Baked Whole Chicken Recipes

THE BEST ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Mix butter, garlic, thyme, rosemary, lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together in a bowl.
• Loosen skin on chicken breast; rub butter mixture between skin and breast meat. Press on the skin to distribute evenly. Rub oil, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper all over; place lemon halves inside cavity. Set in a baking pan.
• Roast in the preheated oven, basting after 30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink, about 1 hour. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone, should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Let rest before carving, about 15 minutes.

PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Let chicken and 1 tablespoon butter stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove and discard the plastic pop-up timer from chicken if there is one. Remove the giblets and excess fat from the chicken cavity. Rinse chicken inside and out under cold running water. Dry chicken thoroughly with paper towels. Tuck the wing tips under the body. Sprinkle the cavity of the chicken liberally with salt and pepper, and set aside.
• In the center of a heavy-duty roasting pan, place onion slices in two rows, touching. Place the palm of your hand on top of lemon and, pressing down, roll lemon back and forth several times. This softens the lemon and allows the juice to flow more freely. Pierce entire surface of lemon with a fork. Using the side of a large knife, gently press on garlic cloves to open slightly. Insert garlic cloves, thyme sprigs, and lemon into cavity. Place chicken in pan, on onion slices. Cut about 18 inches of kitchen twine, bring chicken legs forward, cross them, and tie together.
• Spread the softened butter over entire surface of chicken, and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Place in the oven, and roast until skin is deep golden brown and crisp and the juices run clear when pierced, about 1 1/2 hours. When chicken seems done, insert an instant-read thermometer into the breast, then the thigh. The breast temperature should read 180 degrees and the thigh 190 degrees.
• Remove chicken from oven, and transfer to a cutting board with a well. Let chicken stand 10 to 15 minutes so the juices settle. Meanwhile, pour the pan drippings into a shallow bowl or fat separator, and leave onions in the pan. Leave any brown baked-on bits in the bottom of the roasting pan, and remove and discard any blackened bits. Using a large spoon or fat separator, skim off and discard as much fat as possible. Pour the remaining drippings and the juices that have collected under the resting chicken back into the roasting pan. Place on the stove over medium-high heat to cook, about 1 minute. Add chicken stock, raise heat to high, and, using a wooden spoon, stir up and combine the brown bits with the stock until the liquid is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Strain the gravy into a small bowl, pressing on onions to extract any liquid. Discard onions, and stir in the remaining tablespoon of cold butter until melted and incorporated. Untie the legs, and remove and discard garlic, thyme, and lemon. Carve, and serve gravy on the side.

MOIST ROASTED WHOLE CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 450 degrees before starting to prepare the chicken.
• Place the whole chicken into a medium sized baking pan.
• Rub the entire bird with the olive oil.
• In a small bowl combine the salt, pepper, oregano, basil, and paprika, then sprinkle evenly over chicken.
• In the preheated oven bake the chicken for 20 minutes.
• Lower the oven to 400 degrees.
• Continue baking for 40-50 minutes, or until golden brown and juices run clear.
• If your chicken looks like it is browning too quickly, Lay a sheet of tin foil over the top loosely and it will slow down the browning for you.
• Let the chicken rest in it's juices for at least 10 minutes before carving and serving. (This let's the bird reabsorb some of the juices and helps to make it even more moist.).

JUICY ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Place chicken in a roasting pan, and season generously inside and out with salt and pepper. Sprinkle inside and out with onion powder. Place 3 tablespoons margarine in the chicken cavity. Arrange dollops of the remaining margarine around the chicken's exterior. Cut the celery into 3 or 4 pieces, and place in the chicken cavity.
• Bake uncovered 1 hour and 15 minutes in the preheated oven, to a minimum internal temperature of 180 degrees F (82 degrees C). Remove from heat, and baste with melted margarine and drippings. Cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest about 30 minutes before serving.

BAKED WHOLE CHICKEN WITH ROSEMARY

Steps:

• 1. Add rosemary,garlic and olive oil in a mini chopper and blend well to a thick puree.
• 2. Clean chicken well. Pull back the skin careful not to tear it. COVER chicken with the rosemary mixture. Push skin back into place.
• 3. Stuff chicken with lemon halfs. (don't squeeze them).
• 4. Sprinkle top of chicken with salt and pepper.
• 5. Cook 2 1/2- 3 Hours uncovered at 350.

