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Making an Oven Roasted Whole Chicken is easy and doesn’t take too long! I love that I can place it in a roasting pan and then into the oven, and I don’t need to tend to it while it’s cooking.
I like a grocery store rotisserie chicken as much as you do, but have discovered that making a whole chicken in the oven is almost as easy, it’s healthier, and it tastes better. Making rotisserie chicken at home is an impressive dinner and leftovers are great for meal prep – hello, chicken sandwiches!
Where’s the recipe?
Here at My Crazy Good Life we like to make our recipes easy for all cooks, whether you’re a pro or just starting out. In this article you’ll find detailed cooking instructions, ingredient information, and nutrition & healthy eating plan calculations. If you’d like to skip past all that, simply scroll to the bottom of the page where you’ll find the easy to print Oven Roasted Chicken Recipe!
Ingredients Needed
- Whole roasting chicken: Commonly called a broiler-fryer. I used a 3.5 pound chicken for this recipe. A 4-5 pound bird should easily feed 4-6 people.
- Garlic cloves: Fresh, minced garlic is best, but you can also use garlic powder if you’re in a pinch.
- Rosemary: I used dried rosemary, but fresh would be great too!
- Olive oil: You can also use melted butter, if you prefer. This fat will help to give you crispy skin on your chicken.
- Salt and Pepper to taste
How to make this healthy roasted chicken recipe:
Making a whole baked chicken recipe can seem a little intimidating, but I promise this is super simple!
- Prepare your chicken by unwrapping it over the sink. Make sure the chicken’s cavity is cleared of the giblet packaging, if it came with one. The giblets can be used to make stock, gravy, or they can be discarded.
- Using paper towels, pat the chicken dry and set the chicken breast side up on top of a rack that fits inside your roasting pan.
- Drizzle olive oil onto the chicken skin, then season the chicken by rubbing rosemary and minced garlic over the skin.
- Bake the chicken at 350 degrees until an internal temperature reads 165º F and the juices run clear. My 3.5 pound chicken took 90 minutes, but you may need to adjust your cook time if you have a larger bird or a different wattage oven.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and allow it to rest for 10 – 20 minutes before shredding or slicing.
Recipe tips:
- Rinsing chicken is something that many people have a strong feeling about, but there is no need to rinse your raw chicken before cooking it. Rinsing the chicken could spray the germs into your sink and onto your counter, potentially causing a mess that could contaminate your other food. Simply pat the chicken dry after you remove it from the packaging.
- The FDA recommends cooking chicken to an internal temperature of 165ºF. To check the temperature, insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh but not touching bone. I like to check the rotisserie chicken temperature in 2-3 different places since it can vary a bit when you get near the bones.
- It’s best to leave the chicken alone while it’s cooking- there’s no need to baste it.
- I love adding cubed sweet potatoes, sliced onions, and other hearty vegetables right to the roasting pan. As the chicken cooks, so do the vegetables!
- This is a great meal prep recipe! The cooked meat lasts in the fridge for up to 5 days. I like to slice the breast meat for sandwiches or shred it for easy dinners.
- This recipe is so easy to change up–if you have other seasonings that you prefer to use, go ahead and do so. The cooking time will be the same no matter what you choose to season the chicken with.
Healthy Eating Plans
Chicken is a lean protein for any healthy eating plan, and easily fits into so many recipes. You’ll want to stick to the light meat and avoid eating the skin for the best diet-friendly nutrients.
21 Day Fix/Ultimate Portion Fix
Recipe serves: About 4, depending on the size of your chicken.
Entire recipe: 4 red containers, 4 teaspoons of oil
Per serving: 1 red container, 1 teaspoon of oil
Weight Watchers
Recipe serves: About 4, depending on the size of your chicken.
Using skinless light breast meat only, this recipe is just 2 points per plan.
0 Points on the 2023 Plan | 2 Blue Plan Points | 2 Green Plan Points | 2 Purple Plan Points
You can make these delicious recipes using shredded rotisserie chicken:
If you’ll be making these recipes with pre-cooked chicken breast, go ahead and start the recipe after the chicken cooks and then add the other ingredients.
- Chicken Fajitas
- Crack Chicken
- Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Dill Pickle Chicken Dip
- Chicken Salad for sandwiches
Simple Whole Roasted Chicken Recipe
Equipment
- Kitchen Knife
- Cutting Board
- Baking Dish
Ingredients
- 4 lb whole chicken
- 4 tsp olive oil
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp dried rosemary
Instructions
- Prepare your chicken by carefully unwrapping it over the sink. Make sure the chicken's cavity is cleared of the giblet packaging, if it came with one. The giblets can be used to make stock, gravy, or they can be discarded. 4 lb whole chicken
- Using paper towels, pat the chicken dry and set the chicken on top of a rack that fits inside your roasting pan.
- Drizzle olive oil onto the chicken skin, then rub the skin with rosemary and garlic. 4 tsp olive oil 2-3 cloves garlic 2 tbsp dried rosemary
- Bake the chicken at 350 degrees until an internal temperature reads 165º F and the juices run clear. My 3.5 pound chicken took 90 minutes, but you may need to adjust your cook time if you have a larger bird.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and let rest for 10 – 20 minutes before shredding or slicing.
Notes
Recipe serves: About 4, depending on the size of your chicken.
Entire recipe: 4 red containers, 4 teaspoons of oil
Per serving: 1 red container, 1 teaspoon of oil Weight Watchers
Recipe serves: About 4, depending on the size of your chicken.
Using skinless light breast meat only, this recipe is just 2 points per plan. 0 Points on the 2023 Plan | 2 Blue Plan Points | 2 Green Plan Points | 2 Purple Plan Points Recipe tips
- The FDA recommends cooking chicken to an internal temperature of 165ºF. To check the temperature, insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh but not touching bone. I like to check the rotisserie chicken temperature in 2-3 different places since it can vary a bit when you get near the bones.
- It’s best to leave the chicken alone while it’s cooking- there’s no need to baste the chicken.
- I love adding cubed sweet potatoes to the roasting pan. As the chicken cooks so do the potatoes!
- This is a great meal prep recipe! The cooked meat lasts in the fridge for up to 5 days. I like to slice the breast meat for sandwiches or shred it for easy dinners.
Nutrition
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