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You are here: Home / Main Course Recipes / The Easiest Roasted Chicken

The Easiest Roasted Chicken

March 4, 2019 By Spices in My DNA 1 Comment

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This Whole Roasted Chicken is the easiest, most flavorful method to roast a whole chicken. I rub it generously with salt and pepper, stuff it with lemons and thyme, and roast it over a bed of root vegetables for extra flavor. It couldn’t be simpler or more foolproof, and it’s so versatile!

(This post is sponsored by Sprouts! Thank you so so much for reading and supporting the brands that I love!)

Overhead close up shot of a plate of roasted chicken garnished with thyme sprigs and lemon wedges

Roasting a whole chicken is one of those things that is intimidating to most people, but it’s literally the EASIEST thing ever. And they’re so delicious and versatile! I’m trying to get into the habit of making one every week to use for a variety of dishes throughout the week. And the flavor is just so much better than grilling or sautéing up regular old chicken breasts. If you’re like me, you get sick of those real quick.

Close up shot of a plate of roasted chicken garnished with thyme sprigs and lemon wedges

The flavor is seriously out.of.this.world. And you only need a few ingredients! And by a few I mean vegetables, a whole chicken, a lemon, fresh thyme, chicken broth, and salt and pepper. That’s it!

That crispy skin just gets me every time.

Overhead shot of a whole roasted chicken in its packaging on a wooden cutting board with lemons, thyme, and butcher's twine

I teamed up with my friends at Sprouts to show you guys that roasting a whole chicken one of the most simple and useful things to know how to do in your kitchen!

A few of the many things I love about Sprouts and their quality meats:

  • Their organic chicken is fed a certified organic diet while having access to the outdoors.
  • With no water added, the air-chilled method keeps the “real” chicken flavor and juices. No water is absorbed, so you get the natural flavor of chicken. It is more flavorful, tender and has crispier skin when cooked. (which is my favorite part!)
  • Their chickens are always fresh, never frozen, and never administered antibiotics.
  • No enhancers, solutions, chemical or artificial ingredients added either!

I really appreciate knowing where my meats are coming from, and the fact that their chicken tastes so amazing is just an added bonus!

Overhead shot of a raw whole roasted chicken in a cast iron skillet on a bed of diced root vegetables

For extra flavor, I love roasting my chickens on a bed of root vegetables. It adds so much flavor to the bird, instead of just roasting it on a rack or in a pan by itself. My favorite combination to use is red potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips, and celery root! You can totally use whatever you like and have on hand. Carrots, celery, onion, or whatever hearty vegetables are in season will work great!

The veggies are solely for flavor purposes – I discard them after the bird is finished roasting, just because the cooking times don’t match up and they don’t end up cooking quite right. Plus, they soak up all of the chicken fat and drippings. But, you can totally eat them if you wanted to!

I’m just a firm believer in roasting vegetables on their own! But in this case, they make an AMAZING flavor addition to the bird.

Overhead shot of a whole roasted chicken in a cast iron skillet with root vegetables

Just loooook at that crispy skin. It’s the best part!

The way I achieve this is by drying the chicken really well with paper towels, and then salting it really generously. This helps to create a “crust” and it will ensure you get that incredible crispy skin!

I don’t use butter on my chickens or anything – there is SO much flavor in the skin and the bird itself, and adding butter in my opinion just makes it steam and adds excess moisture that we don’t need!

Also, if you’ve never trussed a chicken before, this is my favorite video to teach you how to do it. It’s super easy – don’t be intimidated! Trussing your chicken ensures that it cooks evenly. Super important!

Overhead shot of a plate of roasted chicken garnished with thyme sprigs and lemon wedges

I love stuffing the cavity of the bird with lemon and thyme, but you could use whatever fresh herbs you have on hand! Rosemary would be amazing, as would sage. Or a mixture of the three! You could even throw in a few cloves of garlic, because everything is better with garlic!

Overhead shot of a plate of roasted chicken garnished with thyme sprigs and lemon wedges

The most important parts to making your chicken the best it can be, are drying it really well, generously rubbing it with salt and pepper to create that crust, trussing it to make sure it cooks evenly, and roasting it on a bed of veggies for extra flavor! Other than that, you can customize it to whatever herbs and citrus you have on hand!

