For this complete dinner, a whole chicken is simply seasoned and roasted, then served alongside perfectly crispy roasted potato wedges and a fresh, bright arugula salad.
Simple Whole Roasted Chicken
This recipe is straight from the poultry chapter of Cassy’s 3rd book, Cook Once Dinner Fix! Cassy was sure to include sides with each meal in this book, so while this is a recipe for a simple whole roasted chicken, she also included a recipe for roasted potatoes and a fresh arugula salad — it’s a complete meal home-run!
This whole roasted chicken meal is part 1 of a 2-part dinner series. Part 2 are these unbelievably delicious butter chicken bowls. To learn how to make these recipes work together, click HERE.
Oven Roasted Whole Chicken Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need for this simple, delicious meal:
- Whole Chicken – to start, you’ll need 1 (4- to 4½-pound) whole chicken.
- Butter – 4 tablespoons of room temperature salted butter helps to both crisp the skin of the chicken and add some really delicious flavor.
- Garlic – 4 minced garlic cloves get mixed with the butter (and then rubbed all over the chicken) to deepen the flavor.
- Sea Salt and Pepper – you’ll need 3 teaspoons sea salt total for this recipe (1 teaspoon for the chicken, a 1 teaspoon for the potato wedges, and 1 teaspoon for the salad), and 1 teaspoon total of ground black pepper (½ teaspoon for the chicken and a ½ teaspoon for the salad).
- Red Potatoes – 2 pounds of red potatoes cut into ½-inch-wide wedges make for the yummiest roasted potato side!
- EVOO – 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of olive oil coat the potatoes to help them get nice and crispy in the oven and 2 tablespoons of olive oil acts as a dressing for the fresh arugula salad.
- Arugula – speaking of salad… you’ll need 8 cups of fresh arugula here.
- Lemon Juice – along with the olive oil, 4 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice (the juice from 2 lemons) acts as a simple, delicious salad dressing.
Ingredient Modifications
While this recipe is super simple and delicious as written, Cassy made sure that Cook Once Dinner Fix included plenty of modifications. Here are a few that we *know* work well!
- Make it dairy-free: use olive oil in place of the butter for the roasted chicken.
- Make it low-carb: omit the roasted potatoes and serve the chicken with a simple roasted cauliflower side instead. To do this, simply toss 2 pounds of cauliflower florets with the salt and olive oil and roast alongside the chicken at 400°F for 30 minutes.
- Swap the sides: while the roasted potato and arugula salad sides do go really well with the roasted chicken, you certainly don’t *have* to serve your chicken with them. Feel free to swap the sides out for ANY starch + veggie side you love.
Supplies You Need to Make this Recipe
How To Roast a Whole Chicken
The instructions are broken down based on the meal component here, so if you’re just making the chicken (or any other component), feel free to omit the other instructions. Here’s everything you’ll need to do for the complete meal:
For the Roasted Chicken
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Prep the chicken – remove the giblets from the cavity of the chicken and pat it dry with a paper towel. In a small bowl, stir together the butter and garlic until well combined. Rub about half of the garlic butter over the outside of the chicken. Using your fingers, gently lift the skin from the breast, and smear the rest of the garlic butter under the skin. Place the chicken in a roasting pan or on a rimmed baking sheet, and tuck the wing tips under the joint where the wing meets the chicken’s body. Using about 6 inches of twine, tie the ends of the drumsticks together. Season the chicken with the salt and pepper.
- Roast the chicken – stick the chicken in the oven and roast for 1 hour 10 minutes, or until the juices run clear and/or an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest portion of a thigh registers 165°F. If the skin starts to brown too deeply, tent the chicken with a piece of aluminum foil.
- Remove the chicken from the oven – when the chicken is done, remove it from the oven, tent it with foil (if it’s not already tented), and let it rest for 10 minutes.
- Carve and serve – once the other components are finished, carve the legs, thighs, wings, and breasts, divide them among 4 plates, and serve alongside the potatoes and arugula salad.
For the Roasted Potatoes
- Prepare the potatoes – once the chicken is in the oven, prep the potatoes! To do this, toss the wedge-cut potatoes with 4 teaspoons (1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon) of olive oil, then spread them out over a rimmed baking sheet and season with 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Bake – when the chicken has been in the oven for 35 minutes, put the potatoes in the oven and roast for 45 minutes, or until golden brown.
For the Fresh Arugula Salad
- Prepare the salad – just before serving, place the arugula in a large bowl. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and massage the dressing into the leaves.
Should a chicken be at room temperature before roasting?
