Whole Roasted Chicken – There is something so cozy and comforting about roasting a whole chicken (especially on a Sunday!) and this is my favorite way to cook it! So easy to make, full of flavor – once you cook one you are going to be hooked! Family-friendly and perfect for meal prep!
![The BEST Whole Roasted Chicken - a cozy, tried and true whole roasted chicken recipe that will not disappoint! Step-by-step photos! #wholeroastedchicken #howtoroastawholechicken #wholechickenrecipeeasy #wholechickenrecipehealthy Whole roasted chicken in a dutch oven.](https://thewoodenskillet.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/best-whole-roasted-chicken-recipe-13.jpg)
Best Ever Whole Roasted Chicken Recipe
This whole roasted chicken recipe has been in permanent rotation for as long as I can remember! And I cannot wait for all of you try it 🙂 It is a tried and true recipe that I love to so much – it is pure comfort food and perfect for any time of the year. Serve with homemade chicken gravy (made from the pan drippings), Whole30 mashed potatoes or ultimate yukon gold potatoes and some roasted broccolini.
Got leftovers – check out this Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad. If you like this recipe definitely check out my Roasted Chicken Soup!
Why You Will Love this Recipe
- Cozy: Is there anything more cozy than having a whole roasted chicken cooking away in the oven?!
- Sunday Supper: Roasting a whole chicken on Sunday evening for dinner is a favorite of mine! Just always seems to special (and the house smells amazing).
- Family-Friendly: My kids LOVE this recipe! It truly is a family favorite.
- Gravy + Broth: Use the drippings to make gravy and the leftover bones to make homemade broth!
Whole Roasted Chicken Ingredients
- whole roasting chicken: I recommend a 2-4 pound roasting chicken – ensure it is fully thawed and the cavity is empty.
- kosher salt and ground black pepper: the basics of seasoning – always gotta have a little of both.
- ghee or butter + garlic: we combine these to make a garlic butter rub.
- celery: the celery is used as a little roasting rack.
- fresh orange + fresh rosemary + fresh thyme + sweet yellow onion: this is what we will stuff the chicken with.
- head garlic: this is used as an aromatic.
- Dutch Oven: I used a 5.5qt dutch oven but a regular roasting pan or even a deep cast iron skillet will work too.
What to Serve with Whole Roasted Chicken
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Stove Top Mashed Potatoes
- Grilled Broccolini
- Roasted Broccolini
- Whole Roasted Carrots
- Grilled Vegetables
- Garlic Green Beans
Meal Prep Friendly
There are two ways you could integrate meal-prep into this recipe:
- Meal Prep Chicken – simply use the recipe to make chicken for the week to use in salads, etc.
- Prep Recipe – you could also prep the chicken (rub with butter/ghee, sprinkle with salt and pepper and stuff) then simply leave in the dutch oven (cover it) and place in the fridge overnight. Then, when it is time to get dinner ready just pop it in the oven and dinner is on its way to being done (without any of the prep!). Your cooking time might increase just a little since the dutch oven and chicken are starting out cold, but it should only be by a little bit (5-10 minutes).
How to Roast a Whole Chicken
Place celery in the bottom of the pan to act like a “roasting rack.”
![The BEST Whole Roasted Chicken - a cozy, tried and true whole roasted chicken recipe that will not disappoint! Step-by-step photos! #wholeroastedchicken #howtoroastawholechicken #wholechickenrecipeeasy #wholechickenrecipehealthy Dutch oven with a few pieces of celery sitting in the bottom of the pan.](https://thewoodenskillet.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/best-whole-roasted-chicken-recipe-1.jpg)
Place chicken on top of celery and pat dry with a clean paper towel.
![The BEST Whole Roasted Chicken - a cozy, tried and true whole roasted chicken recipe that will not disappoint! Step-by-step photos! #wholeroastedchicken #howtoroastawholechicken #wholechickenrecipeeasy #wholechickenrecipehealthy Raw whole chicken in a dutch oven.](https://thewoodenskillet.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/best-whole-roasted-chicken-recipe-2.jpg)
Stuff with onion, orange, and fresh herbs. Rub all over with softened butter (or ghee) and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
![The BEST Whole Roasted Chicken - a cozy, tried and true whole roasted chicken recipe that will not disappoint! Step-by-step photos! #wholeroastedchicken #howtoroastawholechicken #wholechickenrecipeeasy #wholechickenrecipehealthy Whole chicken prepped to be roasted.](https://thewoodenskillet.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/best-whole-roasted-chicken-recipe-6.jpg)
Baste approximately every 30 minutes while roasting with both more melted butter (or ghee) and the drippings from the bottom of the pan.
