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whole roast chicken | afoodcentriclife.com
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5 from 1 vote

How to Roast a Whole Chicken

If you enjoy chicken but have never learned to roast a whole one, try this easy technique for a gloriously golden, crisp bird. Leftovers make great chicken salad, sandwiches, soup, tacos or quesadillas.  Save and freeze the carcass to make chicken stock.  To season chicken, a citrus pepper blend is nice too.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
Course: Chicken
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 to 6
Calories: 549kcal
Author: Sally Cameron

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 4 ½ pound whole chicken
  • 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon granulated garlic optional

Instructions

  • Remove the chicken from the refrigerator, unwrap and allow to stand for one hour at room temperature. Wash the chicken with cold water, discarding any packet of innards. Remove any extra fat globs around the cavity opening. Dry well with paper towels.
  • Tie the chicken legs together with kitchen twine and trim off wing tips with kitchen scissors or shears, then season the chicken liberally with Florida Seasoned Pepper. Add salt if you prefer. Alternatively use coarse ground black pepper, granulated garlic and a coarse salt such as kosher or seal salt. Drizzle with olive oil.
  • Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees (190 C). Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Place the chicken in the hot pan bottom side down and sear for a few minutes until you achieve a golden crust. Watch your heat level and turn the heat down if needed so as not to burn the chicken. When you get a golden crust on the bottom, turn the chicken breast side down and do the same. When the breast side is golden, stand the chicken on the sides and sear both sides.
  • When the chicken is golden all over, turn the chicken breast side up and put the pan in the oven. Roast until a digital thermometer reads 165 degrees in the deep part of the thigh. Timing will depend on the size of your chicken. A 4 ½ pound (2 kilo) chicken will take approximately 60 minutes in my convection oven.

Notes

Refrigerate leftover chicken as soon as possible and freeze the carcass to make chicken stock.

Nutrition

Calories: 549kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 46g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 184mg | Sodium: 1044mg | Potassium: 482mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 0.02g | Vitamin A: 347IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 2mg