I give you the easiest, most flavorful and tender whole Roasted Chicken ever. Seriously! It only requires a few ingredients and a few minutes to prepare!
I developed this recipe one year after we decided to roast a chicken instead of a traditional Thanksgiving Turkey! We loved it. It paired perfectly with all the Thanksgiving sides like Mashed Potatoes and Dinner Rolls.
Better Than Store-Bought!
You know those super convenient rotisserie chickens you buy at the store for like $5 when you don’t want to make dinner, but feel obligated to feed your family something decent? They’re super handy, and the leftovers are perfect for shredding or chopping to use in other recipes that call for cooked chicken.
While easy and convenient, they don’t always have the most fabulous flavor or texture. I mean, it is a $5 chicken. It’s great for emergency dinners, but it’s not necessarily something you want to serve your dinner guests.
Well THIS recipe for whole roasted chicken makes the most tender, juicy, and flavorful chicken you’ll ever try in your life. It’s definitely worthy of serving company.
In fact, a few years back, we decided to do a roasted chicken for Thanksgiving instead of turkey, and since then we’ve never looked back. At first, I did the whole 400 degree deal but it left my kitchen in a cloud of smoke, which is not ideal when you’re entertaining. I’ve experimented a lot and have finally come up with a roasting method and rub that is absolutely perfect!
How to Make Rotisserie Chicken
Gather all of your utensils and ingredients! You’ll need the following:
- a chicken (about 4-5 lbs)
- roasting pan, skillet or baking dish (really anything that the chicken will fit into)
- half tablespoon of melted butter
- paprika (I part regular and smoked)
- a blend of seasonings: black pepper, cayenne pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, Herbes de Provence
(Note: you can half the recipe and use a smaller chicken, but the leftovers can be used in so many ways, so you might as well do a bigger one!)
RUB. Truss your chicken if it’s not already (a great tutorial HERE), then rub the skin with the butter. Mix together the rub and pat it on the skin. I like to put a little under the skin too, mainly on the breasts.
ROAST. Place the chicken in the oven (along with an oven-safe boil of hot water) and bake it for 3-4 hours (depending on the size of your chicken) at 250 degrees. During that time baste the chicken twice.
REST. As soon as the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees, pull it out and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving it.
This low & slow method gives you juicy fall-off-the-bone meat. Mmmm. Also, I should mention that I totally could have/should have tented my chicken during the final hour, but I was playing outside with the kids and didn’t get around to it. It was by no means burnt, but the seasoning got a little dark.
Make It in the Crock Pot
Follow the same instructions as far as making the rub, but when you’re ready to cook it, place in the crock pot, cover, and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-5 hours.
Tips, Serving, and Leftovers
How long does it take to cook a 5 lb chicken? We baked ours for 3-4 hours. You want to make sure that your chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees before you pull it from the oven. Pull it out as soon as it reaches 160 degrees, otherwise it will get dried out.
We love to SERVE our oven roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans. Any starch and veggies are great sides! Try a few of these:
STORE leftover chicken in an airtight bag or tupperware container in the fridge for 2-4 days. Reheat it in the microwave or in the oven until it’s warmed through.
FREEZE leftover chicken in an airtight bag in the freezer for up to 4 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight and then rewarm in the oven or microwave.
You can also use your leftovers in other recipes like:
HELPFUL BAKING TOOLS & INGREDIENTS FOR THIS RECIPE:
Rotisserie Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 (4-5 lbs) whole chicken - trussed
- 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter - melted
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 3/4 tsp dried herbes de Provence
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees, place rack in the lower-middle position.
- Heat 2 cups of water in the microwave for 3 minutes. Place in the corner of the oven.
- Place the trussed chicken into a skillet, baking dish or roasting pan, make sure there's enough room around the chicken so that nothing drips out, and that it is deep enough to catch the juices.
- Rub the melted butter on the skin. In a small mixing bowl combine the seasonings and spices, then rub on the buttered skin. You can gently lift up on the skin around the breasts and rub some seasoning under there too.
- Place in the oven and bake for 3-4 hours (depending on the size of the chicken), basting twice during that time. Remove when a thermometer inserted into the thigh reaches 160 degrees. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before transferring to a cutting board and carving.
Absolutely Amazing!
Moist chicken with a flavorful skin. I was skeptical at first cooking chicken at such a low temp, but it was worth the wait. Thanks for the recipe 😊
This is the best tasting chicken ever!! So flavorful!
You never need store bought again!
It turned out really good! Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks for giving it a try.
Wow. this made making a turkey for the first time super easy and it even looks mouth watering! Thank you!
Yay! Making your first turkey is a great feat.