I get a warm, fuzzy feeling inside when I smell chicken roasting in the oven. It makes me think of home and my Mom. Here’s how we make it in our kitchen. It’s easy to make whole roasted chicken at home, so you should learn how to do it. We’re sharing a basic method for how to do it. Find our best tips for making it below.
Where you purchase your chicken will affect the weight. Quite a large chicken, weighing between 5 and 6 pounds, is required for our recipe. However, the recipe will still work with chickens that weigh less (3 1/2 pounds). The bake time will be slightly less.
That’s why we love having our instant-read thermometer handy. This allows us to precisely gauge the chicken’s doneness; the thermometer should read 165 degrees F when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh. Don’t worry if you don’t have a thermometer; a good alternative test is to cut between the leg and thigh. If the juices run clear, you should be good.
You can roast a chicken at almost any temperature. It all depends on what you are looking for.
Depending on the weight, roast between 300 and 350 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 hours to achieve exceptionally tender, fall-off-the-bone meat and soft skin.
Roast the chicken at 425 degrees F for 45 to 1 1/2 hours, depending on the weight, for firmer meat and crispier skin. In the recipe below, a 5 to 6-pound chicken is roasted at 425 degrees for approximately 1.5 hours.
To roast the chicken, you will need a pan. An oven-safe pan, a large baking dish, a rimmed baking sheet, or a roasting pan with a rack will all do.
We prefer to keep things simple when it comes to seasoning. We use salt and freshly ground pepper to season the entire chicken as well as the cavity. By the way, if you have the time, chill the seasoned chicken in the refrigerator overnight or for an hour. Essentially, this is dry brining, which will make the meat more juicy and the skin more crisp.
Then, we stuff the cavity with a whole, cut-in-half garlic clove and a quartered lemon. You can continue using our technique or experiment by stuffing the cavity with fresh herbs or a spice rub. The chicken can also be roasted on top of vegetables; in our photos, we did this with onions.
Gallery Read the full recipe after the video.
1 six-pound roasting chicken
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 medium onions, peeled and sliced crosswise 1/2 inch thick
2 lemons
3 large cloves garlic, peeled
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 cup Homemade Chicken Stock, or canned low-sodium chicken broth, skimmed of fat
Step 1 Let chicken and 1 tablespoon butter stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove and discard the plastic pop-up timer from chicken if there is one. Remove the giblets and excess fat from the chicken cavity. Rinse chicken inside and out under cold running water. Dry chicken thoroughly with paper towels. Tuck the wing tips under the body. Sprinkle the cavity of the chicken liberally with salt and pepper, and set aside. Advertisement
Step 2 In the center of a heavy-duty roasting pan, place onion slices in two rows, touching. Place the palm of your hand on top of lemon and, pressing down, roll lemon back and forth several times. This softens the lemon and allows the juice to flow more freely. Pierce entire surface of lemon with a fork. Using the side of a large knife, gently press on garlic cloves to open slightly. Insert garlic cloves, thyme sprigs, and lemon into cavity. Place chicken in pan, on onion slices. Cut about 18 inches of kitchen twine, bring chicken legs forward, cross them, and tie together.
Step 3 Spread the softened butter over entire surface of chicken, and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Place in the oven, and roast until skin is deep golden brown and crisp and the juices run clear when pierced, about 1 1/2 hours. When chicken seems done, insert an instant-read thermometer into the breast, then the thigh. The breast temperature should read 180 degrees and the thigh 190 degrees.
Step 4 Remove chicken from oven, and transfer to a cutting board with a well. Let chicken stand 10 to 15 minutes so the juices settle. Meanwhile, pour the pan drippings into a shallow bowl or fat separator, and leave onions in the pan. Leave any brown baked-on bits in the bottom of the roasting pan, and remove and discard any blackened bits. Using a large spoon or fat separator, skim off and discard as much fat as possible. Pour the remaining drippings and the juices that have collected under the resting chicken back into the roasting pan. Place on the stove over medium-high heat to cook, about 1 minute. Add chicken stock, raise heat to high, and, using a wooden spoon, stir up and combine the brown bits with the stock until the liquid is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Strain the gravy into a small bowl, pressing on onions to extract any liquid. Discard onions, and stir in the remaining tablespoon of cold butter until melted and incorporated. Untie the legs, and remove and discard garlic, thyme, and lemon. Carve, and serve gravy on the side.
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How Long To Bake A Whole Chicken At 425?
A whole chicken weighing between 2. A whole chicken weighing between 3 and 5 pounds can be baked or roasted in a 425°F oven for roughly 50 to 65 minutes. 5 and 4 pounds requires around 60 to 75 minutes.
If you want to bake or roast an enormous whole chicken (4 For a large group, the cooking time will rise to 70 to 85 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit. When the meat thermometer reads between 165 and 175 degrees Fahrenheit, it is finished.
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