Whole Roasted Chicken

Impress your family and dinner guests with this super simple, super delicious Whole Roasted Chicken. Stuff the bird with an apple and an onion, top with butter, salt, pepper, Sriracha sauce and paprika, then bake until golden brown and cooked through. This makes the perfect centerpiece for a weeknight meal!

I’m not one of those people who (normally) gets weirded out when touching raw meat.

I wasn’t even weirded out by it during pregnancy. Nope. I saved that disgust for wilt-y spinach and spearmint-flavored things.

I guess I should point out that I’ve never told y’all I was “normal.”

However, the first time I prepared and roasted a whole chicken five years ago? I was horrified.

Let me back up and say that I’d only purchased boneless, skinless chicken breasts before that point. But when I was grocery shopping, that whole chicken just called to me. And since I loved rotisserie chicken, I figured a homemade one would be delightful, too.

Well, I was totally right. Except preparing the chicken for the first time — specifically, feeling the skin — was a shock.

So I totally understand those of y’all who are disgusted by raw meat. I get it.

But let me implore y’all to focus on the end result: a delicious, moist, flavorful roasted chicken. Think about that as you prep your bird instead of how the skin feels.

That’s what gets me through each and every time.

That’s my trick: mind over matter. And it works like a charm.

And this Whole Roasted Chicken turns out beautifully each time.

So if you’re weird around meat? I totally feel you.
But if you like roasted chicken? I believe that you can make this recipe!
And if you want to give it a go? You can do it!

This recipe has become my go-to because it’s pretty painless on the preparation front, and all you have to do is cook up your sides while the chicken roasts.

Here’s how I do it:

Whole Roasted Chicken

Erin Parker, The Speckled Palate

Impress your family and dinner guests with this super simple, super delicious Whole Roasted Chicken. Stuff the bird with an apple and an onion, top with butter, salt, pepper, Sriracha sauce and paprika, then bake until golden brown and cooked through. This makes the perfect centerpiece for a weeknight meal!

5 from 1 vote

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Servings 6 servings

Calories 925 kcal

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 35 minutes mins

Ingredients

  

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Whole Chicken

• 5-6 lb. chicken bone in and skin on
• 1 apple quartered
• 1 onion quartered
• 4 tablespoons salted butter softened
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce
• ½ teaspoon paprika

Gravy

• Rendered fat from the roasting process about 1/3 cup
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chicken broth

Equipment

• Roasting pan with rack
• Pastry brush
• Saucepan (3.5 qt.)

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Instructions

 

• Lower the rack to the bottom level, then preheat the oven to 400°F. Get out a poultry roaster pan or line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Set aside.
• Place the whole chicken onto the roaster or baking sheet.
• Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Remove any internal organs before proceeding.
• Stuff the apple and onion in the bird's cavity. Season generously with salt and pepper.
• Using kitchen twine, tie the legs together. Tuck the wings beneath the bird.
• Mix together the butter, salt, pepper and Sriracha sauce in a small bowl.
• Using a silicone pastry brush, brush the seasoning mixture onto the skin of the chicken.
• Cover the chicken with aluminum foil, and transfer to the preheated oven.
• Bake for 1 hour, taking the foil off so the bird will brown. Rotate the bird in the oven.
• Lower the oven temperature to 375°F. Bake for an additional 20-30 minutes, or until cooked through. When the chicken's internal temperature reads 165°F, remove it from the oven. The juices should run clear.
• Transfer the chicken onto a serving plate, and make the gravy in the roasting pan.
• Measure in the flour, and mix it with the rendered fat from the chicken.
• Whisk until smooth, then slowly pour in the warm chicken broth.
• Whisk thoroughly until the mixture thickens, then remove from the heat, and pour into a gravy dish.
• Carve the chicken, and serve warm with the gravy.

Notes

Please note that my oven is nearly 60 years old and is nowhere near efficient as a newer oven. Watch your chicken as it roasts to ensure it doesn't overcook, and check the temperature of the bird around the 45 minute mark, as well as hour mark to see how far you have to go.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 925kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 91gFat: 57gSaturated Fat: 19gPolyunsaturated Fat: 33gCholesterol: 376mgSodium: 533mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4g

Keyword baking recipe, best roasted chicken, dinner, entree, how to roast chicken, poultry recipe, roasted chicken, roasting poultry, whole chicken recipe

Course Entrees

Cuisine American

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