This oven-baked whole chicken with veggies is classic comfort food with a citrus twist. Seasoned with classic herbs, stuffed with citrus, and cooked until crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, it's an easy weeknight comfort-food favorite.
Quick Look: Oven-Baked Whole Chicken with Veggies
- ⏱ Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🔥 Cook Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- 🍗 Serving: 6 helpings
- ⚡ Calories: 535 calories per helping
- 🍖 Flavor Profile: deep, savory, and comforting + a golden crispy skin
- 👌 Difficulty: Easy, basic ingredients and minimal hands-on work
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Easy chicken recipes are always part of my recipe rotation. Both chicken and turkey are classic comfort foods, and everyone always loves a plateful of anything made with either of them.
My jerk chicken thighs and Marry Me chicken are always year-round favorites, but I also like simpler recipes like my oven roasted whole chicken.
This easy roast chicken recipe is full of aromatic, holiday-esque flavor that's perfect with coconut cream pie or lemon curd cake for dessert.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Simple Ingredients: All you need is a chicken and kitchen staples like seasonings, oil, butter, and some veggies.
- So Easy: Just season and bake. It's so easy to make this roasted chicken that even beginners will have no trouble with it.
- Customizable: You can easily change this recipe by simply using different spices to create entirely new meals.
- Makes Great Leftover Meals: Use any leftover chicken to make other tasty dishes like my puff pastry chicken pot pie.
Key Ingredients
You'll find the full list of ingredients and their exact amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Whole Chicken: I used a Springer Mountain Farms whole chicken. The company never uses antibiotics or hormones on their chickens or animal by-products in their feed, and they're certified humane!
- Seasonings: A paste made with garlic powder, thyme, and paprika gives the chicken an aromatic flavor with a light, smoky note.
- Olive Oil: Olive oil creates a paste that allows the seasonings to stick to the chicken. I prefer Costabile olive oil for its quality and purity. Use Code: 15GoldenGK for 15% off.
- Fresh Herbs: Stuffing the cavity with fresh rosemary, sage, and thyme adds even more classic flavor.
- Orange and Lemon: Orange and lemon add a citrus note that pairs well with the seasonings.
- Sweet Potatoes: Sweet potatoes take the place of traditional potatoes, adding natural sweetness.
Variations
- Turkey: Increase the seasonings, oil, and butter amounts, and use a turkey to make this orange rosemary turkey.
- Seasonings: Replace the thyme and paprika with Cajun seasoning for a zesty, bold version.
- Garlic Cloves: If you love garlic, place several garlic cloves in the cavity of the chicken for even more aromatic flavor.
- Add More Vegetables: Mushrooms, onions, and celery are all excellent additions to this recipe.
- Sweet Potatoes: You can use your favorite regular potatoes in place of sweet potatoes if you prefer.
How to Make an Oven-Baked Whole Chicken
- Mix all the seasonings. Then, combine them with oil, reserving 2 teaspoon for the vegetables. Stuff the cavity with the orange and lemon halves and fresh herbs. Next, coat the chicken all over, including under the breast, along with butter pats. Place a ½-inch cube of butter under the skin on each side of the breast and in the cavity. Truss the chicken legs.
- Add the vegetables, more citrus, and seasonings to a prepared baking dish or roasting pan and pour in the chicken broth. Then, place the chicken on top of them.
- Bake at 425°F for 20 minutes to crisp the skin. Then, reduce the heat to 350°F and cook for 20 minutes per pound until the internal temperature registers 165°F in the thickest part of the thigh.
- Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes to redistribute the juices, carve, and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Be sure your chicken is thoroughly patted dry with paper towels. This ensures the seasoning paste sticks to the skin while roasting.
- Be sure to get your seasonings under the skin, so the breast can absorb that delicious flavor.
- To loosen the breast skin, slide your fingers under it while gently lifting up. Continue working your finger under the skin until it's fully loosened.
- I recommend wearing food-safe gloves while preparing the chicken to avoid as much cross-contamination as possible.
Oven Baked Whole Chicken FAQs
Chicken should be baked at 325°F for 20 minutes per pound to ensure a tender, juicy bird.
Your whole chicken is fully cooked when the internal temperature of the thickest part of the thigh registers 165°F.
There are several methods to ensure a moist, tender chicken. First, brining the chicken allows it to absorb both moisture and flavor, keeping it moist while baking. Second, rubbing seasoned oil or butter on and under the skin adds moisture to the chicken, which helps stop it from drying out.
You can refrigerate chicken for up to 3 days in an airtight container. For longer storage, debone it and freeze the meat for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bag with as much air removed as possible.
📖 Recipe
Oven-Baked Whole Chicken with Veggies
Video
Ingredients
- 3 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon sage
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoon butter
- 1 whole chicken 3 to 4 pounds
- 1 orange small; quartered
- 1 lemon sliced
- 3 sprigs rosemary
- 3 sprigs sage
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 1 cup carrots mini
- 5 sweet potatoes medium
- ¾ cup chicken broth
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 °F and lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
- Mix the salt, sage, pepper, garlic powder, thyme, and paprika in a small bowl.
- Set aside 2 teaspoon of the mix for the vegetables and mix the rest with the olive oil.
- Coat the outside of the chicken with the paste, making sure to spread it underneath the skin of the breast, as well.
- Stuff the chicken cavity with two orange quarters, half the sliced lemon, and 2 - 3 sprigs each of fresh rosemary, sage, and thyme.
- Place a ½-inch cube of butter underneath the skin on either side of the breast. Then, place a cube of butter in the cavity. Truss the legs with cooking twine.
- Place the carrots, cut-up sweet potatoes, and the remaining orange and lemon in the baking dish.
- Sprinkle the vegetables with the reserved seasonings. Then, pour in the chicken broth.
- Place the chicken on top of the vegetables and bake for 20 minutes. Then, reduce the heat to 350 °F and bake for 20 minutes per pound until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 °F.
- Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes, carve, and enjoy.
Notes
- Be sure your chicken is thoroughly patted dry with paper towels. This ensures the seasoning paste sticks to the skin while roasting.
- Be sure to get your seasonings under the skin, so the breast can absorb that delicious flavor.
- To loosen the breast skin, slide your fingers under it while gently lifting up. Continue working your finger under the skin until it's fully loosened.
- I recommend wearing food-safe gloves while preparing the chicken to avoid as much cross-contamination as possible.
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