I love a good Baked Whole Chicken in the Oven! I feel that it's so underrated because you can switch up the spices, save it for leftovers, and create even more delicious meals with it. It's one of my favorite things to make! I love the flavor you get from the variety of fresh herbs. They perfectly season the chicken and the baby potatoes.
Recipe Essentials
- 🍽️ Course: Main Dish
- ⏱️ Cooking Time: 1 hour & 30 minutes
- 🍴 Servings: 4
- 🧄 Flavor Profile: Juicy, tender chicken with crispy golden skin and savory herb seasoning.
- 🍚 Best Served With: Best served with roasted vegetables, mashed potatoes, rice, or a simple side salad.
- 🧊 Make Ahead?: Yes, season the chicken up to a day ahead, and leftovers store well for 3-4 days.
Summarize and Save This Content On
One of my favorite ways of making chicken dishes is to buy a whole chicken and then use the leftovers! You can turn it into anything from a chicken club sandwich to marry me chicken soup. It's also great for cooking for a crowd. Make a whole baked chicken in the oven with an easy vegetable, and you have a balanced and yummy meal.
Some other baked proteins you should make are oven-roasted turkey and Mississippi pot roast in the oven.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It requires minimal prep: You don't have to put in a lot of work to get the chicken and potatoes ready. The oven does all of the heavy lifting in this recipe!
- It's great for a crowd: I like to make this whole oven-roasted chicken for Sunday dinner with family or friends, or even for a special occasion. It's perfect to feed several people.
- It's versatile: You may serve this chicken however you like! Whether it's sliced off the bone with the potatoes and a yummy veggie, or specifically for leftover dishes.
Ingredients
There aren't a lot of ingredients needed for this whole chicken in the oven recipe, but the ones you definitely can't skip are listed below.
- Whole chicken: When you open the packaging for your chicken, make sure you dump any excess juices and remove the giblets. You can keep them and use them for another recipe (like gravy), but I discard them. For this recipe, I cooked a 6-lb chicken, but the general rule is 20 minutes per pound, so you can adjust depending on the size of yours.
- Herbs: You'll need several fresh herbs like parsley, rosemary, thyme, and sage to flavor the chicken and the potatoes.
- Potatoes: Baby potatoes are perfect here because you don't have to chop them first. Use red, gold, or a combination of both!
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Cajun: Instead of basic salt and pepper, use your favorite Cajun seasoning blend to add some heat.
- Greek-style: Use herbs like oregano and dill, and include extra lemon for serving.
- Honey Dijon: Brush your chicken with a mixture of honey and Dijon mustard during the last few minutes of cooking to add flavor and sweetness.
How to Make Oven-Baked Whole Chicken
Here are all the steps you'll need for this whole chicken in the oven recipe. If you're unsure how to season a whole chicken, that's in the steps too! Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F before you prep.
Step 1: Pat the chicken dry. Use paper towels to pat your chicken dry.
Add the onion, lemon, ½ garlic head, a small bunch of parsley, 2 sprigs of rosemary, and 6 sage leaves to the cavity.
Step 3: Cover with oil and spices. Next, drizzle oil and sprinkle salt and pepper on the outside of the chicken, and rub it all over evenly.
Pro tip: If you have a roasted chicken seasoning blend you prefer, go with that! I just like to keep it simple here.
Step 4: Bake. Pop your whole chicken in the oven and bake it for about 30 minutes.
Step 5: Add potatoes with butter and herbs. Now you can take the pan out and add the baby potatoes, butter, and herbs. After it bakes for 5 minutes, toss the potatoes in the melted butter.
Step 6: Finish baking. Then, bake the chicken and potatoes for another 30 minutes, toss the potatoes in the butter, and bake for another 10-30 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked. Allow the chicken to rest for 15 minutes while the potatoes go back in and finish roasting. Sprinkle more chopped herbs on top and serve!
