How to Roast a Chicken

Every time I roast a chicken I think to myself – why don’t I do this more often?!  In my mind it seems like a big deal but in reality it’s not.  In fact, as you’ll see in these steps for how to roast a chicken, it’s pretty straight forward. And, best of all, you’ll have beautifully cooked chicken to use for  Chicken Corn Chowder, Chicken StockChicken Pot Pie, Chicken Wraps or Chicken Taquitos.

roasted chicken

Read more:  Chicken Corn Chowder, Chicken StockChicken Pot Pie, Chicken Wraps or Chicken Taquitos.

YouTube player
Watch this quick video on roasting a chicken and get 3 more meals out of it!

If you make roast chicken regularly you probably have a favourite technique, maybe something that’s been passed down through the generations.  I bet it’s awesome – keep doin’ what you’re doin’! If however, you’ve never roasted a chicken before or are looking for a basic no-stuffing technique here are the steps I follow. If you want even more details, here’s another video for roast chicken from ManitobaChicken.

Step by Step – How to Roast a Whole Chicken

Step 1: Rest the bird. Prep flavours

prepping the bird

Get your chicken out of the fridge and let it rest on the counter for about 30 minutes. This will give you time to prep your flavor enhancing ingredients. I use roughly chopped onions, celery, parsley, garlic and lemon halves (the lemon slices in this picture were frozen – leftovers from a cocktail party).

Step 2: Pat it dry

Don’t wash your chicken – there’s no need, just use a paper towel and pat dry. Since it doesn’t take long to prep the chicken, you’ll also want to preheat your oven to 400°F/205°C at this point.

Step 3: Check for giblets and neck

Check the inside of the chicken for neck and giblets and remove them (sometimes they’re tucked inside and sometimes they’re not).  Save these (except the liver) for making stock. The liver, which can give stock a bitter flavor can be pan fried.  For more info about giblets and how to identify them, check out this post at The Kitchn.

Step 4: Rub with salt and pepper

salt and pepper the cavity

Rub the inside of the chicken (neck and other end) with a generous helping of salt and pepper. This gets a little messy so rather than getting my salt and pepper shaker all gooey,  I mix salt and pepper in a little dish for easy clean up.

Step 5: Fill with herbs & veggies

stuffing the neck

Loosely fill the neck cavity with a portion of your herbs and veggies.  Tuck or pin the neck skin to cover the opening.  I just pulled the flap up and over.

Step 6: Loosely stuff

Loosely stuff the rest of the herbs and veggies in the other opening. There should be some space left in the cavity, do not over fill.

stuffing the other end

Step 7: Tie the legs

Tie up the legs with kitchen string and close the opening. If you can tuck the tail into the string, great. If not, just cover up the opening as best you can. If you want to get all Martha Stewart about it and do a fancy trussing job, here’s the link to her trussing tutorial.  Or just tuck as best you can and go on with your day.

tie up the chicken

Step 8: Season to taste

Rub that bird all over with canola oil then salt and pepper.  Be generous with the salt so you get great tasting crispy skin. You can also season the chicken with other seasonings like this Creole or Cajun Seasoning.

position bird

Step 9: Add veggies to the pan

Optional: For oven roasted veggies to go with your bird, cut chunks of onion, garlic, carrots and sweet potatoes.  These will make a delicious side dish and also provide a bed for your bird as they roast together.  I tossed the veggies with some canola oil and salt and pepper, of course you can add other herbs and seasoning as well. Don’t want or have veggies – skip this step.

prep for the pan with roasted veggies

Step 10: Tuck in the wings

Position your bird in the roasting pan breast side up on top of the bed of veggies or on top of a rack (if you don’t want roast veggies). The idea is to prevent the chicken from resting directly on the pan. You could even rest it on a couple of chunks of onion or celery. Tuck the wings under the side of the bird.

tuck wings under bird

And ensure the neck opening is closed and the skin flap is tucked underneath.

pin or tuck skin of neck

Step 11: Start roasting

check and adjust bird

Slide uncovered pan into preheated oven (400°F/205°C) and roast about 20-30 minutes per pound (55 – 65 minutes per kilogram). Check the chicken starting at the 1 hour mark to ensure the outside isn’t getting too crisp and the veggies at the bottom of the pan have enough moisture. I noticed that the wings popped out of their tucked in position (that would never happen to Martha!), so I covered them with tin foil to prevent them from getting charred. My veggies were fine, but don’t be afraid to add a little water if you find yours are getting a little dry.

Step 12: Check temperature

roasted chicken

My bird was nearing completion at the 1 3/4 hour mark. My mom taught me roasted chicken is done when the drumsticks move easily in their socket and the juices from the chicken run clear. A more reliable and safe method is to insert a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the breast meat making sure the tip does not hit any bone. According to Manitoba Chicken you should cook chicken until the temperature reads 180°F/82°C. They even have an awesome video showing you how to properly use a meat thermometer.  If you look carefully in the picture below, you can see the puncture wound where I had the meat thermometer.

Step 13: Let it rest

For the juiciest chicken, remove the chicken from the pan onto a dish with sides, cover or tent with aluminum foil and let it rest for 20 minutes.

Step 14: Carve and make Gravy

Finally, carve up that bird and be amazed at your tender, juicy bird with crispy flavorful skin. My hubby is the master chicken carver at our house.  He’s become a pro at sliding the knife between major joints and bones. If you need a little help in this area, check out this How to Carve a Chicken video.

While hubby is busy carving away, I check on the roast veggies and start making the gravy.  Our veggies were nicely cooked, but if your chicken takes less time to cook, you may need to cook those root veggies a little longer.  Just slide the pan back into the oven while the chicken is resting.

gravy
Fresh gravy is a wonderful addition to a roast chicken dinner.