HOW TO COOK A WHOLE BAKED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Mix the butter with minced rosemary, 3 cloves of minced garlic, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Adjust seasoning as needed.
• Pat the chicken dry, then gently pull up the skin and rub half of the butter mixture underneath the skin. Rub the remaining half of the butter mixture over the chicken, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Generously season the cavity of the chicken with salt and pepper then stuff with 2 lemon halves, 1/2 head of garlic, 2-3 quarters of onion and 2 rosemary sprigs. Tie legs with cooking twine and tuck the wings under bird.
• Place chicken in a roasting pan or high-sided large skillet breast-side-up with the remaining onion, garlic, lemons, and herbs, then add the chicken broth. Roast for 1 hour or until the breast is firm and the chicken is turning golden brown. If the chicken is turning too dark, gently cover with a loose piece of foil and roast for about 20 minutes longer, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the inner thigh registers 165 degrees and juices are running clear.
• Transfer the bird to a cutting board and tent with foil. Remove aromatics and vegetables from the cavity, carve the chicken and serve.

GARLIC HERB BUTTER ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 430°F | 220°C (400°F or 200°C fan forced). Line a baking tray with foil, or lightly grease a roasting pan.
• Discard neck from inside the cavity and remove any excess fat and leftover feathers. Pat dry with paper towels.
• Pour the olive oil, melted butter, wine (if using) and the juice of half a lemon over the chicken, under the skin and inside the cavity. Season chicken liberally on the outside and inside the cavity with salt and pepper. Sprinkle over the parsley.
• Rub the minced garlic over the chicken, mixing all ingredients together over the chicken and under the skin.
• Stuff the garlic head into the chicken cavity along with the rosemary sprigs and the squeezed lemon halve. Tie legs together with kitchen string.
• Place breast-side up into baking tray or roasting pan. Roast for 1 hour and 15-20 minutes, basting half way through cooking time, until juices run clear when chicken thigh is pierced with a skewer.
• Baste again, then broil for a further 2-3 minutes, until golden.
• Remove from the oven, cover with foil and allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serve, drizzled with pan juices and remaining lemon half cut into wedges or slices.

WHOLE ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Place a wire rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet. Liberally sprinkle salt all over the outside of the chicken. Cover the chicken loosely with parchment paper and refrigerate overnight (about 24 hours).
• Preheat oven to 500° F. Let the chicken sit on the counter and come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before roasting.
• In a large bowl, toss together the potatoes, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and salt and pepper, to taste.
• Place potatoes in the bottom of a cast iron Dutch oven. Add the lemon, garlic and onion. Drizzle with about 1 more tablespoon of olive oil. Place thyme and rosemary on top.
• Place the chicken on top of the potatoes and herbs in the Dutch oven. Tie the legs of the chicken together and tuck the wings underneath. Brush with melted butter and season with pepper.
• Roast chicken at 500° F for 20 minutes. Without opening the oven, reduce the temperature to 350° F and continue roasting for 30-40 more minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 165° F when inserted between the thigh and breast.
• Remove the chicken from the oven. Allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before carving and serving.

PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the onions, carrots, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.
• Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.

WHOLE STUFFED CHICKEN WITH GRAVY

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line a roasting pan with foil and set a rack in the pan.
• Gather the melted and cold butter.
• Using your hands or a brush, rub the chicken with the melted butter.
• Tuck the pieces of cold butter under the chicken's skin along with the optional fresh herbs. Sprinkle the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Set aside while making the stuffing.
• Gather the ingredients.
• Melt the butter in a skillet or sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the chopped onion and celery. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent and the celery is crisp-tender.
• Add the dried thyme, parsley, and breadcrumbs . Add about 1/3 cup of milk and stir to blend. Taste and season the stuffing with salt and pepper.
• Stir in the beaten egg and enough of the remaining 1/3 cup milk, if needed, one tablespoon at a time to make a moist mixture. Remove from heat.
• Loosely spoon the stuffing into the cavity of the chicken.
• Close the cavity by sewing the loose skin together with toothpicks, or twine. Alternatively, cover the cavity with a piece of foil or a slice of bread.
• Place the chicken, breast-side up, on the rack in the roasting pan.
• Roast the whole chicken in the preheated oven for about 1 hour and 30 minutes to 1 hour and 45 minutes, basting several times with the pan juices. When done, the internal temperature of the thickest part of the thigh, away from fat and bone must read the minimum safe temperature for consumption of 165 F. The stuffing needs to have the same temperature reading.
• Once cooked thoroughly, remove from the oven and let rest for about 15 minutes.
• Gather the ingredients.
• Skim off the fat from the pan drippings, or use a fat separator. Reserve the fat.
• Add three tablespoons of fat back in the roasting pan, reserving the remaining drippings. Add the flour and stir to make a roux . Cook on the stove, stirring, for two minutes.
• Put the reserved drippings in a 2-cup measuring cup and add enough chicken stock until you have 2 full cups of liquid.
• Gradually stir the chicken stock mixture into the roux mixture. Continue cooking the gravy until thickened, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Carve the chicken and serve with cooked stuffing and pan gravy.