Roast chicken with crispy flavorful skin, moist and perfectly cooked! This recipe is your easy guide to making the perfect roast chicken every time!
I usually don’t attach bold and gutsy titles such as this one to my recipes UNLESS I can stand behind it with full confidence. The confidence comes from making the same recipe over and over again, until you can pretty much do it with your eyes shot, and the result is the same every time!
Unlike most people think, cooking a whole chicken is rather easy, economical and most flavorful. Whether you are feeding 6+ or have a smaller family, this is a good option to keep in mind because you can feed a lot of people at once but if you are a smaller family, this recipe makes for great left overs that you can eat as is or turn into soups, salads or sandwiches.
Making a roast chicken is an investment of time, so the last thing you will want is for it to turn out meh. Off course I’ve had my days of making roast chicken that were just okay, but I consider it a stepping stone to accomplish this, THE PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN!!
Luckily you don’t have to experience those far-from-perfect chicken days, because if you follow my instructions your chicken will taste (and look) better then a store bought roast chicken. I mean… waaaaay better!
recipe notes and variations
- Although I almost always use the same combination of onion powder and garlic powder with sea salt, ground pepper and smoked paprika, you can use whatever spices you enjoy.
- Sometimes I add a tablespoon of butter underneath the skin, on the breast area. It’s delicious and helps crisp up the skin and add flavor. However I don’t find that to be a crucial step.
- Many people like to stuff the cavity with herbs, onions, orange and other flavorings but I find that the chicken becomes soggy, so I don’t stuff my chicken.
The Perfect Roast Chicken Every Time
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken, about 4 lbs
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400F degrees.
- Wash chicken under cold running water then pat dry using a paper towel. Place on a baking sheet
- Coat the entire chicken with olive oil. Season on all sides, including legs and wings, back and breast.
- Roast for about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Pay close attention to the chicken after 50 minutes in, as oven temperatures may vary and chicken size will also determinte the right amount of cooking time. Chicken is done when skin is crispy and browned. Use thermometer to check temperature on thickest part of the chicken. Chicken is safe to eat at 165F degrees.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Save this recipe to Pinterest for later!
Just hover over the image and click the “Save” button.
Lovely! I really like your seasonal variations – it’s the way I cook too! And, I looked first to see if you listed butter. I don’t think a roast chicken is as good without butter!!!
I used to make my chicken using olive oil but there is a huge difference there! I am so happy that you enjoyed the seasonal suggestion, it’s what I do and fits well with our body cravings. Thanks for stopping by Mimi 🙂
Going to make it this weekend 🙂
Awesome, hope you’ll love it!
It’s a gorgeous recipe. Yes butter makes this amazing difference. I have never tried my roast with fruits, but I love the idea and definitely will give it a try. As an alternative to butter for a low fat version, I sometimes put a thin layer of yogurt instead of butter. And it works good too.
Yogurt ha? I like that! Thanks so much for stopping by Alina, I really hope you enjoy this recipe! 🙂