![The BEST Whole Roasted Chicken - a cozy, tried and true whole roasted chicken recipe that will not disappoint! Step-by-step photos! #wholeroastedchicken #howtoroastawholechicken #wholechickenrecipeeasy #wholechickenrecipehealthy Whole roasted chicken in a dutch oven.](https://thewoodenskillet.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/best-whole-roasted-chicken-recipe-7.jpg)
![The BEST Whole Roasted Chicken - a cozy, tried and true whole roasted chicken recipe that will not disappoint! Step-by-step photos! #wholeroastedchicken #howtoroastawholechicken #wholechickenrecipeeasy #wholechickenrecipehealthy Whole roasted chicken in a dutch oven.](https://thewoodenskillet.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/best-whole-roasted-chicken-recipe-9.jpg)
Let the chicken rest. Carve and serve!
![The BEST Whole Roasted Chicken - a cozy, tried and true whole roasted chicken recipe that will not disappoint! Step-by-step photos! #wholeroastedchicken #howtoroastawholechicken #wholechickenrecipeeasy #wholechickenrecipehealthy Whole roasted chicken in a dutch oven.](https://thewoodenskillet.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/best-whole-roasted-chicken-recipe-12.jpg)
How to Carve a Chicken
If you are looking for a tutorial on how to carve a roasted chicken, here is a great tutorial!
Whole Roasted Chicken Gravy
Feel free to make some yummy homemade chicken gravy (I also have a Whole30/Paleo Gravy recipe here)!
![The BEST Whole Roasted Chicken - a cozy, tried and true whole roasted chicken recipe that will not disappoint! Step-by-step photos! #wholeroastedchicken #howtoroastawholechicken #wholechickenrecipeeasy #wholechickenrecipehealthy Gravy being poured on top of a chicken breast.](https://thewoodenskillet.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/best-whole-roasted-chicken-recipe-14.jpg)
![The BEST Whole Roasted Chicken - a cozy, tried and true whole roasted chicken recipe that will not disappoint! Step-by-step photos! #wholeroastedchicken #howtoroastawholechicken #wholechickenrecipeeasy #wholechickenrecipehealthy Plate with sliced chicken breast covered in chicken gravy.](https://thewoodenskillet.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/best-whole-roasted-chicken-recipe-15.jpg)
![The BEST Whole Roasted Chicken - a cozy, tried and true whole roasted chicken recipe that will not disappoint! Step-by-step photos! #wholeroastedchicken #howtoroastawholechicken #wholechickenrecipeeasy #wholechickenrecipehealthy Pinterest image.](https://thewoodenskillet.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/whole-roasted-chicken-recipe.png)
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Print![Top shot of a whole roasted chicken in a Dutch oven with a head of garlic next to it.](https://thewoodenskillet.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/whole-roast-chicken-recipe-1-150x150.jpg)
The BEST Whole Roasted Chicken
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
The BEST Whole Roasted Chicken – a classic, tried-and-true recipe for a delicious whole-roasted chicken. Perfect for meal-prep, Sunday Supper or a weeknight dinner!
Ingredients
- (1) 2-4lb whole roasting chicken (fresh or fully thawed and innards removed)
- salt and pepper (approx. 2 teaspoons of each)
- 1/2 cup ghee or butter, softened, divided
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1–2 stalks celery, cut into 2–3 inch pieces
- 1/4 fresh orange, cut into small chunks
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1/2 sweet yellow onion, cut into chunks
- head garlic, cut off top
- 1/2 lemon (optional), cut into chunks
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Celery Roasting Rack:Take the dutch oven and lay down your celery in the middle so it creates a “roasting rack.”
- Prep Chicken: Place chicken in a dutch oven on top of the celery. Pat the chicken dry with a clean paper towel. Feel free to use kitchen twine to truss up the legs.
- Stuff: Rub salt and pepper inside the cavity as best you can and then stuff with sweet yellow onion, orange chunks, lemon chunks and fresh rosemary and thyme.
- Butter: Place 1/4 cup of softened butter (or ghee) in a small bowl and mix it together with the minced garlic. Then take the garlic butter and rub all over the chicken, in every nook and cranny, and under the skin as best you can.
- Seasoning: Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper so it has a thin layer all over.
- Garlic: Place the head of garlic (with one end cut off) inside the dutch oven next to the chicken.
- Oven: Place in the oven on the middle rack, uncovered.
- Roast + Baste for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes – 1 hour and 30 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F at the thickest part of the thigh (use an internal meat thermometer). While the chicken is roasting take the remaining butter (or ghee) and melt. Baste the chicken every 30 minutes with melted butter as well as the drippings that will gather in the bottom of the pan.