While it’s said that letting a chicken come to room temperature before roasting will result in quicker and more even cooking, I actually don’t think it’s something to stress about. If you have the time to let your chicken sit out for 30-45 minutes, that’s great, but if you don’t, that’s totally fine too!
How Long to Roast a Whole Chicken
Roasted chickens typically take a little over an hour. In this case, Cassy calls for 1 hour and 10 minutes of cooking time. If you’re unsure about whether or not your chicken is done, use an instant-read thermometer to check. It’s done when the thermometer reads 165°F.
What is the best temperature for roasting a chicken?
Because the goal is to get a perfectly juicy inside and a nice crispy outside, we prefer roasting whole chickens at a nice high heat — in this case, 400°F.
What is the difference between roasting and baking a chicken?
Good question! I actually didn’t know the difference between the two. Here’s the distinction (as far as I could tell): roasting refers to cooking whole foods that already have a solid structure before the roasting begins (think: a whole chicken, vegetables, potatoes, etc.) while baking refers to foods without that before-cooking structure (think: a casserole, cupcakes, cookies, etc.) So interesting!
How do you keep a whole roasted chicken from drying out in the oven?
The best way to do this is by roasting at a nice high heat for a short (relatively…we still need the whole bird to cook!) amount of time. This is why Cassy chose to roast the chicken at 400°F — this temperature allows for both a juicy inside and a nice crisp on the outside!
Should you cover chicken when roasting?
That depends. In this recipe, Cassy instructs you to tent the chicken with aluminum foil if the skin starts to brown too deeply, so keep an eye on your chicken, and if you feel like the skin is at risk of burning, go ahead and tent it with foil. Otherwise, you’re good to keep it uncovered.
What oven setting is best for roasting a whole chicken?
This recipe was tested in a regular oven (not a convection oven). Convection ovens are hotter and cook faster than conventional ovens, so if you’re using one, be sure to really keep an eye on your chicken and utilize a meat thermometer so you can pull it out when it’s done.
What to Serve with Roasted Whole Chicken
This roasted chicken is paired with simple roasted potatoes and a fresh arugula salad. If you’d rather go a different route, feel free to prepare any sides you love to go alongside the chicken — to keep your meal balanced, I’d recommend one starchy side and one veggie side.
Whole Roasted Chicken Recipe with Potatoes and Arugula Salad
Ingredients
- 1 4- to 4½-pound whole chicken
- 4 tablespoons salted butter room temperature
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 3 teaspoons sea salt divided
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper divided
- 2 pounds red potatoes cut into ½-inch-wide wedges
- 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
- 8 cups fresh arugula
- 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice the juice from 2 lemons
Instructions
For the Roasted Chicken:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Remove the giblets from the cavity of the chicken and pat it dry with a paper towel. In a small bowl, stir together the butter and garlic until well combined. Rub about half of the garlic butter over the outside of the chicken. Using your fingers, gently lift the skin from the breast and smear the rest of the garlic butter under the skin. Place the chicken in a roasting pan or on a rimmed baking sheet, and tuck the wing tips under the joint where the wing meets the chicken’s body. Using about 6 inches of twine, tie the ends of the drumsticks together. Season the chicken with the salt and pepper.
- Stick the chicken in the oven and roast for 1 hour 10 minutes, or until the juices run clear and/or an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest portion of a thigh registers 165°F. If the skin starts to brown too deeply, tent the chicken with a piece of aluminum foil.
- When the chicken is done, remove it from the oven, tent it with foil (if it’s not already tented), and let it rest for 10 minutes.
- Once the other components are finished, carve the legs, thighs, wings, and breasts, divide them among 4 plates, and serve alongside the potatoes and arugula salad.
For the Roasted Potatoes:
- Once the chicken is in the oven, prep the potatoes! To do this, toss the wedge-cut potatoes with 4 teaspoons (1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon) of olive oil, then spread them out over a rimmed baking sheet and season with 1 teaspoon of salt.
- When the chicken has been in the oven for 35 minutes, put the potatoes in the oven, and roast for 45 minutes, or until golden brown.
For the Fresh Arugula Salad:
- Just before serving, place the arugula in a large bowl. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and massage the dressing into the leaves.
Nutrition
I haven’t made this yet but am planning on it. Can I cook the potatoes in the same pan as the chicken?
Hi Sarah! If you have a big enough pan, you could certainly cook the potatoes in the same pan. I would just maybe try to create a barrier so that the chicken juices don’t run into the potatoes. Hop you enjoy! ~Melissa