Recipe Tips
- Cut the veggies into large pieces: Avoid cutting the vegetables too small because they can overcook and become mushy. I leave the baby potatoes whole, and if you want to add carrots or another veggie, keep them in large 1-inch pieces.
- Use a meat thermometer: Always check your chicken for doneness! The chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Cover with foil if needed: If you notice that the breasts are cooking or browning too fast, tent them with foil while the rest of the bird cooks. This keeps them from overcooking.
Another whole chicken recipe you should add to your list is sous vide whole chicken.
Storage Directions
- Storing: Store any leftovers of your whole roasted chicken in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator or up to 4 months in the freezer in a freezer bag.
- Reheating: The meat will reheat evenly when removed from the bone. You can reheat it in the oven for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees or for a few minutes in the microwave. Just use a vessel where you can add a little water or broth to add moisture.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve your chicken with a simple homemade sauce, like a hot BBQ sauce, if you like to dip.
- Prepare a healthy green vegetable like crockpot green beans or roasted broccoli and carrots to go with the roast chicken and potatoes.
- Use leftover chicken to make chicken bacon ranch pasta salad.
- Finish your meal with any easy yet delicious and pretty dessert like cherries in the snow.
Recipe FAQs
If the chicken skin isn't getting crispy, there may have been too much moisture. Pat the chicken dry thoroughly before you season it.
Overcooked poultry is unforgiving! Once it's dry, it can be difficult to eat. Watch the heat, and don't cook your whole chicken much longer than listed in the directions. A thermometer and timer are great tools.
Your oven is way too hot if this happens! Cover the chicken with foil and drop the temperature by 25 degrees. Ovens can vary slightly, so it's important to check yours often.
More Delicious Chicken Recipes
Do you like chicken recipes? Here are some recipes you may also like to try.
If you try this recipe and love it please leave a star rating in the recipe card below or even better, drop a review in the comment section. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to follow along with me on Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube for more easy recipes!
Baked Whole Chicken in the Oven
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken giblets removed
- ¼ cup yellow onion sliced
- ½ lemon sliced
- 1 garlic head halved
- 1 bunch fresh parsley small bunch
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary chopped
- 2 tablespoon fresh rosemary chopped
- 6 leaves fresh sage leaves
- 2 tablespoons fresh sage chopped
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1.5 pound small potatoes bag
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme sprigs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425° F.
- To your 9x13 baking dish, transfer the chicken breast side up in the baking dish,
- Dry the chicken well with paper towels, discard the giblets, and fold the wings under.
- Add the onion, lemon, ½ garlic head, a small bunch of parsley, 2 sprigs of rosemary, and 6 sage leaves to the cavity.
- Tie the legs together with kitchen twine.
- Coat the whole chicken with avocado oil, salt, and pepper on top. Rub the chicken with clean hands until the chicken is fully coated all over.
- Bake the chicken for 30 minutes.
- Add the potatoes, butter, and chopped herbs around the chicken.
- Place the chicken back into the oven.
- After 5 minutes, toss the potatoes in the melted butter.
- Bake for 30 minutes, then toss the potatoes again to coat them in the butter.
- Bake for an additional 10-30 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F in the thickest part of the thigh.
- If it starts to get too brown, loosely cover it with aluminum foil on top.
- If it is not brown enough, broil on high or at 500° F for 3-5 minutes.
- Set the chicken on a cutting board to rest for 15 minutes.
- Place the potatoes back into the oven for 15 minutes while the chicken is resting.
- Top the turkey with fresh thyme. I like to add the other herbs to the potatoes before serving.
Notes
- Pat your chicken dry thoroughly inside and out with paper towels. It gives you the best chance at crispy skin rather than rubbery skin.
- Use a meat thermometer to check your chicken for doneness. It should be cooked to 165 degrees minimum in the thickest part of the thigh.
- If you notice that the skin is browning faster than the meat is cooking, or the breasts are cooking faster, tent with foil for the remainder of the cooking time.
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