How to Roast a Whole Chicken in the Oven

Basic recipe for juicy and tender oven-roasted whole chicken with crispy skin and lemon flavor. Learn about the right temperatures and cooking times.

Roast chicken: one of the most beloved dishes in the world, probably. Definitely one of my favorite meals. And I can hardly find another dish that makes my kids happier, either a whole roasted one or just some thighs or drumsticks.

We eat chicken every week in one form or another. A quick meal like these Basic Skillet Chicken Breast or something like these Baked Legs in Honey Mustard Sauce. Or cooked in some kind of sauce like the Paprikash with Dumplings or the in Garlic and Roast Pepper Sauce.

Do you wash chicken before cooking?

The answer is a clear NO! Do not wash it before you cook it, it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever as only cooking the bird until it reaches an internal temperature of at least 73 degrees Celsius/165 degrees Fahrenheit will guarantee that all the bacteria will be killed.

Washing it in your sink will only cause this bacteria to contaminate your sink and other surfaces.

There has been a long debate on this issue for many years now. Many well-known chefs, like Julia Child for instance, always talk about washing poultry in their recipes and many people nowadays still cannot imagine not washing it. However, it is definitely not worth the risk of having those dangerous germs all over your kitchen afterward.

The USDA – Food Safety and Inspection Service says: “Washing raw poultry before cooking it is not recommended. Bacteria in raw meat and poultry juices can be spread to other food, utensils, and surfaces. This is called cross-contamination. Rinsing or soaking does not destroy bacteria. Only cooking will destroy any bacteria that might be present on fresh chicken.”

NHS in the UK says that about 50% of the chicken sold in the UK carries the Campylobacter bacteria, which can cause belly pains, diarrhoea, and vomiting. “Washing raw chicken before cooking it can increase your risk of food poisoning from campylobacter bacteria. Splashing water from washing it under a tap can spread the bacteria on to hands, work surfaces, clothing and cooking equipment.”

Also make sure you have an extra chopping board, preferably a large one, just for poultry. I have a large plastic one that I can wash in the dish washer after using, this way making sure that all the germs on it are killed by the hot water.

How to roast a chicken in the oven?

Making a whole roast chicken in the oven is not difficult at all. However, to make sure that the results are just what you were hoping for, there are a few steps you should follow.

• Make sure that the bird is completely dry before you rub it with the butter. Dry, inside and outside, with paper towels.
• Season well. You can use any kind of spices you like, but the most important thing in this area is to make sure you salt it well, again inside and outside. And do place half a lemon (or orange) and some nice herbs inside the bird, I feel they really make a difference, I love that lemon flavor that infuses the breast meat.
• Truss. Because trussing can be quite elaborate, it is your choice if you want to do it, however, I do think it is a good idea to take the time, this way the bird will look nicer and cook more evenly. At least make sure you tie the legs together and tuck the wings a bit out of the way so that their tips don’t get too much color.
• Let rest for about 10-15 minutes before carving. Why? Lots of juice builds up during roasting and if you cut it immediately after taking it out of the oven, the juices will just come out of it. Letting the bird rest for a while will give those juices time to be reabsorbed into the meat.

How long to roast a whole chicken?

• Roasting in the oven for the right amount of time is very important. To make sure that it is safe to eat, it should have an inner temperature of at least 73 degrees Celsius/165 degrees Fahrenheit.
• If you have a kitchen thermometer, check the temperature by inserting the thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh. (Amazon affiliate link)
• If you do not have a kitchen thermometer insert a skewer into the thickest part of the thigh as well. The juices should run completely clear. If they are still bloody or pink, continue roasting and check again from time to time.

General rule for chicken roasting times

Regarding the cooking times for a whole roast chicken, I have been following this rule found in a cookbook for years: roast the chicken at 200 degrees Celsius/ 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes per 500 g/ 1.1 lbs plus 30 minutes.

This rule makes it easier for me, especially when cooking the larger than the norm farmer’s birds I am able to buy directly from the farms around here.

So, if your chicken weighs 1500 g/ 3.3 lbs, you should roast it for about 60 minutes for its weight plus the extra 30 minutes, so a total time of 90 minutes.

Of course, always check if the internal temperature is reached either with the meat thermometer or with the skewer like indicated above.

What to serve it with?

• Easy answer: plenty of things.
• My favorites are vegetables and potatoes wedges cooked together with the chicken.
• Depending on the size of the bird and the time it needs in the oven, you can add the veggies and the potatoes to the roasting tin from the beginning, if you are cooking a small chicken. If you are cooking a larger one, add the potatoes and the vegetables to the tin during the last hour of the cooking time.

What to do with leftovers?

A regular bird of about 1,2-1,5 kg/ 2.6-3.3 lbs should be enough for about 4 people, maybe even 5. However, if it is larger, you will probably have some leftovers.

The bones:

• Do not throw away the leftover roasted bones, they make the most wonderful stock.
• For more details on making stock, see this post on How to Make Chicken Stock.
• Or for an Asian kind of stock, see this Chicken Ginger Broth.
• If you don’t make the stock with the roasted bones on the day or the next day after having the chicken, you can freeze the bones until you have more time or more bones to make the stock.

Leftover meat:

• You can use the leftover meat for making salads, sandwiches, fricassee, you can add the chopped meat to a soup, you can make fried rice or fried noodles.

More roasted chicken:

Whole Roasted Chicken with Oranges

Roasted Half Chicken

Roasted Chicken with Apples

Baked Mango Chicken