Mains · American
Whole Roast Chicken
A big bird stuffed with lemon, garlic and thyme, roasted on a bed of vegetables that soak up all the juices.
- Hands-on
- 20 min
- Hands-off
- 1 h 50 min
- Oven preheat
- 15 min
- Total
- 2 h 10 min
- Makes
- 8 servings
- Serves
- 8
Preheating overlaps the 20 minutes of prep, so it isn't added. Then 1 1/2 hours in the oven and 20 minutes resting under foil. Total = 20 min active + 110 min hands-off (90 roasting, 20 resting).
Oven 220 °C · 200 °C fan (425 °F)
- easy
- sunday-dinner
- family
- one-pan
Verified against at least two trusted test kitchens or food-safety guides · Last checked · What this means
Scaling? The roasting time is for a 2.3-2.7 kg (5-6 lb) bird. A smaller or larger chicken needs less or more time, so trust the thermometer, not the clock. Some items (like eggs) don’t halve neatly: beat them, then measure out half.
Ingredients
You need: roasting pan · kitchen string · pastry brush · paper towels · separate chopping board for raw chicken · instant-read thermometer · aluminum foil · carving board and knife · oven mitts
Contains: milk
Method
Heat the oven
Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan, 425°F).
Pat the chicken dry
Take out the giblets. Don't rinse the bird: pat the outside dry with paper towels and trim off any big lumps of fat or leftover pin feathers.
Otto tried this firstOtto holds the chicken under the tap, and water splashes all over the sink and counter. Raw chicken doesn't need washing, and rinsing only spreads germs. Paper towels, then straight in the bin.Stuff the cavity
Season the inside generously with salt and pepper. Push in the large bunch of thyme, both lemon halves and both garlic halves.
Butter and tie
Brush the outside with the 28 g (2 tbsp) melted butter and season again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body.
Make the vegetable bed
In the roasting pan, toss the sliced onion, 4 carrots and fennel wedges with salt, pepper, the 20 thyme sprigs and enough olive oil to coat. Spread them over the bottom of the pan and set the chicken on top.
Roast
Roast for about 1 1/2 hours.
Ready when: A thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh (not touching the bone) and in the thickest part of the breast reads at least 74°C (165°F). The juices run clear, not pink, when you cut between a leg and the thigh. If it's not there yet, keep roasting and check again.
Rest under foil
Move the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover loosely with foil for about 20 minutes.
Carve and serve
Cut off the string, carve the chicken and serve it with the roasted vegetables.
Make ahead, store & reheat
- Storage
- Refrigerate leftover chicken within 2 hours (1 hour on a day above 32°C / 90°F). Take the meat off the bones, keep it covered in the fridge and eat it within 3 to 4 days.
- Reheat
- Reheat until steaming hot all the way through, 74°C (165°F).
If something goes wrong
- Thigh still reads under 74°C (165°F) after 1 1/2 hours Why: A bigger or colder bird than expected.
Put it back in the oven and check again every 10 minutes until it reaches 74°C (165°F).
Good to know
- Serve the vegetables from under the bird as the side dish: they've cooked in the chicken juices.
Safety
- Raw chicken is ready to cook and doesn't need washing. Rinsing it splashes germs onto the sink and counter.
- Use a separate board for raw chicken, and wash your hands for at least 20 seconds, plus the board and tools in hot, soapy water, after handling it.
- Check the doneness with a food thermometer: at least 74°C (165°F) in the thigh and breast.
- The roasting pan is heavy and full of hot fat. Use oven mitts with both hands; kids should leave lifting it to an adult.