And the great thing about roasting a whole chicken, is that you can use it allll week to create a variety of different meals! Use the chicken in salads, shred it to use for tacos, add it to curries, make chicken salad for sandwiches, eat it just by itself for a protein option for dinner, AND you can use the carcass to make homemade chicken stock! You can freeze the stock, and use it for soups and stews. There are literally endless things you can do with just one chicken, which I think is so cool.

Close up shot of a plate of roasted chicken garnished with thyme sprigs and lemon wedges

My new favorite thing to add to my meal prep rotation. I’ll be sharing more meal prep tips in the next few weeks so stay tuned here and on Instagram!

Overhead close up shot of a plate of roasted chicken garnished with thyme sprigs and lemon wedges
Print

The Easiest Roasted Chicken

This Whole Roasted Chicken is the easiest, most flavorful method to roast a whole chicken. I rub it generously with salt and pepper, stuff it with lemons and thyme, and roast it over a bed of root vegetables for extra flavor. It couldn’t be simpler or more foolproof, and it’s so versatile!

Course Chicken, Main, Main Course
Keyword easy roasted chicken, easy whole roasted chicken, meal prep chicken, roasted chicken recipe, the easiest roasted chicken, whole roasted chicken
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings 4
Author Molly | Spices in My DNA

Ingredients

  • 1 (3.5 lb.) Organic Sprouts whole chicken
  • 1½ - 2 teaspoons sea salt
  • ¾ - 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 lemon, halved
  • several sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 1 cup cubed red potatoes
  • 1 cup peeled and cubed sweet potatoes
  • 1 cup cubed parsnips
  • 1 cup cubed celery root
  • 1½ tablespoons olive oil
  • ¾ cup chicken broth

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425℉. Rinse your chicken under cold water and dry very well with paper towels. You want the chicken to be as dry as possible so it develops a crispy crust! Season the inside of the cavity with a couple pinches of salt and pepper. Rub the outside of the chicken generously with the salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with the halved lemon and thyme. I like to stuff in half of the lemon, a couple sprigs of thyme, the other half of the lemon, and then the remaining thyme.

  2. Truss the chicken using butcher’s twine. It’s super easy. This video shows you how to do it! Trussing your chicken ensures it will cook evenly. There are a ton of different ways to do it, but that’s my favorite way.

  3. Place the root vegetables in a heavy, large, oven-safe skillet, like a cast iron. Alternately, you can use a shallow roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet. Toss the vegetables in the olive oil and a couple pinches of salt and pepper. Arrange vegetables in a single, even layer. Place the trussed chicken on top of the vegetables and pour the chicken broth over the vegetables. Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes - 1 hour 30 minutes, or until outside of the chicken is golden brown and crispy, the meat feels firm when pressed, the juices run clear, or if you have a thermometer, the meat near the inner thigh (between the leg and the breast, reads 165℉.

  4. Let chicken rest for 10-15 minutes or so before carving. This ensures a super juicy bird! At this point, I discard the root vegetables. They really serve just as a bed to roast the chicken on, and they provide a lot of flavor to the bird. Serve!

Recipe Notes

*I discard the vegetables after the chicken is finished cooking - they just provide a lot of extra flavor to the bird as it's cooking, rather than roasting it on a rack or by itself in a pan!

Overhead shot of a plate of roasted chicken garnished with thyme sprigs and lemon wedges

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Filed Under: Chicken, Main Course Recipes Tagged With: chicken recipe, easy, easy dinner, gluten free, healthy, meal prep, meal prep chicken recipe, organic chicken, roasted chicken, whole roasted chicken

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Welcome! I'm so happy you're here. This is the space where I share healthy recipes with a sprinkle of indulgence mixed in! I’m wildly passionate about food, and I grew up in a family of foodies. I was surrounded by it from an early age and immediately fell in love. I love to share super flavorful, unique, and healthy recipes, as well as indulgent, comforting meals we all need from time to time!

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