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Whole Roast Chicken

Whole Roast Chicken

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours
Yield: 6 servings
Tender, juicy rotisserie-herb whole roast chicken makes for the perfect Sunday set-it-and-forget-it meal. Seasoned with rosemary, thyme, paprika, parsley, lemon, and rotisserie chicken seasoning. Cooks along with carrots, celery, and onion for flavoring (and also, for eating).
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Equipment

Ingredients

  • 4-5 lb whole chicken rinsed, patted dry, packet removed from cavity
  • ¼ stick of unsalted butter
  • 1 large yellow onion quartered
  • 4 large carrots (cut into 2-3" pieces)
  • 2 stalks of celery (cut into 2-3" pieces)
  • 1 lemon quartered and stuffed into cavity
  • ½ cup water
  • neutral oil for drizzling over the chicken

Seasonings:

  • 1 tablespoon rotisserie chicken seasoning I use McCormick's
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon thyme or 2 sprigs fresh, stuffed into cavity
  • 1 teaspoon rosemary or 1 sprig fresh, stuffed into cavity
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375 F. Grease a 9x13 casserole dish or roasting pan with some butter or nonstick cooking spray, then set aside.
  • Add all of the seasonings to a bowl and stir together. Set aside.Peel and slice the carrots into 2-3" pieces. Chop the celery into 2-3" pieces. Quarter the onion and the lemon, if using.
  • Important step: Remove the paper pouch containing the organs that is often stuffed inside of the chicken's cavity. Discard it, or boil to make broth for stuffing.
  • Pat the chicken dry and place it in the prepared baking dish along with the water. The water adds enough initial moisture to the bottom of the pan to prevent burning.
  • Place the onions, celery, and carrots around the outside of the chicken. Optional: Stuff the lemon quarters and any fresh sprigs of herbs into the chicken's cavity.
  • Drizzle the oil over the chicken. Then, sprinkle with half of the seasoning mixture (rotisserie chicken seasoning, paprika, thyme, rosemary, S&P to taste). Rub the seasonings into the skin, making sure to coat all sides and get underneath the legs and wings. Sprinkle the remaining half of the seasoning mixture on top of the chicken. Do not rub in.
  • Place the pats of butter around the sides of the pan, on top of the vegetables.
  • Roast the whole chicken uncovered for 2 to 2 and a half hours, or until a meat thermometer reads 165 F at the thickest part of the chicken. All juices should run clear. Baste the chicken every 45 minutes with the pan juices for the ultimate flavor. If the chicken is browning too soon, tent with foil.
  • Serve the whole chicken along with the carrots and onions. Enjoy!

Notes

    • Substitute the oil for melted butter. If you want to season the meat underneath, separate the skin from the meat and rub the melted butter both underneath and on top of the skin. Keep an eye on the browning since butter will make the chicken brown faster.
    • Always pour ½ cup of water into the bottom of the baking dish so the chicken stays super juicy. Never pour more than one cup of liquid into the pan. The chicken will make a lot of its own broth as it cooks. I have made excellent Rotisserie Chicken and Rice Soup with it in the past.
    • I season to taste - this recipe is a rough estimate. I highly recommend you stick to the amounts you're comfortable with, especially regarding salt content. Keep in mind, the seasonings required for a whole chicken will be heavier than if you were cooking chicken breasts. You are only seasoning the surface of the chicken, not the meat underneath. However, the lemon and fresh herbs stuffed inside the cavity will subtly permeate throughout.
    • If using a frozen chicken, allow it to thaw 2 to 3 days in its original packaging before cooking. I sit mine in a baking dish in the refrigerator. If you don't let it thaw completely, you will have a really tough time removing the paper pouch stuffed inside the chicken's cavity. I know that from painful experience. Your chicken may also cook unevenly.
    • Get multiple uses out of one chicken. Most often when I'm cooking a whole chicken I turn it into multiple meals. The first night, my fiancée and I eat the drumsticks and wings of the chicken along with the roasted carrots and onion (as pictured). I'll also add a side to this, such as peas, bread, mashed potatoes, or rice. Then, after we're done eating and the chicken has cooled, I'll shred the breast and thigh meat (and anything good left on that thing) and store it in the fridge. I've made Rotisserie Chicken and Rice Soup, Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken Burrito Bowls, and Rotisserie Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps with the leftovers. That usually lasts us another two days. And that's not all. I also strain the broth that the chicken made in the pan and freeze it. The broth becomes the base for many of my soups. That's three uses out of one less than $5 chicken, y'all 
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