Roasting a whole chicken is simple!
A perfect roast chicken consists of nothing more than salt, oil and a few aromatics (think garlic, lemon, onion). While the chicken roasts, juices are released which mix with the lemon and aromatics, cooking the potatoes and onions perfectly. The chicken is stuffed with a lemon, which caramelizes and gives the chicken a hint of bright sweet flavor and makes the pan drippings perfection!
Can I just use chicken breasts?
You could but it will not be nearly as good! When you cook a chicken whole, the resulting meat has more flavor than if you were to just cook chicken breasts by themselves. This is because when cooking a whole chicken, you are cooking it with all of the bones. The bones impart a TON of flavor, and this is why the most perfect chicken has the simplest of seasonings: lemon and salt. Roasting a whole chicken is also great because you get both the fancy presentation of the whole bird, and you have a lot of meat left over to use in other recipes. Think chicken sandwiches, salads, or my favorite, chicken soup (using the entire leftover chicken!).
How do you get really crisp skin on a roasted chicken?
Crispy chicken skin requires two things: dry skin before cooking & a really hot oven. This recipe calls for a starting oven temperature of 425 degrees. The chicken cooks for 30 minutes at this high temperature, long enough to get the skin crispy, but not too long, the chicken would dry out if you finish cooking it at this high temperature.
A perfect roast chicken has crisp skin, and is juicy and tender. Lemon, garlic, and salt are all you need to season this chicken. My recipe results in a savory sauce from the lemons and garlic that are stuffed into the chicken before roasting. The chicken's juices impart tons of flavor upon the potatoes and onions which cook while the chicken roasts.
- 1 Whole Chicken (Organic is best. 3.5-5 Pounds)
- 1 Red Onion (Sliced)
- 5 cloves Garlic (Smashed)
- 1 Lemon (Quartered)
- 5 Small Yellow Potatoes (Or 1 large potato, cut into large cubes)
- 2 teaspoons Avocado Oil
- 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
Note
The total time needed in the oven to cook your chicken will vary depending on your bird's size. A good way to tell if your chicken is done, is by using a meat thermometer (stuck in the thigh or leg it should read 160 degrees). Or cutting in between where the leg meets the body of the chicken. Just cut through the skin in that area, and if the juices run clear, the chicken is done. If they are pink, your chicken needs more time. If you are concerned that your chicken will dry out, you can use some aluminum foil to cover the breast of the chicken. As the breast cooks faster than the rest of the bird, and can dry out.
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