Roasted chicken and vegetables is a winner family dinner for holidays or weekend. It is easy to prepare a tasty dinner in few hours. Relax when whole chicken is in the oven and enjoy delicious one pan meal. Easy whole chicken recipe.
To roast whole chicken you need an oven, chicken and root veggies, some staples like butter and olive oil, herbs and citrus fruits. And preferably a food/meat thermometer.
You don’t need to brine the chicken to make this baked whole chicken delicious. There is no best one recipe to roast the chicken. But there is one easy way, just to stuff the chicken with citrus halves, truss, massage with butter and bake whole chicken in oven on top of the vegetables. Perfect roast chicken should fell from the bone, have lovely color and smell.
Oven roasted whole chicken, rubbed with mix of Indian and Southern herbs and spices, is an ultimate edition that works well in our house. So I’m sure this easy baked chicken recipe will be favorite in your kitchen, too.
It is actually cheaper to buy a whole chicken than only breasts or thighs or wings. However, cooking a whole chicken is definitely a great dinner idea.
This baked whole chicken easily serves 5-6 people, depending on the serving size that everyone prefers. You’ll love making this easy roasted chicken recipe for Sunday dinner! Recently everyone is obsessed with slow cooker, but nothing beats classic lemon chicken in the oven, flavor boosted with herbs and spices.
Moreover, besides roasted chicken and vegetables, you can make these delicious Baked Rosemary Chicken Thighs with mandarins or Baked Chicken Breasts with carrots for dinner.
Best way to roast the chicken
There are two methods of roasting the chicken. One is regular and the other is high heat method. The first one means roasting the chicken at one temperature, usually 350 F/ 175 C.
Second method suggests roasting the chicken on high temperature, then reducing it and cooking the bird until ready. This is my favorite method that is used in this lemon herb chicken recipe. High heat method allows the skin to be crispier, darker and overall more beautiful and tasty.
Baked whole chicken. From preparation to roasting
Preheat the oven to 390 F / 200 C.
To prepare the chicken, wash it and pat dry with paper towels. Don’t forget to wash the insides, too.
Great herbs to pair with lemon rosemary chicken are also sage and thyme. I added rosemary, marjoram, turmeric, cayenne, basil and thyme. Also freshly ground salt and pepper are must! Mix olive oil with herbs and rub the whole chicken, also going with your hands under the skin of chicken breasts. Add 2 butter slices under the chicken skin, too. Drizzle with fresh lemon juice on top, if you want.
Prepare a baking tray for roasting the chicken and vegetables. You can use cast iron skillet, too.
Cut few lemons and oranges in half. Insert citruses in the chicken cavity, leftovers leave aside for later. Prepare vegetables – carrots, celery, potatoes, red onions, cut them and add to baking dish. You can add other root vegetables that you have in your pantry!
Put chicken on the vegetables, breast side up. This will allow the chicken juices to drip and infuse the vegetables. Moreover, the chicken won’t rest in it’s own juices, so it will be crispier.
Truss, if you wish, it will look more beautiful on the table. Add leftover citruses, cut in quarters and place around the chicken. Add some cranberries, too.
How to check if the chicken is ready
I highly suggest investing in meat or food thermometer. It makes life just much more easy! To check the temperature, insert thermometer in inner thigh, not touching the bone. Give the thermometer some time. The roast chicken temperature should be 165 F / 74 C.
You should calculate the time of roasting according to the size of your bird. Roast around 20 minutes per pound plus 20 minutes more.
Also make sure you let your bird lest 10-15 minutes before cutting. You will have moist and delicious poultry dish! This roasted chicken and vegetables is great to serve on your Christmas table or any family gathering.
How to reheat roasted chicken and vegetables
- To reheat in the microwave, place sliced roasted chicken and vegetables on the plate, add lemon juice or you favorite sauce on top and microwave for 2 minutes.
- To reheat roasted chicken and vegetables in the oven, add olive oil and wrap chicken and vegetables in foil. You can reheat the chicken without foil in a baking pan, but add leftover chicken stock generously. Heat oven to 170 C / 335 F. Bake about 20 minutes. Add more stock during this time, if needed.
- You can also reheat lemon herb chicken with vegetables in a pan. Heat olive oil in a pan, add chicken, vegetables, cover with the lid and cook on a low for about 5-8 minutes, turning it once, until it is warm to touch. Be careful as the chicken may become dry, so better add few tablespoons of chicken stock or leftover pan drippings.
What’s more, you can use leftover roasted chicken in other recipes like Chicken Enchiladas, Mexican Tortilla Soup or healthy Avocado Chicken Salad. We suggest serving whole baked chicken on a bed of arugula. Place fresh and baked fruits and vegetables around the chicken. Enjoy!
Roasted Whole Chicken and Vegetables
- Oven
- large baking tray
- 1,7 kg chicken
- 2 potatoes
- 2 red onions
- 2 celery stalks
- 2 carrots
- 1 handful cranberries
- 1 lemon
- 1/2 orange
- 1 tbsp rosemary dried
- 1 tbsp marjoram dried
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne powder
- 1 tbsp basil dried
- 1 tbsp thyme dried
- salt
- pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp butter
- Preheat oven to 390 F / 200 C
- Peel and cut potatoes and onions in quarters. Peel and cut carrots lengthwise, then in 3-4 pieces. Cut celery stalks in quarters. Add to the baking tray.2 potatoes, 2 red onions, 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks
- Wash the outside and inside of the chicken and pat dry with paper towel.1,7 kg chicken
- Mix olive oil with all dry spices. Rub the mixture around the chicken and under the skin. Insert 2 slices of butter under the skin on chicken breasts.1 tbsp rosemary, 1 tbsp marjoram, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 1/4 tsp cayenne powder, 1 tbsp basil, 1 tbsp thyme, salt, 1 tbsp olive oil, pepper
- Put chicken breast side up on the vegetables. If you like you can truss the bird.
- Cut lemon in half. Add one half in chicken cavity, other half cut in quarters and place around the chicken on the vegetables. Cut half of orange in quarters, put one part in cavity, other around the chicken. Place cranberries around the fruits, too.1 lemon, 1/2 orange, 1 handful cranberries
- Roast chicken for 20 minutes, then baste it with the juice from the pan. Reduce the heat of the oven to 350 F / 175 C, add butter slice on top.3 tbsp butter
- Roast chicken for another 90 minutes or until it is ready. Baste with oil from time to time.
- To check if the chicken is roasted, insert meat thermometer in inner thigh (don't touch the bone). It should be 165 F / 74 C. Let it rest at least 10-15 minutes before cutting.
