Do you want to impress your in-laws? Perhaps make a fancy Sunday dinner for friends? Then there’s nothing more rewarding like a perfectly cooked whole chicken. The classic way to cook a whole chicken is by roasting it. No need to doubt yourself and be scared my dear, because this article will help you conquer that! Keep in mind that the main goal is getting that crispy, juicy and amazingly flavorful chicken meat. With this easy method, you will just need a roasting pan but if you don’t have one, you can use a skillet, a large casserole or even a pie plate for this or anything that is oven-safe will work.
Worry no more! Let this article teach you how to cook a whole chicken in very easy steps. Let’s get started, shall we?
You will need:
- One whole chicken
- Olive oil or any cooking oil will do
- A tablespoon salt
- Pepper
- Lemon, fresh herbs, garlic cloves (optional)
Tool to use: Skillet, large pan, casserole or any oven-safe dish that can hold the chicken.
Instructions:
- First, preheat the oven at 450 degerees. Place the rack in the lower-middle of the oven. While waiting you can now prepare the ingredients mainly the chicken, the salt and pepper and lemon wedges. If you don’t have lemon that’s also fine.
- Reach towards the inside the chicken’s cavity and remove the bag of giblets. The giblets can be discarded, saved for stock or can be used as gravy in the later part.
- Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel or a clean kitchen rag and make sure that you pat and absorb the liquid behind the wings or legs area dry. Make sure to pat the inside cavity dry too. You have to dry the chicken from inside out.
- Rub the chicken with olive oil all over the chicken. The oil will help the skin to be crisp and golden. Make sure that each part is seasoned well.
- Sprinkle the chicken with pepper and salt. Place the lemon and garlic inside the chicken for extra flavor but then again this is optional. Put the chicken in the pan with its breast side up and lower the heat to 400 degrees for about 50 minutes.
- You’ll know when the chicken is done when it registers to 165 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh, the wings and legs wiggle loosely and also the juice is clear. Keep on roasting the chicken while checking it every 10 minutes. Time varies depending on the size of the chicken but roughly the roasting time is from 50 minutes ‘til 1 and a half hour.
- Once the chicken is fully roasted, transfer it to a cutting board and let it sit there for 15 minutes before serving.