As for the gravy – well, here’s a recipe I love – you can make it ahead or at the end of roasting.

And of course, we can’t forget about the soup stock!  Once the chicken dinner has been devoured, it’s time to make soup stock. You’ll find a recipe and bunch of helpful tips on my post on How to Make Homemade Soup Stock.

soup stock
Chicken stock as it cooks.
soup stock close up
Chicken stock after it’s been sieved.

Printable recipe for Roast Chicken

roasted chicken
Print Recipe
5 from 2 votes

Roast Chicken

Step by step instructions for a delicious roast chicken. Create an incredible roast chicken meal and enjoy the leftovers for days!
Prep : 10 minutes
Cook : 3 hours
Resting Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 8
Author: Getty Stewart

Ingredients

  • 1 whole chicken
  • 1 onion roughly chopped
  • 2 stalks celery roughly chopped
  • 1 bunch parsley
  • 1-2 cloves garlic crushed and chopped
  • 2-6 slices lemon
  • salt & pepper

Instructions

  • Get your chicken out of the fridge and let it rest on the counter for about 30 minutes. This will give you time to prep your flavor enhancing ingredients. I use roughly chopped onions, celery, parsley, garlic and lemon halves.
  • Don’t wash your chicken – there’s no need, just use a paper towel and pat dry. Since it doesn’t take long to prep the chicken, you’ll also want to preheat your oven to 400°F/205°C at this point.
  • Check the inside of the chicken for neck and giblets and remove them (sometimes they’re tucked inside and sometimes they’re not).  Save these (except the liver) for making stock. The liver, which can give stock a bitter flavor can be pan fried.
  • Rub the inside of the chicken (neck and other end) with a generous helping of salt and pepper. This gets a little messy so rather than getting my salt and pepper shaker all gooey,  I mix salt and pepper in a little dish for easy clean up.
  • Loosely fill the neck cavity with a portion of your herbs and veggies.  Tuck or pin the neck skin to cover the opening.  I just pulled the flap up and over.
  • Loosely stuff the rest of the herbs and veggies in the other opening. There should be some space left in the cavity, do not over fill.
  • Tie up the legs with kitchen string and close the opening. If you can tuck the tail into the string, great. If not, just cover up the opening as best you can. If you want to get all Martha Stewart about it and do a fancy trussing job, here’s the link to her trussing tutorial.  Or just tuck as best you can and go on with your day.
  • Rub that bird all over with canola oil then salt and pepper.  Be generous with the salt so you get great tasting crispy skin. You can also season the chicken with other seasonings like this Creole or Cajun Seasoning.
  • Optional: For oven roasted veggies to go with your bird, cut chunks of onion, garlic, carrots and sweet potatoes.  These will make a delicious side dish and also provide a bed for your bird as they roast together.  I tossed the veggies with some canola oil and salt and pepper, of course you can add other herbs and seasoning as well. Don’t want or have veggies? Skip this step.
  • Position your bird in the roasting pan breast side up on top of the bed of veggies or on top of a rack (if you don’t want roast veggies). The idea is to prevent the chicken from resting directly on the pan. You could even rest it on a couple of chunks of onion or celery. Tuck the wings under the side of the bird.
    Ensure the neck opening is closed and the skin flap is tucked underneath.
  • Slide uncovered pan into preheated oven (400°F/205°C) and roast about 20-30 minutes per pound (55 – 65 minutes per kilogram). Check the chicken starting at the 1 hour mark to ensure the outside isn’t getting too crisp and the veggies at the bottom of the pan have enough moisture. I noticed that the wings popped out of their tucked in position (that would never happen to Martha!), so I covered them with tin foil to prevent them from getting charred. My veggies were fine, but don’t be afraid to add a little water if you find yours are getting a little dry.
  • My bird was nearing completion at the 1 3/4 hour mark. My mom taught me roasted chicken is done when the drumsticks move easily in their socket and the juices from the chicken run clear. A more reliable and safe method is to insert a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the breast meat making sure the tip does not hit any bone. According to Manitoba Chicken you should cook chicken until the temperature reads 180°F/82°C. They even have an awesome video showing you how to properly use a meat thermometer.  If you look carefully in the picture below, you can see the puncture wound where I had the meat thermometer.
  • For the juiciest chicken, remove the chicken from the pan onto a dish with sides, cover or tent with aluminum foil and let it rest for 20 minutes.
  • Finally, carve up that bird and be amazed at your tender, juicy bird with crispy flavorful skin. My hubby is the master chicken carver at our house.  He’s become a pro at sliding the knife between major joints and bones. If you need a little help in this area, check out this How to Carve a Chicken video.

Notes

Once we get carving, I check on the roast veggies and start making the gravy.  Our veggies were nicely cooked, but if your chicken takes less time to cook, you may need to cook those root veggies a little longer.  Just slide the pan back into the oven while the chicken is resting.
 
Here’s my go-to Gravy Recipe – you can make it ahead or while your bird is resting and getting carved up for the table.
Leftover roast chicken is perfect for homemade soup stock! You’ll find a recipe and bunch of helpful tips on my post on How to Make Homemade Soup Stock.
Tried this recipe?Mention @GetGettyS or tag #GetGettyS

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

Calories: 215kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 14g | Sodium: 79mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Iron: 1mg
Course: dinner, holiday specialties
Cuisine: American, European
Keyword: baked chicken, chicken, chicken leftovers, oven roasted

Sign up to get articles by Getty delivered to your inbox. You’ll get recipes, practical tips and great food information like this. Getty is a Professional Home Economist,  speaker and writer putting good food on tables and agendas.  She is the author of Manitoba’s best-selling Prairie Fruit Cookbook, Founder of Fruit Share, a mom and veggie gardener.

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