Whole Roasted Chicken with Potatoes Recipe
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Nothing compares to a whole roasted chicken with potatoes when you want a comforting and delicious home-cooked meal to serve friends and family. Roasted whole chickens are easy enough for a one-pot weekend meal or elegant enough for guests.
You can often find whole chickens on sale. That’s when I grab a few for my freezer for a delicious budget-friendly meal. I get a lot of questions regarding what to do with them. It’s so simple, and I’ll be sharing some of my favorite ways.
Even more exciting is that you can cook your chicken and veggies all in the same pan. You’ll have less mess to clean up! The process is simple, and I talk you through it step-by-step in this simple but satisfying recipe for whole roasted chicken.
Why I love Whole Roasted Chicken
Oven-roasted chicken is incredibly versatile. You can use different dry rubs every time you make it for different flavors complemented with new sides and almost never run out of options. At our local Mexican Taqueria, whole chicken is served with rice and black beans, or plantains. Our favorite American bar serves half a bird with mashed potatoes, asparagus, and bread. Drive through a local fast food restaurant and get roasted chicken with fries and a biscuit. The possibilities are literally endless because chicken is used around the world in all kinds of cuisines.
When whole chickens hit a $1.50 per pound, its worth grabbing a couple and trying this recipe.
Ingredient Notes And Tips
Whole Chicken. Look for a bird with firm, bright skin, and a sell by date with room to get two days past it before you want to cook this meal.
Garlic Bulb. You’ll need several whole cloves of garlic and several cloves of garlic minced. The easiest way to peel garlic is to microwave all of the cloves you need in a glass bowl, and the peels will pop right off when you squeeze the ends. Always use fresh garlic. Jarred garlic tastes more flat and one-dimensional – it’s missing those layers of flavor. It often has a slightly bitter or metallic taste from sitting in liquid for so long. Fresh garlic tastes clean and bright.
Fresh Rosemary Sprigs. This aromatic will make your whole kitchen smell amazing as the chicken bakes.
Onions and Potatoes. We often use red onions and yellow potatoes, but you have flexibility here. You can actually use any type of onion and any root vegetable – carrots, any potatoes, sweet potatoes or yams, turnips, parsnips, radishes, beets. Change things up!
Seasoning. We used Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, lemon pepper, rosemary and paprika. It’s a lovely mix. You can use a dry rub for chicken, try a different recipe, or make up your own seasoning blend.
How To Make Whole Roasted Chicken with Potatoes
It seems like a lot of steps on the recipe card, but roasting a whole chicken is actually one of the easiest meals to make. Start by preheating your oven and patting the chicken dry. Set that aside, and make a compound butter with all of the seasonings for the chicken. Stuff the butter inside the skin, on the skin, and in the cavity of the chicken. Add a few more things to the cavity and place the chicken in the baking dish, tying up the legs with twine.
Spread the potato and onion mixture around the outside of the chicken to fill up the baking dish. Bake everything until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF. You’ll have a good bit of time to go rest, catch up with your spouse, or prep an amazing dessert while dinner is in the oven.
Hostess Tips
We’ve tried a bunch of different options to season the chicken using compound butter. What we describe on the recipe card is what works best for us.
We often make this roasted chicken in a large cast-iron skillet on the grill. The flavor of wood or charcoal adds another delicious element to the chicken. And, it doesn’t heat up your kitchen in the summer.
Great Side Dishes That Go With Roasted Chicken
- Roasted Cabbage – A crunchy, slightly sweet veggie medley that’s roasted until caramelized. The apple adds natural sweetness that balances savory meals perfectly.
- Roasted Carrots – These carrots get sweet and tender in the oven, then get dressed up with a simple orange glaze made from fresh orange juice, brown sugar, and butter.
- Italian Tomato Mozzarella Salad (Classic Caprese) – Fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil with homemade balsamic dressing. Light and fresh to balance the hearty chicken.
- Fresh Orange Salad – Sweet orange slices with poppyseed dressing, feta, and walnuts. A bright, refreshing contrast to rich roasted chicken, especially during the winter.
- Sourdough Biscuit – Simplicity is never overrated. A homemade biscuit that takes less than 30 minutes to make is always a hit at my table.
Frequently Asked Questions
What to do with Leftover Oven-Roasted Chicken?
The leftover chicken is perfect for our Chicken and Biscuit Casserole, chicken salad, soup, or quick weeknight meals like our Creamy Chicken Pot Pie Soup, Chicken Salad with Yogurt, and this classic one-pot garlic parmesan chicken pasta bake. You can make tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, gyros, soups, salads, noodle bowls, and more with leftover chicken. Just search chicken for some delicious ideas.
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Hostess Tips
To determine when your chicken is done, you need to check it with an instant-read thermometer or temperature probe. Check the temperature in the thickest part of the breast but without touching any bone since the bone heats up faster and will give a false reading. The chicken should be 165ºF in the thickest part before you pull it out of the oven. You can check in a few different spots if you are unsure.
Let the chicken rest in the baking dish for 10 to 15 minutes before carving it. The juices will be reabsorbed making your chicken moist and flavorful.
