Easy Roast Chicken Recipe
Published September 23, 2024. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Easy whole roast chicken is the perfect three-ingredient weeknight or weekend recipe for family or friends. It is exceptionally tender, juicy, and flavorful.
Try serving this tasty roast chicken recipe with my cauliflower au gratin recipe, oven-roasted root vegetables, or garlic mashed potatoes.
Roast Chicken
Roast chicken is one of the most fundamental recipes, and the best part is that it only takes 60 minutes to cook. This is still one of my favorite things to eat, and once you realize how easy it is, there is no reason to buy a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store again.
The key to delicious crispy chicken is the temperature in the oven and ensuring it is completely exposed and uncovered to the cooking elements in the oven.
To ensure this recipe is juicy, I recommend pulling it out of the oven when the chicken’s thigh reaches an internal temperature of 162° and letting it rest on a plate or cutting board for 5-10 minutes before serving. If you like larger roasted pieces of meat, then definitely make my Pot Roast Recipe.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Chicken – A whole roaster or fryer chicken is needed for this recipe.
- Seasoning – Only coarse salt and freshly cracked pepper are used on the chicken.
Do You Need Butter or Oil to Roast Chicken?
Believe it or not, fat is not needed to make this recipe. There’s enough oil in the skin of the chicken to help keep it juicy and flavorful. In addition, not-too-worry. The skin will also be plenty brown when it is done baking.
How to Make Roast Chicken
Season the cavity of the chicken with sea salt and cracked black pepper, and make sure the giblets and neck are removed.
Truss the chicken to ensure it seals in all the juices and holds its shape.
Place the chicken in a 10” frying pan, a cast-iron skillet, or a cookie sheet tray lined with parchment paper, and generously season the outside with sea salt.
In addition, generously season the outside with cracked black pepper.
Roast in the oven at 400° for 60 minutes on the middle rack or until the thigh reaches an internal temperature of 162° using a thermometer. Then let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. During this time, the chicken will carry over to 165°+.
Make Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: This is meant to be eaten as soon as cooking is done. However, you can cover it in foil and keep it at low temperatures in the oven (200°>) for up to 30 minutes before serving.
How to Store: Place covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Put the chicken covered in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw for 1 day in the fridge before reheating.
How to Reheat: Place the chicken in a pan with ½ cup of water. Cover with foil and bake in the oven at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until hot.
chef notes + tips
- The absolute best temperature to roast chicken is 400°.
- The thigh of the chicken must be cooked to 165°.
- Pulling the roast chicken at this temperature will rise to 165° after removing it from the oven due to carry-over cooking. The key to always making anything juicy is slightly undercooking before removing it from the oven.
- Another critical factor for juicy chicken is letting it rest. When you do this, all the juices soak back into the chicken while it cools down slightly, making it extremely juicy. If you cut into it when it’s hot, all the juice will leak out.
- Remember to remove the butcher’s twine from the chicken before serving.
- To boost the flavor, use the brine in my best-fried chicken recipe.
- You can customize this chicken by adding a zesty rub like in my smoked BBQ recipe.
More Chicken Recipes
Easy Roast Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 4 to 4 ½ pound roasting chicken
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°.
- Remove the neck and giblets from the cavity and season the inside of the cavity well with salt and pepper.
- Truss the chicken and place in a 10” frying pan, cast iron skillet or cookie sheet tray lined with parchment paper.
- Generously season the outside of the chicken on all sides with salt and pepper.
- Place on the middle rack of the oven and cook at 400° for 60 minutes or until the thigh reaches an internal temperature of 162°.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and place it on a plate or cutting board for 5 to 10 minutes or rest before serving. During this time, the chicken will carry over to 165°+.
what do you do with the rosemary and thyme in the picture? Put it inside?
No, it’s just a garnish in the image.
I learned to roast chicken the same way thousands of other people did, in a roasting pan, put some water in the bottom, put the lid on etc…. Thank you for knocking some sense into my noggin. I put chicken pieces in the oven at a high temp on a baking sheet, uncovered, so why not a whole chicken. This is brilliant! The end result is moist and delicious! Thank you!!!!
My pleasure!! Thank you for giving it a try!
Thanks for the recipe. For me i will use Peri Peri seasoning.
My pleasure!
We’re having this for dinner.
I am 64 and never learned to do this.
This sounds so simple and easy anyone can do it.
Not to mention much better nutritionally and cheaper than carry out. Thank you Billy
Appreciate you trying the recipe!
Nice straight forward recipe and tastes great! Thank You!
my pleasure!
This is the BEST roast chicken recipe I’ve ever used!
It’s soooo much better than any rotisserie chicken! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made this, thinking to use leftovers for another recipe, but then my family eats the whole chicken in one meal!
My best advice? MAKE TWO! 😝
amazing!
So easy, so good. Learned so many basics that I never knew. You make all your recipes very understandable
*️⃣*️⃣*️⃣*️⃣*️⃣ WOW! This was perfection, I made exactly and it was so moist and delicious. I added a few sprigs of rosemary to the cavity. Gravy was delicious too. We had it for two nights (just my husband and I) and he keeps commenting on how moist and delicious it was. “Much better than your other chickens…. (They were store bought rotisserie chickens lol!). Using the rest to make chicken soup tomorrow. Thanks for so many wonderful recipes! I’ve made many, but haven’t commented before. Still not sure if I gave you five stars or five snowflakes! I’ll try to be better on commenting.
My mom always used poultry seasoning and extra sage when she roasted chicken or turkey (put it in her stuffing too!). I still associate those flavors with Thanksgiving.