If you are looking for a healthy and comforting meal, this oven roasted chicken recipe is for you! Not only is it delicious, but it is nutritious as well.
With the new year upon us, it seems like everyone is looking for a new recipe to brighten up the winter. This flavorful dish is not only a classic comfort food meal, it will also set the tone for healthy eating for the entire family.
Eating wholesome, healthy foods is a part of so many New Year’s resolutions. However, many of us crave a comfort food meal during the cold winter months.
So often times you have to decide between eating healthy and indulging in a true comfort food meal. But is it possible a meal could be both? The answer is yes, and this recipe falls right into that category.
Customize To Your Liking
The new year is all about trying new recipes and experimenting. Feel free to change any one of these ingredients to your liking. Make the recipe original with your own twist and flare!
Don’t forget that you can rub the skin of the chicken with salt for that “extra crispy” texture. Do this the night before and watch how deliciously it roasts the next day!
Remember that the best way to ensure your chicken has reached a safe temperature is to invest in an instant read, digital cooking thermometer. You will find yourself reaching for this tool time and time again. It ensures your meats are properly cooked and have reached a safe consumption temperature inside.
After enjoying this delicious meal, be sure save the bones from the chicken. These can be used as a healthy base for your own homemade chicken stock.
Oven Roasted Chicken
Before we begin the roasting process, we will need a list of ingredients and steps to follow. Let’s take a look at all the ingredients you need to have in your kitchen when making this recipe. As previously mentioned, feel free to substitute any one of these ingredients to your preference.
*Complete recipe instructions including specific measurements, cook temperatures and times are located in a printable recipe card at the bottom of this article. However, be sure to keep reading for helpful tips and tricks when making this recipe.
INGREDIENTS
- A Whole Roaster Chicken, approximately 4-5 pounds
- Olive Oil
- Lemon
- Onions
- Garlic Cloves
- Potatoes, Carrots, Celery (you can use any combination of these vegetables)
- Salt
- Pepper
- Additional seasonings (optional)
Step-By-Step INSTRUCTIONS
Before you begin cooking set the chicken out on the counter so that it can come to room temperature. Do this at least 30 minutes before it is set to go in the oven.
Then preheat the oven, soak cooking twine in water and then start preparing the chicken.
1: Clean out the cavity of the chicken and discard the innards.
2: Pat dry the inside and out of the chicken with paper towels.
3: Drizzle olive oil and rub it all over the skin. Make sure the oil is spread on all sides of the chicken, including inside the cavity.
4: Sprinkle salt and pepper all over the skin. You can also add other spices at this time as well. It is a good time to use that poultry seasoning that you only pull out at Thanksgiving.
Season The Cavity
5: Before cooking the oven roasted chicken, season the inside with salt/pepper. Stuff the inside with the garlic cloves and onion. Use half an onion, sliced in quarters. Then slice the lemon in half and stuff 1/2 of it in the cavity as well. Other spices such as sage, rosemary and thyme work well with this recipe and can be used to season the inside.
6: Take the cooking twine that has been soaking in water and use it to tie the legs of the chicken together.
7: Place the chicken on a roasting rack placed inside a large roaster. If you don’t have a wire rack, you can place the chicken directly on the bottom of the pan. However, a wire rack is suggested because it allows the chicken to cook more thoroughly and evenly.
Cook Time
8: Cover the roasting plan with a lid or tent it with aluminum foil. Place the chicken in the preheated oven for 45 minutes.
9: While the chicken is in the oven roasting, prepare the vegetables. Chop your potatoes, carrots and celery. Make sure you cut them into large chunks. Use a splash of olive oil, salt, pepper and the juice of the remaining 1/2 a lemon.
10: After waiting the initial 45 minutes for the chicken to cook, remove the lid and add your vegetables to the bottom of the roasting pan. Allow this mixture to roast for an additional hour with the lid kept on.
11: Carefully remove the roasted chicken from the oven and place it on a carving plate. Check to make sure the the internal temperature is at least 165°F in the thickest part of the thigh. Allow the chicken to rest for 20 minutes under tented foil.
Optional Step: Typically when roasting at such a high temperature and for an extended time, you do not need to remove the lid in order to brown the skin. However, during the last 20 minutes of cooking you can remove the lid to get the skin darker if preferred.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I store and reheat the chicken?
After you cook your chicken, remove any leftovers off the bone. It will be easier to do this now while the carcass is still warm.
Then place the extra meat in a sealed container and place in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
When it’s time to eat, reheat the chicken in a covered dish with a teaspoon of water until warmed through. The water will help keep the meat moist.
You can also use the leftover meat in other recipes throughout the week. This ensures no meat goes to waste and cuts down on meal prep time.
Which ingredients can I substitute?
Feel free to substitute any of the ingredients such as carrots, celery, potatoes or seasoning. Tailor the recipe to your liking. If you prefer a different type of vegetable for roasting, don’t be afraid to use it.
You can also change the type of oil you use. For example, if you prefer avocado oil over olive oil, don’t be afraid to substitute!
Are there other ways to cook a chicken?
Yes. There are other ways to cook a chicken such including in an Instant Pot, Air Fryer, Crock Pot or even grilling. These cooking methods can be just as flavorful and filling. However, to get that true comfort food feeling, I definitely prefer oven roasted chicken the best!
Enjoy!
Mary and Jim
Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. The two are frequent speakers on all things gardening and love to travel in their spare time.
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How to Roast a Chicken
Moist and juicy oven roasted chicken with perfectly crispy skin. An easy and healthy comfort food recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 Roaster Chicken approx. 4-5 lbs.
- olive oil
- 1/2 onion
- 1 lemon, divided
- 4 garlic cloves
- Vegetables of your choice - carrots, potatoes, celery, etc...
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and let come to room temperature, approximately 30 minutes - 1 hour. Soak cooking twine in water.
- Preheat oven to 425°F
- Clean out the cavity of the chicken and pat the chicken dry - inside and out
- Rub olive oil over the skin - on all sides and inside the cavity.
- Season with salt and pepper (or additional seasonings as desired) *You can also add olive oil and seasonings between the skin and the breasts.
- Place a wire rack in the bottom of a roaster pan.
- Tie the legs together with cooking twine that has been soaked in water.
- Season the inside of the cavity with salt and pepper. Stuff it with 1/2 of an onion that is quartered and a half of a lemon. You can also add thyme, rosemary, or any other seasoning that you prefer. Tie legs together with cooking twine that has been soaked in water.
- Place lid on the roaster or cover with foil and place in oven for 45 minutes.
- In the meantime, prepare your vegetables - cutting them into large chunks. Toss in olive oil and season with salt and pepper and the sprinkle the juice of half a lemon on top.
- Once the chicken has roasted for 45 minutes, open the lid and scatter the vegetables on the bottom of the roasting pan. Replace the lid and continue to roast for an additional hour.
- With roasting at this high of a temperature, you do not have to remove the lid to brown the skin. However, every pan is different, so check your chicken after a total roasting time of 1 hour, 15 minutes and remove the lid to brown as needed.
- Once the internal temperature of the thickest section of the thigh reaches 165° F, remove the pan from oven and let rest on a carving plate under a foil tent for 20 minutes before carving.
Notes
- You can place the oil coated vegetables on the bottom of the roasting before and place the chicken on top to roast. However, the vegetables will be super soft once cooked for that long.
Recipe courtesy of Old World Garden Farms
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Amount Per Serving: Calories: 113Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 79mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 5g
Nutritional Information is to be used as a general guideline only and includes only the guidelines for the chicken and not the vegetables. Nutritional calculations will vary from the types and brands of the products used.