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 LOVE roasting whole chickens!!!! I get amazing chickens from Scott’s family farm and they are the best!!! You truly can tell the difference between grocery store chicken and farm fresh chicken!
Ps love the redesign 🙂
You need to bring me to the farm. I just wanna walk around and play with the chickens.
Wow, you’re fancy – I”m inspired! Perhaps I’ll bust out this recipe when the mother-in-law visits in a couple months. Thanks!
This is definitely a show stoppin’ recipe and mother-in-law approved!
Mmmmm I love roasting our own chicken, especially on Sundays so we can eat it throughout the week. Next time try some lemon slices and rosemary, nomm!
DELICIOUS!! Lemon = love.
Funny how the simplest dishes are often the best … just amazing looking!
That chicken looks delicious, but those potatoes looks amazing!! Must make those immediately.
I AM A TOTAL POTATO GIRL. #allaboutthepotato
My favorite thing to do & looks like so many good herbs used! It’s perfect to roast up one on the weekend + have leftovers (or SOUP!) for the week.
SOUP! What a great idea. I am totally in the mood for soup….I actually have some fun things in the works for October 😀
Sounds delicious! No mention of when to use the white wine, though. Assuming you put it in with the broth?
Ahh yes! I need to add that in. We didn’t measure that part 😉 it was a few gulps of wine leftover from the night before. Good catch!
This looks awesome! Im going to make it in the crockpot!
GENIUS!!!!!! I have yet to try a whole chicken in the crockpot, but I bet it would be moist, full of flavor, and delish!
Roasting a whole chicken is legit on my bucket list- why are store bought rotisserie chickens are so much easier- will try this.
Let’s have a potato war.
DO IT! #callmespud
Beautiful! I love roast chicken – so great leftover too!
THE BEST leftovers. Especially for salads 😀