Roasted chicken with rosemary is the perfect weeknight meal. It’s relatively cheap, it’s easy to make, and it tastes delicious. Many people prefer to roast whole chickens because they are usually the cheapest part of a rotisserie chicken purchase price. There are quite a few ways to roast whole chickens and many recipes. I have found that roasting chickens with vegetables and herbs result in a much tastier chicken.

Roast Chicken with Rosemary

When I was in Vicenza, Italy at an open market downtown, I smelled this scrumptious smell of roast chicken at this stand. So I bought one of their chickens and looked what they stuffed in the cavity to make it taste so good! I also do my turkeys like this too

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Roast Chicken with Rosemary

Recipe Summary

Prep:

10 mins

Cook:

2 hrs

Total:

2 hrs 10 mins

Servings:

6

Yield:

6 servings

Ingredients

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Original recipe yields 6 servingsIngredient Checklist

• 1 (3 pound) whole chicken, rinsed
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 small onion, quartered
• ¼ cup chopped fresh rosemary

Directions

Instructions Checklist

• Step 1Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Step 2Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Stuff with the onion and rosemary. Place chicken in a 9×13 inch baking dish or roasting dish.
• Step 3Roast in the preheated oven for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. Cooking time will vary a bit depending on the size of the bird.

ROSEMARY OVEN ROASTED CHICKEN

The best oven roasted chicken recipe starts with plenty of fresh rosemary and thyme, lemon, garlic, vegetables and potatoes. With a golden brown exterior and flavorful, juicy meat, this easy dish is totally irresistible! Serve the crispy roast chicken with a side of biscuits, cornbread or pumpkin muffins for a cozy dinner that the whole family will enjoy.

OVEN ROASTED WHOLE CHICKEN

There’s something magical about a simple oven roasted chicken. It’s one of the easiest meals that any home cook can serve, you can prepare the meat in a variety of ways, and it’s almost impossible to mess up! Even with the most basic seasonings (like salt and pepper), you can achieve a really delicious bird with so much natural flavor. Add some fresh rosemary, thyme, garlic and lemon, and the crispy roast chicken is absolute perfection!

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ROASTING AND BAKING A CHICKEN?

While these terms are often used interchangeably, they’re not actually the same. Roasting and baking are both dry heat cooking methods that use hot air to conduct heat at 300°F or higher. Originally, roasting described food that was cooked over an open flame. Today, roasting is done in an oven. Technically, roasting requires a higher temperature (400°F and above) to create a browned, flavorful “crust” on the outside of the chicken, while baking occurs at lower oven temperatures (up to 375°F).

The higher roasting temperature for this recipe (425°F) yields chicken with a beautiful golden brown, crispy skin and tender, juicy meat. It truly can’t be beat!

DO YOU COVER CHICKEN WHEN ROASTING IN OVEN?

For this recipe, you’ll roast the chicken uncovered the entire time. This allows the skin to get incredibly crispy in the oven, turning that beautiful golden brown color. If you are roasting a larger chicken that requires a longer cooking time, you may need to cover the bird loosely with foil towards the end to prevent excessive browning.

INGREDIENTS FOR A SIMPLE ROAST CHICKEN RECIPE IN OVEN

This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for an oven roasted chicken. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.

• Whole chicken: I use a larger 5-6 lb. chicken, which easily feeds a family of 4-5. Smaller chickens will cook faster, and larger chickens will require a bit more time (use a thermometer to know when your bird is done).
• Kosher salt and pepper: to season the chicken.
• Small red potatoes: cook in the pan with the chicken, soaking up the drippings and becoming nice and crispy. Cut small potatoes in half, larger red potatoes into quarters.
• Carrots and onion: additional vegetables that roast in the pan with the chicken.
• Olive oil: adds flavor to the roasted vegetables, prevents them from sticking to the pan, and helps them brown and crisp in the oven.
• Rosemary, thyme, lemon, celery, garlic: aromatics that flavor the meat as it roasts.
• Butter: brushing the skin with melted butter before roasting adds flavor and helps the skin brown.

HOW TO ROAST A CHICKEN IN THE OVEN

This oven roasted whole chicken comes together easily and is entirely hands-off. Just pop it in the oven and your job is done until carving time!

1. Arrange potatoes and vegetables in the bottom of the roasting pan; toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary.
2. Arrange the chicken on top of the vegetables.
3. Prepare the chicken by stuffing, trussing, and brushing with melted butter. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Roast the chicken in a 425°F oven for about 1 ½ hours.
5. Rest for about 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

ROAST CHICKEN TEMPERATURE

A whole chicken is ready when a meat thermometer inserted between a leg and thigh (not touching the bone) reads at least 170-175° F. Note: the temperature of the meat will continue to rise slightly when you pull it out of the oven.

ROASTED CHICKEN WITH LEMON AND ROSEMARY

This flavourful recipe makes for a tasty and impressive-looking Sunday supper.

Yield: Serves 4.

July 02, 2019

•  Cook Time: 1 hr 10 mins
•  Recipe Difficulty: Easy
• Dairy-Free, Few Ingredients

ROASTED CHICKEN WITH LEMON AND ROSEMARY

INGREDIENTS

• 1 broiler chicken (3 lb/1.5 kg)
• 1 tbsp rosemary, crumbled
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 medium onion, cut into wedges
• 4 strips lemon peel (1×2 inch)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

1. Sprinkle cavity of chicken with rosemary and 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper.
2. Stuff cavity with onion wedges and lemon peel.
3. Place chicken, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Brush chicken with oil. Drizzle lemon juice over chicken. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp (1 mL) each salt and pepper.
4. Roast at 425ºF for 60 – 70 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into chicken registers 180ºF.
5. Transfer chicken to a platter and cover with foil. Let stand for 10 minutes before carving.