Wanna feel like a kitchen super star? Roast a chicken. It's super easy, takes very little prep time and provides endless options for meals later in the week!
Few things are as versatile for meal prep as a crispy roast chicken. And few things smell as good while they're cooking!
That's why I love roasting a chicken every few weeks. A few minutes of work lends itself to a super luxurious-feeling dinner and/or tons of meal options throughout the week, plus a batch of stock or soup!
Roasting a chicken is easier than you might think! If you've never attempted it before, no fear. I'll walk you through it step by step.
How to Make a Crispy Roast Chicken:
- First, we'll prep the veggies. You'll need a small onion, a couple cloves of garlic, a stalk of celery and a carrot or two. If you're missing any of those things, never fear! Your chicken will turn out delicious without.
- Next, we'll prep the chicken. Remove it from the packaging and pull out the giblet package. You can either save it for making stock and/or gravy or you can toss it! Pat the chicken dry, then rub it all with one of your garlic cloves, some olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Place it breast-side-up in a cast iron pan or roasting pan.
- Grab all your veggies and stick them inside the large cavity. Have some fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme, wilting in the fridge? Toss a couple of those in too, then try to close up the cavity. If you have meat pins, use those to thread it lightly shut. If not, just do your best to seal it. No worries - the chicken may just cook a couple minutes faster.
- Pop the chicken into a hot, hot oven for 15 minutes, then turn it down a bit and keep roasting for 15 minutes per pound. i.e. A 5-lb chicken would roast for 15 minutes at 450F, then would roast for another hour and 15 minutes at 350F.
- The chicken is done when a meat thermometer reaches 165F in the thickest part of the thigh.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes, covered in foil, before carving and serving!
At what temperature and for what length of time does chicken roast at?
Roast chicken at 450 F for 15 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 350 and continue cooking the chicken for 15 minutes per pound. So if you have a chicken that's 5 pounds, it will cook for a total of 1 hour and 30 minutes. Starting at a high heat helps us get a crispy roast chicken
Roast Chicken is done at what temperature?
Roast Chicken is done cooking when the thickest part of the thigh measures 165 F with a meat thermometer. Careful not to be touching a bone when reading the temperature. The juices should be running clear when pierced with a knife and the drumsticks should wiggle easily when moved.
Serve up with some stovetop stuffing, roasted veggies and fresh bread! Try one of these side recipes:
- Classic Stuffing with Sage and Onions
- Sausage and Rice Stuffing with Almonds and Apples
- 25-Minute Perfect Roasted Broccoli
And make sure to save the roast chicken carcass for Leftover Roast Chicken Soup or a batch of Chicken Stock. I will often just pop the bones in a ziploc bag or container and toss in the freezer to make soup or stock later on. Pro tip: If you cook up bone-in chicken throughout the week, save those bones too by tossing them in the same bag. That way when you finally get around the making soup/stock, you have all that good collagen, fat and flavor!
No waste is the name of the game, friends!
And on that note, let's talk about what to do with all the leftover chicken you have. Depending on how many people you're serving on Chicken Sunday, you'll have varying amount of leftovers, but there's usually always a little something!
Roast chicken is perfect to chop up and just toss on salads, in wraps or quesadillas throughout the week for quick lunches and easy dinner. You can add it to soup, pasta dishes, ramen or tacos too. The options are basically endless.
If you want to get a little fancy or need some inspo, here are a few ideas for using up your leftover roast chicken.
How to Use Leftover Chicken:
- Leftover Roast Chicken Soup
- Greek Yogurt Curried Chicken Salad with Toasted Almonds
- Pesto Alfredo Gnocchi with Chicken and Kale
- Tex Mex Egg Roll in a Bowl
- Chicken Caesar Salad Flatbreads
How to Make a Crispy Roast Chicken
Equipment
- Cast Iron Pan or Roasting Pan
- Meat Thermometer
- Meat Pins
Ingredients
- 1 6-8 lb whole roasting chicken
- 2 carrots
- 1 onion
- 2 celery stalks
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Prepare your vegetables: Chop the carrots and celery into thirds. Quarter the onion. Halve the garlic cloves.
- Prep the chicken: Remove from the package and take out the giblets packet inside. (Freeze giblets for stock/gravy or toss.) Then pat the chicken dry with a paper towel, making sure to get under the wings and legs.
- Take one garlic clove half and rub the inside of it all over the chicken. Drizzle olive oil over the top and rub on all sides - make sure to get under the wings and legs again. Salt and pepper the outside.
- Place the chicken, breast side up, in the cast iron pan or roasting pan. Stuff the veggies and garlic cloves inside the cavity and close it up. If you have stainless steel meat pins, use these to loosely close up the cavity and to pin the legs down. If you don't have them, just try to bring the legs close to the body and close up the cavity.
- Put the chicken in the hot oven. Cook for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350°F and cook for another 15 minutes per pound. (So a 5 lb chicken would cook for 15 minutes at 450F, then at 350F for an hour and 15 minutes)
- The chicken is done when it has reached 165°F with a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh. Careful not to hit the bone when measuring the temperature.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and cover with foil. Let rest for 10 minutes, then carve and enjoy!
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