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Laughing Spatula / Recipe Index / Chicken / Easy Roast Chicken

Easy Roast Chicken

By Kathi & Rachel

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Is there anything better than a simply roasted chicken?  The flavor is nothing like anything you can get anywhere else.  You master this simple recipe and you can feed your family for ever!

Simple Roast Chicken with vegetables on a platter

 

After years of cooking, I mean ‘years’…I have learned my limitations in the kitchen.  I don’t do fancy.   I have tried and it’s always a disaster.   You won’t find beautifully decorated cupcakes or perfectly plated up food on my blog.  I haven’t got the talent or patience.  But you give me a 9 x 13 pan, a casserole dish or a beautiful chicken to roast and I’m your girl!

A perfectly Easy Roast Chicken is the simplest recipe  you will ever make.

If you never learn to cook anything else, you can survive on roast chicken alone.  Sure, you can buy them at Costco and the grocery store but they are not the same.  The Costco roast chickens are so injected full of sodium I start retaining water after the first bite and the poor excuses for chickens at the grocery stores are shriveled up little three pounders and heaven knows whats injected in them.  I am not saying I don’t use them, because I do on occasion, but not often and given the choice – homemade is always the best and healthiest.

Treat yourself to a whole organic, no sulfide added chicken when you can.  But when you can’t pony up the extra dollars, just buy the biggest, freshest chicken you can find.  (the one in this photo almost resembles a turkey – go big or go home!).

Tips for the perfect Easy Roast Chicken:

  • Washing the bird?  There is a little bit of controversy on this subject lately. Now ‘they’ are saying that you spread more germs rinsing off chicken than it’s worth.    Cooking will remove all those nasty germs.   You can google it and make up your own mind.  Me?  I rinse.  I don’t scrub, I just rinse.  Pat dry with paper towels.  The dryer the skin the crispier the crust.
  • Trussing – yes, you need to do that.  It’s a fancy word for tying up the legs of the chicken.  No skill required.  Just tie them up and knot it. It not only makes for a pretty presentation it allows the chicken to cook evenly.  Tuck in those wings too so they don’t get overcooked.
  • Preheat the oven – even though you have an hour and half cooking time, you need to preheat for even cooking.
  • Potatoes or no?  I do not cook my potatoes with my chicken.  I find they soak up the oil from the bird and I don’t like the texture.  You can certainly throw some in and give it a try,  but use firm potatoes like yukon golds or red potatoes.
  • Giblets yes or no?  I discard them although they make a nice addition to gravy – but that’s another post at another time…we are just doing chicken today 🙂
  • Set your uncooked chicken on top of your vegetables.  They make a perfect roasting rack.
  • Stuff the chicken with aromatics but know it does not impart huge amounts of flavor so if you don’t have them, don’t sweat it…but it sure does make your kitchen smell yummy 🙂

Thats about it  – it’s truly one of the easiest things you will ever cook and did I mention leftovers?  Well what kind of post would this be if I didn’t!  If you follow this blog you know that I am a leftover junkie!  See my rotisserie chicken Pinterest board for a few ideas on how to use your left over chicken.

Simple food, is the best food!

Clink!

Kathi

Easy Roast Chicken
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Recipe  Comment
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 15 mins
 

This Easy Roast Chicken is perfect in it's simplicity!  Once you learn how to make this, you can feed yourself and your family for years to come!  Use the leftovers for all kinds of recipes!

Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American, French
Servings: 6
: 287 kcal
: Kathi & Rachel
Ingredients
  • 1 5-6 pound Whole Chicken
  • 1 bunch fresh Rosemary
  • 2 lemons quartered
  • 2 yellow onions peeled and quartered
  • 6 whole carrots - peeled
  • 5 cloves garlic - peeled and left whole
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and Pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Line a roasting pan with foil for easy clean up if desired (I always desire this!).
  3. Remove giblets from cavity of chicken along with any excess fat and discard.
  4. Rinse inside and out and pat dry with paper towels.
  5. Rub skin with olive oil.
  6. Salt and pepper inside and out.
  7. Stuff cavity with rosemary, lemons and garlic.
  8. Tie legs and tuck in wings of chicken.
  9. Stack vegetables on roasting pan and set chicken on top.
  10. Roast for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours until meat thermometer (placed between thigh and breast) reads 165 degrees.
  11. Remove from oven and let rest 15 minutes before carving.
  12. Serve with roasted vegetables.
Nutrition Facts
Easy Roast Chicken
Amount Per Serving
Calories 287 Calories from Fat 144
% Daily Value*
Fat 16g25%
Saturated Fat 4g20%
Cholesterol 81mg27%
Sodium 120mg5%
Potassium 514mg15%
Carbohydrates 13g4%
Fiber 3g12%
Sugar 5g6%
Protein 21g42%
Vitamin A 10345IU207%
Vitamin C 27.9mg34%
Calcium 54mg5%
Iron 1.5mg8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 

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Filed Under: Chicken, Healthy Recipes, Main Course Recipes, Whole30

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Simon says

    December 25, 2020 at 6:04 pm

    5 stars
    Won’t the veggies cook faster than the chicken?

    Reply
  2. Marie says

    February 9, 2017 at 11:23 am

    Thanks for accepting my subscription the recipes look tasty & easy.

    Reply
  3. Holly says

    July 13, 2015 at 9:13 pm

    😉 Bought chicken at Safeway this morning, going to try this. .88 cents a lb there Whoop

    Reply
    • Kathi Kirk says

      July 14, 2015 at 3:04 am

      Thats a good deal on a chicken Holly! Hope it came out good…let me know!

      Reply
      • Holly says

        July 14, 2015 at 9:49 pm

        Making today, Do I need to cover the chicken with the roasting pan lid?

        Reply
        • Kathi Kirk says

          July 15, 2015 at 3:32 pm

          Sorry for the delay! No need to cover…hope it worked out for you!

          Reply
          • Holly says

            July 15, 2015 at 5:32 pm

            lol check your FB chat

  4. Barbara Tidwell says

    December 12, 2014 at 12:28 am

    My favorite way to roast chicken is the beer can method. Its delicious.

    Reply
    • Kathi Kirk says

      December 12, 2014 at 5:23 pm

      I tried that a couple times and it’s really effective! I even had the little metal apparatus that helped it stay up…wonder what ever happened to that????
      Kathi

      Reply
  5. Pat says

    December 3, 2014 at 8:15 pm

    That is beautiful, Kathi…..it looks pretty fancy to me 🙂 Pinned it

    Reply

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Kathi and Rachel of Laughing Spatula
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