- Temp: Once the chicken reaches an internal temp of 165 degrees F. remove from the oven, baste one more time, and then let rest for 10-20 minutes (leave in the dutch oven as it rests as juices will continue to gather that you can then use for gravy).
- Remove from dutch oven, carve and serve.
- Drippings: Use the drippings (any juices left over in the bottom of the dutch oven) from the pan to make chicken gravy, if desired.
Notes
- Whole Chicken: ensure the cavity is empty (remove any giblets or gravy pack, if any) and that it is fully thawed
- Cooking Time: cooking time is approximate so start checking the internal temp after an hour just so you can see where things are at and you can gauge how much longer it will need to reach 165 degree F. If after 1 hour and 15 minutes your chicken isn’t fully cooked, continue cooking for 5-10 minute increments until it does reach an internal temp of 165. Remember the chicken will continue cooking (and then temp will continue to rise) while it is resting.
- Internal Meat Thermometer: highly recommend using an internal meat thermometer so you can keep track of doneness.
- Whole30/Paleo: if you are eating Whole30/Paleo then use ghee instead of butter.
- Dairy-Free: If you are dairy-free I would recommend using some olive oil to rub the chicken with initially and then baste with a mixture of white wine, chicken broth and a little vegan butter. Note: your chicken might not brown up as nicely with this method.
- Gravy: Use the drippings to make chicken gravy – I also have a gluten-free gravy recipe here that is Whole30/Paleo.
- Homemade Chicken Broth: Don’t forget to save the carcass so you can make homemade chicken broth the next day!
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 228
- Sugar: 2.1 g
- Sodium: 808.5 mg
- Fat: 17.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 12.5 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Cholesterol: 58.2 mg
Originally published December 6, 2020.
Cass says
So easy, moist and delicious! Thank you for this recipe. Made this for Thanksgiving instead of turkey and it was impressive to the group!
Mandy says
This is one of our family’s favorite recipes. It’s what they requested for Thanksgiving instead of a turkey. So so delicious.
Jenny says
This recipe just didn’t do it for us. Despite all the seasoning and the aromatics inside the chicken, it just ended up bland. I didn’t make gravy because there weren’t enough pan juices – maybe that would have helped. Back to beer can chicken for me!
Erin says
Sorry this one didn’t work out for you – thanks for trying the recipe!
George says
Second time using this recipe. Turned out delicious again.
Debra Brown says
My family loves this chicken. I will definitely make this again soon.
Elaine says
Epic fail for me.made the mistake of putting potatoes in also .put it in at 330 and did not eat till 6pm. There wasn’t enough room in the pot for circulation. It tasted ok but didn’t go as planned.
Barbara says
Looks wonderful. Plan on making it this weekend. Do you do anything with the roasted head of garlic?
Ashley says
I consider myself a bit of a food snob and thought this was amazing. I will be making it again. I didn’t have any oranges so I just used lemons and it was still fantastic, the gravy too! Excited to try the broth tonight
Erin says
So happy to hear that, Ashley!! Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for coming back to leave a review!
Michelle says
This recipe was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS and it was even better with a pastured raised chicken from our farm.
Super easy to make and the gravy is the icing on the cake.
It’s a must try
Erin says
Thanks, Michelle! One of my all-time favorite recipes! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review – I really appreciate it!
Mike says
So much flavor and so easy!
Fay says
Amazing flavor and super simple to do
Cecilia Lieberman says
This is the perfect healthy, comfort food recipe there is! So east and so delicious. My recommendation if you have double ovens, make two as your family will devour this and want more!
Danielle says
This is my go to roast chicken recipe!
Erin says
So happy to hear that, Danielle! This is a favorite of mine as well!
Mary-Beth says
This was fabulous! Not too hard to make and they orange gave it a nice subtle flavor that was different from my ordinary roast chicken. Family loved it too!
Erin says
So happy to hear that, Mary-Beth! And thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review + feedback!
Mandy says
This is THE BEST roasted chicken! I cook this regularly for Sunday dinner for my family. There is never any left! Even picky kids approve. Don’t walk. Run to make this!
Erin says
Thank you so much, Mandy! I appreciate the feedback – so glad you are enjoying the recipe!
Caitlin says
I was so nervous about making a whole chicken for my first time! I followed this recipe exactly and used ghee to make it whole30 compliant. Thanks for helping me get through this process! It turned out delicious.
Erin says
So glad you went for it, Caitlin!! And glad you enjoyed it!