Learn how to roast a chicken with simple tricks for irresistibly crisp, golden skin and juicy, tender meat every time.
The Best Roast Chicken Recipe Is Easy!
There are few things more satisfying than pulling a roast chicken out of the oven with golden, crispy skin and a pan juices underneath that you’d happily drink straight from the pan. There are also few things more frustrating than doing everything “right” only to end up with pale skin, dry breast meat, and hours wasted!
The good news? You don’t need a French culinary degree or a dozen fancy ingredients to make an incredible roast chicken. I’ve learned a few simple tricks over the years that make all the difference between an average roast chicken and one that tastes like it came out of a little French bistro (minus the bill and the need to put on real pants).
The best part is how easy it is to make this roast chicken recipe your own. Keep it classic with lemon and dried tarragon, rub with Chinese five-spice butter, or whatever seasonings you’d like! Pair it with sides you love, and you’ve got a roast chicken that’s just as perfect for weekday dinner as it is for a special occasion.
Ingredients and Variations
You only need 2 ingredients to make the best, simple roast chicken! But if you want to flavor things up, I’ve included a handful of my favorite toppings to flavor your bird for any occasion!
- Whole chicken – for the time and temperature to be correct for this recipe, choose a 4-5 pound chicken. If it’s slightly over or under, no problem! The better quality the chicken, the better your roast chicken will be! I love Bell and Evan’s (this is not an ad).
- Salt – salt helps dry out and flavor the skin. Use regular salt, not coarse salt.
- Toppings/seasonings (optional):
- Light brush of melted butter or olive oil plus your favorite seasonings or dried herbs (dried herbs don’t burn as easily in the oven)
- Juice of a lemon + dried tarragon
- Light brush of melted butter + Chinese five-spice
- Light brush of melted butter + smoked paprika + garlic powder
- Light brush of melted butter + dried sage + black pepper
- Light brush of olive oil + za’atar + lemon zest
- Light brush of butter + ground coriander + orange zest
- Light brush of melted butter + rosemary + lemon zest
- Apricot jam + splash white wine vinegar
- Honey + Dijon + dried thyme
How to Roast a Chicken
Here’s how to roast a whole chicken in a few easy steps! This is an outline; for the full recipe, see the recipe card below.
- Prepare: Line a roasting pan with parchment paper or foil.
- Dry: Remove whole chicken from packaging, including giblets. Pat chicken all over with paper towels. Place chicken in the lined roasting pan.
Trim: Locate the uropygium. Trim it off.
Trim more: Trim off the 2 loose flaps of fat on either side of the pope’s nose.
Tie: Tie the legs together using kitchen twine, just above the ends of the drumsticks.
Salt and chill: Generously sprinkle chicken all over with salt. Place whole pan in the fridge, uncovered, for at least 2 hours (up to 12 hours).
Preheat: Adjust oven rack to the 3rd position (lower-middle position). Preheat oven to 400℉.
Roast: Place chicken directly in the oven on the lower-middle rack. Roast for 1 hour. Carefully and quickly add toppings. Roast for another 10-25 minutes. Let rest for 10-15 minutes before carving!
How Long to Roast a Chicken
Making the best roast chicken is all about temperature and time. Roast a 4-5 pound chicken at 400℉ for 70-85 minutes.
The oven is hot enough to yield crispy skin yet a juicy interior without smoking up your house (which is common with higher temps!).
My Pro Tips
Pro Tips for the Best Roast Chicken
- Dry the chicken well. Pat the entire chicken dry with paper towels. Dry skin = better browning and crisping.
- Salt it ahead of time. Season generously at least 2 hours (or up to 12 hours) ahead, uncovered in the refrigerator. This seasons the meat deeply and dries the skin.
- Don’t rinse the chicken. There’s no benefit, and it just spreads raw chicken juices around your sink!
- Don’t stuff the cavity. A few aromatics such as herbs are fine but anything more can impact roasting time. Also stuffing the chicken actually doesn’t really flavor it!
- Tie the legs, but don’t obsess over trussing. Simply crossing and tying the drumsticks keeps the chicken compact for more even roasting.
- Roast potatoes and veggies separately. Roasting them together in the same pan can impact roasting time and steam the chicken.
- Let it rest. Rest the chicken about 10–15 minutes before carving. This lets the juices redistribute, keeping the juices inside the meat!
Serving Suggestions
Serve your perfect roast chicken with simple sides, letting the chicken shine, doused in pan sauce of course!
- Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Crispy Smashed Potatoes
- Homemade Baguette, Yeast Rolls, or Parker House Rolls
- Cornbread
- Vinegar Coleslaw
- Ratatouille
- Roasted Root Vegetables
- Maple Glazed Carrots
- Crispy Brussels Sprouts
FAQs
Roast chicken is done when the thickest part registers 165℉.
Store the whole chicken or chicken pieces in an airtight container or tightly wrapped, once it’s cooled completely, for up to 4 days in the fridge.
Yes, freeze the whole chicken or pieces in an airtight freezer bag or container once cooled completely, for up to 6 months! The meat freezes better than the skin.
There’s endless ways to use leftovers! Make Chicken Salad, Curry Chicken Salad, Buffalo Chicken Wraps, Chicken Quesadillas, Chicken Tacos, Chicken Noodle Soup, Chicken and Rice Soup, Buffalo Chicken Dip, or use as a protein on top of salads or for sandwiches! Or even make Homemade Chicken Broth with the leftover chicken, bones and carcass.
More Chicken Recipes You’ll Love!
Easy Weeknight Dinners
Parmesan Crusted Chicken (Crispy!)
Easy Weeknight Dinners
Dad’s Chicken Saltimbocca
Easy Weeknight Dinners
Best Chicken Piccata
If you’ve tried this Roast Chicken Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please let me know in the comments below. I love hearing from you. Please consider leaving a 🌟 star rating while you are here!
Easy Roast Chicken
Equipment
- Roasting pan
- Parchment paper or aluminum foil
- Kitchen twine (optional but recommended)
Ingredients
- 4-5 pound whole chicken
- Salt, to taste (regular not coarse salt)
- Toppings/seasonings of choice like herbs, spices, lemon juice, or glaze, like 1 lemon and dried tarragon
Instructions
- Line a roasting pan with parchment paper or foil so that the entire bottom and halfway up the sides is covered.
- Remove whole chicken from packaging, along with the bag of internal giblets if it’s included.
- Pat chicken all over with paper towels, so the skin is as dry as possible.
- Place chicken in the lined roasting pan, breast-side up.
- At the back end of the chicken where the cavity opening is, locate the uropygium, the small, rounded knob that sticks out at the very end of the chicken. Trim it off with a sharp knife, along with the 2 loose flaps of excess fat on either side. Removing it helps the chicken cook and brown more evenly.
- For the best results (although not mandatory), using kitchen twine, tie the legs snugly together by wrapping the twine around both legs just above the ends of the drumsticks.
- Generously sprinkle chicken all over with salt.
- Place whole pan in the fridge, uncovered, for at least 2 hours (up to 12 hours). The salt will dry out and flavor the skin and meat!
- Adjust oven rack to the 3rd position (lower-middle position) to prevent juices from spattering and smoking. Preheat oven to 400℉.
- Remove chicken from fridge (no need to let rest at room temp), and place directly in the oven on the lower-middle rack. Roast for 1 hour. Carefully and quickly add toppings/seasonings (i.e. the juice of a lemon all over skin and then sprinkle with dried tarragon). Roast for another 10-25 minutes, or until the chicken reaches 165℉ in the thickest part.
- Let rest for 10-15 minutes before carving, and digging in with plenty of pan sauce!
Video
Notes
- Lining the roasting pan is an important step, or else the pan juices will splatter inside the oven causing smoke.
- Salt the chicken generously but not too much (with regular salt, not coarse sea salt).
- The ideal time for chilling your salted chicken is 6-8 hours, but 2 hours is sufficient and up to 12 works great too!
- Resist the urge to stuff your chicken! Anything more than a few herbs (like stuffing or veggies) will lengthen the cook time. And anything placed in the cavity of the chicken doesn’t really flavor it (it’s mostly a myth)!
- Want to roast potatoes and veggies with your chicken? Place them on a separate baking sheet (but ideally on the same rack) in the oven. Potatoes and veggies in the same pan can steam the chicken, leading to soggy skin.
- A list of topping/seasoning ideas is listed in the Ingredients and Variations section above! Like extra crispy skin? Stick with brushing a thin layer of butter or olive oil on the skin at 1 hour and then sprinkling with your choice of herbs/spices.
- You can place the chicken on a rack in the roasting pan if you prefer a crispier bottom, however it won’t yield quite as much pan drippings.
- The total time above reflects the prep and cook time. With refrigeration time, the total time is at least 3 hours and 35 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
There is no more sophisticated dish than a simple roast chicken done well. This recipe nails it!
Obsessed with this recipe! Super simple yet juicy with crispy skin. Perfection!