Set the chicken aside.
- Next, place the softened butter, minced garlic, chili powder, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper into a bowl. Use a spoon to mix the butter and seasonings together.
- Place the chicken in the oiled casserole dish and carefully slather the seasoned butter under the skin and all over the chicken. It is ok if some of the butter falls into the bottom of the dutch oven. Then, place the onion, fresh rosemary, and fresh thyme into the cavity of the chicken.
- Add the lemon and head of garlic (sliced end down) into the bottom of the dutch oven.
- Finally, pour the white wine and chicken broth over the chicken and place the Dutch oven into the oven on the center rack, uncovered. Roast the whole chicken for around 90 minutes, basting every 30 minutes. Make sure to check the internal temperature of the thickest part of the chicken every so often. Cook until the temperature is 160ºF to 165ºF.
- Remove from the oven and let the chicken rest for 10 minutes.
- Carve the chicken and enjoy.
Tips & Notes
- Nutrition is for a 2 lb. bird.
- This recipe was updated on November 1, 2020.
- Middle of oven: Make sure to place your pan on the center rack of your oven so that it cooks evenly.
- Basting is key: Make sure to base your roast chicken recipe every 30 minutes. Suck the juices from the bottom of the pan and pour it over your bird. This will add flavor and tenderness to the chicken.
- Don’t skimp on salt: Salt is an important part of cooking poultry. It helps break down the meat to make it ultra-tender, but also adds flavor!
- 165ºF: In order to safely eat your chicken, make sure that the thickest part of the bird reaches 165ºF.
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Photography: photos taken in this post are by Erin from The Wooden Skillet.
I’ve been wanting to roast a whole chicken for a long time now and finally had a chance to make one with this recipe…SO SO GOOD!!! It was an easy recipe to put together but next time I would make a couple minor changes. I would definitely stuff the onions and herbs in the cavity BEFORE putting it in the dutch oven and slathering the butter mixture on, as that all fall off when I picked the bird up to stuff it and I had to spread it on again. I also had a 5# bird so I doubled the recipe, which was super easy, but doubling the liquid left my chicken so moist it literally fell off the bone! I know that’s usually a desirable thing and since I was making it for just me it was OK, but if I were to make it for guests where presentation mattered I would want something that didn’t shred when I tried to remove the wings and legs. I will definitely be making this recipe again!!
Love the changes you made. Thank you so much for sharing with the community!
Made this a few weeks ago and family loved it. They requested it again for tomorrow’s dinner.
Totally delicious!
Aw yay! Always a good sign when the fam asks you to make the recipe again 😀
Made this chicken for dinner and it was delicious, thank you. Didn’t take a picture but next time I will/
Obsessed with this recipe! Made it last year for thanksgiving and it’s been on repeat. So easy and delicious!
So glad you guys love this Jennikka! You reminded me on IG I need to add this into my routine for Jan!
Hey bill, i just made this grilled chicken on my new Masterbuilt Digital Electric Smoker. It was so delicious and juicy, everybody loves the taste. Thanks for sharing this recipe with us 🙂
You can’t go wrong with a classic oven-roasted whole chicken! With a perfect appetizer and an amazingPair it with the best Winter Night Wine.