How Do I Get A Crispy Skin?
The skin should crisp up nicely as it roasts. If you get to the end of the cooking time, and find the skin isn’t quite crispy enough, baste it with the melted butter and set the oven to “broil” on high for one or two minutes. Keep a close eye on it as it will burn quickly.
Can this be made ahead of time?
Yes, you can roast your Chicken earlier in the day or even the day before, even though it’s best served hot and fresh the first time with your meal. Just cover it and place it in the refrigerator until it’s time to warm it back up or use it in other recipes.
How To Reheat & Store Whole Roasted Chicken with Potatoes
Here are the best ways to store and reheat your roasted chicken to keep it tasty and safe:
Storing Roasted Chicken:
Cool it down first – Let the chicken cool for about 30 minutes at room temperature, but don’t leave it out longer than 2 hours total (1 hour if it’s really hot outside).
Remove the meat – Take the chicken off the bones and store the meat in shallow containers. This helps it cool faster and reheat more evenly later.
Refrigerator storage – Store in airtight containers or wrap tightly in plastic wrap. It’ll stay good for 3-4 days in the fridge.
Freezer storage – For longer storage, freeze the chicken in freezer bags or containers for up to 3 months. Label with the date so you remember when you froze it.
Reheating Methods:
Oven (best for crispy skin) – Preheat to 350°F. Put chicken in a baking dish with a splash of chicken broth or water to keep it moist. Cover with foil and heat for 15-20 minutes until warmed through.
Microwave (quickest) – Put chicken on a microwave-safe plate, add a tablespoon of water or broth, and cover with a damp paper towel. Heat in 30-second bursts, stirring between each one.
Stovetop (great for shredded chicken) – Heat chicken in a skillet over medium-low heat with a little broth, butter, or oil. Stir gently until heated through.
Air fryer (for crispy results) – Heat at 350°F for 3-4 minutes. This brings back some of that crispy skin texture.
I hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe as much as we do. Drop me a comment below, and don’t forget to give it a star rating. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. Your comments and ratings help others decide if this recipe is for them too.
Whole Roasted Chicken with Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 whole chicken clean, empty cavity, and pat dry
- 1 onion cut into quarters
- 2 sprigs of fresh Rosemary divided
- 3 cloves garlic peeled, not minced
Seasoned Butter
- ½ cup salted butter room temperature is easier to mix and make into a paste
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp lemon pepper
- 1 sprig of Rosemary chopped
Potatoes
- 1 ½ lbs golden potatoes cleaned and cut into bite-size (I prefer them to the red potatoes for this recipe as they bring more of a butter flavor)
- 1 onion cut into quarters
- ⅓ cup chicken broth
Instructions
Chicken
- Preheat the oven to 400 °F.
- Make sure the cavity of the chicken is empty.
- Loosen the skin and pat dry with a paper towel. Set aside.
Seasoned Butter
- In a mixing bowl, add the butter, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, paprika, garlic powder, lemon pepper, and chopped fresh rosemary.
- Mix until all ingredients are blended and you have a seasoned butter. It will look like peanut butter consistency.
- Seasoned the chicken. We tried a few different ways and this is the technique that makes the chicken the most flavorful.
- Use your fingers or a small spoon and place the seasoned butter under the skin of the chicken. Cover the whole chicken under the skin as much as you can.
- NOTE: If you have any left, we put some on top of the breast. It will cook fast and look charred. If you like little burnt ends you can do this if not, put all the butter under the skin. They will be little flavor bombs. But you have to keep an eye out when in the oven. When the chicken was baked to the right temperature, I simply removed the little pieces and placed them in a bowl. My crew who like burnt ends, loved these little flavor bombs.
- Once the chicken is seasoned. Fill the cavity with a quartered onion, garlic, and Rosemary sprig.
- Use kitchen twine to thigh the chicken wings and legs. Make sure to pull the chicken wings under so the tips don’t burn.
- Place the chicken in a 9 x 13 baking dish.
- Add the cut potato pieces and quartered onions on the side.
- Pour the chicken broth over the potatoes.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes.
- The chicken will be cooked when the internal temperature indicates 165 °F and the potatoes are soft when piercing them with a fork.
- Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes. Carve and serve.
Notes
– INGREDIENTS SUBSTITUTION
o Other techniques for seasoning the chicken.
▪ We melted the butter and added the seasoning. Then brush the mixture on top of the skin. I had to be extra attentive when roasted so it didn’t burn. The chicken looked great, however, the flavor of the chicken wasn’t nearly as flavorful as with the butter in a paste under the skin.
▪ We also tried substituting the butter with oil and brushed it on top of the skin. Same result. the chicken was cooked to the temperature but the flavor did not penetrate the chicken.
▪ We also made one with butter under the skin and brushed the whole chicken with oil. The flavor was the same as described in the directions. So we concluded it wasn’t necessary to add this step.
– SKILLS
o Side dish: Serve with a fresh green salad or vegetable salad.
o Use leftovers: The leftovers are excellent if used in a wrap, salad, or a quesadilla.
o Storage: Once cooled, store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.
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