Whole Roast Chicken - Oven Roasted method
June 1st, 2025
This Recipe creates 6 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 01 hour
A single serving (about 4
ounces) contains about 220 calories
This recipe is intended as basic instructions for oven-roasting a whole chicken. Obviously, this could be used as a launching point for a variety of options. Chicken can be seasoned with a varietly of herbs and spices. You can combine Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme with half a stick of butter, then rub the mixture under the chicken skin. Or you can use a variety of spice rubs that may include: Butter and Paprika, or Chimichurri Sauce, dried peppers, Fire Roasted Tomatoes, Garlic Paste, BBQ Sauce, or Butter, Lemon, and Garlic. While I am not a fan of eating Chicken Skin, leaving the skin to cover the meat while cooking will help prevent the chicken from drying out as it cooks. You can gently separate the skin from the meat, then leave the skin in place, covering the meat like a blanket. For best results, ensure that any seasonings are rubbed directly on the meat, underneath the skin.
Ingredients:
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The Roast
1 Whole Chicken
1/2 Stick Unsalted Butter
Fresh Poultry Herbs
Salt
Giblet Gravy
Bag of Giblets, found inside the Chicken
1 Carrot, peeled and cut into large sticks
1 Celery Stalk, cut into sticks
1/4 Onion, cut into large pieces
Water
Chicken Stock
1/2 Stick Unsalted Butter
1/4 Cup All-Purpose Flour
1/4 Cup Milk
Salt
Black Pepper
Other Herbs and/or Spices
Directions:
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Prepping the Chicken
In a small bowl, mix the soft butter with the Poultry Herbs.
Preheat the Oven to 425° F.
Clean the Chicken. Remove the bag of Gibblets from the inside of the Chicken and reserve for later.
Gently, without tearing the Chicken Skin, separate the Skin from the Meat. Leave the Skin to cover the Meat.
Use your hands to generously spread the Butter Herb mixture underneath the Skin. Cover the entire Bird with the Herbed Butter.
Place the Chicken in a large casserole dish or an oven tray, ensuring that the sides of the container are tall enough to catch the juices that will collect as the Chicken cooks.
Use a paper towel to dry the skin of the Chicken, as much as possible.
Bake the Chicken
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the Chicken reaches an Internal Temperature of 160° F.
Making a Basic Giblet Roux
In a medium pan, add the contents of the Giblets package, including the neck.
Add enough water to cover the Giblets by about 1 inch.
Add the Carrot, Celery, Onion, and any fresh Herbs.
Set the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.
Reduce the temperature and simmer for about 45 minutes.
When the Giblet Meat is tender, remove from the heat and pour through a strainer, reserving the liquid and the Giblets.
Discard the Carrot, Celery, Onion, and any fresh Herbs that were added.
Pour the Water into a liquid measuring cup. Add enough Chicken Stock so that you have a total of 2.5 Cups of liquid.
Move the Giblets to a cutting board.
Remove the meat from the neck and discard the bones.
Finely chop all of the Giblets.
In a medium pan, add half a stick of butter and the Chopped Giblets.
Place over medium heat. Stir frequently, until the Butter begins to brown, usually 2 or 3 minutes.
Add the Flour and mix well, incorporating the Flour with the Gravy.
Continue to stir frequently until the Flour begins to brown, another 3 or 4 minutes.
Whisk while adding in the Water/Chicken Stock mixture, ensuring that the liquid is fulling integrated with the Roux mixture.
Continue to whisk and simmer about 3 minutes, until the Roux begins to thicken.
Whisk in 1/4 Cup Milk. Continue to Whisk until smooth.
Sprinkle with Salt and Pepper, to taste.
Resting the Bird
When the Chicken is finished cooking, remove the pan from the oven, cover with aluminum foil or parchment paper, and let the Bird rest for least 30 minutes.
Carve and Serve.
Is it Done Yet?
Eating raw or under-cooked poultry carries a significant risk of food-borne illness.
So how can you tell when your bird is properly cooked?
Here are a few good options:
1. Check the Juices:
Use a sharp knife and gently cut into the meat where the Drumstick (the leg) connects
to the Thigh. Check the juices and ensure that they run clear. Your Bird is under-cooked
if the Juices still run pink.
2. Instant-read Food Thermometer:
There are a number of inexpensive options available for only a few bucks.
Simply insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the Thigh Meat,
ensuring that the thermometer is not touching the bone. The US CDC recommends that
the Thigh Meat reaches a minimum temperature of 165° F. You can remove the Chicken
from the Oven when the temperature reaches 160° F, as the temperature will continue
to rise (as much as 10°) over the next 10 or 15 minutes.
3. Oven-safe Meat Thermometer
An "oven-safe meat thermometer" will be a bit more expensive, but it is much more
convenient than either of the previous options. The thermometer can be inserted into
the Roast before it is placed in the oven. Depending on the bells and whistles of
your thermometer, you can be alerted alerted when the meat reaches a predefined
temperature. Set the thermometer to alert you at around 160° F, then insert the
thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh meat, ensuring that the thermometer
is not touching any of the surrounding bones.
