Everyone loves a whole roasted chicken. It’s a simple yet satisfying meal that’s inexpensive and makes a great centerpiece for a dinner party.
Roasting a whole chicken is a foolproof way to cook any chicken and it’s the perfect meal for a busy day. But knowing how to roast a whole chicken can be tricky. If you’re a newbie to cooking whole chickens, here is a guide to cooking a whole chicken with recipes.
- One Chicken, Lots of Options
Meal prepping with a whole chicken is an excellent way to get several meals out of one item. A whole roasted chicken is a chicken that has been roasted to perfection. Roasting a whole chicken is an excellent way to cook chicken without any added fat. It is also a great way to get a few meals without having to buy a whole chicken repeatedly.
To make a whole roasted chicken, you need to start by seasoning the chicken with salt (do not over salt your chicken) and pepper. The salt helps the chicken to retain moisture and the pepper helps the chicken to become crispy. You then need to make a simple herb rub. For the herb rub, you will need oregano, thyme, rosemary, and garlic. You will also need to add a little bit of olive oil to the mix.
After you mix the herbs and olive oil, you will then rub it all over the chicken. You will also need to stuff the chicken with herbs and olive oil. After this, you will need to place the chicken in a roasting pan and add butter all over the chicken. Finally, you will need to bake the chicken at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for about 4+ hours, until the temp between the thigh and breast is at 165 degrees.
Remember, with Rafter W Ranch purchased chicken the meat will be tender, tasty, and will melt in your mouth.
- Chicken Ideas for Multiple Meals
Whole chickens can be a great way to get several meals out of one pot. With the right recipes, such as Keto or Paleo-style meals, you can make the most out of a single chicken and feed your family for days.
While it may take some lengthy cooking time, using tools such as a pressure cooker or Instant Pot helps shorten preparation time. Pressure cookers also allow you to lock in all the beneficial ingredients from the chicken bones when making stock. Cooking an entire chicken in a pressure cooker takes about 25-30 minutes with 10-minute natural pressure release afterwards.
Whole chickens are a great way to make several meals out of one, and can be made in any style.
Baked chicken is a classic favorite and when done properly, it can turn out incredibly juicy and flavorful. To get the most out of your chicken, save the leftover bones after you’ve enjoyed the main course. Scrape off any remaining meat from the bones to use in another dish or freeze for later use. A tip for pan-frying is to pour some water into the pan every time you cook so that your chicken won’t dry up.
For a simple and healthy meal, you can season raw chicken with garlic cloves, sea salt, red pepper, bay leaf and citrus peel. Then cook it in a pan over medium heat until golden brown. To make a sauce to go along with the chicken, combine arrowroot starch with apple cider vinegar and apple cider in a separate bowl. Once the sauce has been thickened add it to the pan with some freshly sliced garlic and simmer for about 5 minutes before serving.
Finally, if you have any leftover chicken stock or carcass at the end of your meal you can use them to make delicious soup by adding some vegetables of your choice along with bay leaf and sea salt for flavor.
- Did Someone Say “Soup”? Leave Nothing to Waste.
Whole chickens can also be used to make delicious chicken broth, chicken soup and noodle soup. Thinner chickens are great for basic soups and bone broths that require a longer cooking time.
To make the bone broth, start by adding some onions, celery, and other veggies to a pot of boiling water along with the chicken bones – let it simmer until all the flavors have been released. For a more comforting meal, add noodles to the broth and stir in some diced vegetables – carrots, celery or mushrooms are all good choices. At the end of cooking, you can strain out any remaining bones or vegetables if desired for a smoother soup experience.
Chicken soup is a staple of many households and a great way to use up the leftovers from a whole chicken. Chicken tortilla soup is another favorite that can be made using the bones left from the chicken. To make an even richer and more gelatinous bone broth, you can add more bones such as chicken feet or wings. This will make your stock much thicker and full of flavor. Organic stocks are also available for those who prefer to go organic with their cooking habits.
Combining all these ingredients together will give you an even stronger combination for dishes such as tortilla soup or your favorite chicken dish. Making homemade stock with the bones left over from cooking will give you a deeper taste and richer texture than store-bought versions. The gelatinous bone broth created when cooking the stock will help thicken your soup or dishes, making them heartier and tastier than before!
Buffalo chicken soup is a popular dish that can be easily made with a whole rotisserie chicken. Chicken dip is another good use of the meat and bones, as it’s easy to make and offers intense flavors. Even crazy sounding ingredients like a chicken bone can make for an easy recipe!
A soup recipe can include all the nutrient dense broth that comes from the bones after slow cooking or using an Instant Pot or even low carb slow cooker recipes. Cooking with bones creates intense flavors and nutrient dense broth that cannot be replicated through other methods – making it perfect for soups! So why not try out some new recipes with your next whole chicken purchase?
If you want to make a complete stock, then you can add some parsley and chicken bones as well. When it comes to cooking whole chickens, the pressure cooker is the most efficient method and produces moist and juicy results without drying out the meat. It also ensures that all those clingy meat bits are cooked through.
If you don’t have a pressure cooker, then roasting in an oven is still a great way to cook your raw chicken item. Place the bird on top of a trivet with some water in the bottom of your roasting pan so it doesn’t dry out or become mealy during cooking. Baste with butter and herbs every 30 minutes or so for even more flavor!
- A Few Recipes
Butterflied Roast Chicken with Lemon and Rosemary (ORIGINAL RECIPE)
This butterflied roast chicken with lemon and rosemary is tender and juicy, and there’s lots of crispy golden skin to enjoy. By removing the backbone with a knife or kitchen scissors to flatten the chicken, it cooks quicker and more evenly and the breast meat doesn’t dry out. Butterflied chicken is especially good on the grill.
Prep Time:
10 mins
Cook Time:
50 mins
Total Time:
1+ hrs
Servings:
6
INGREDIENTS
– 1 tablespoon olive oil, or as needed
– 1 whole chicken (3 to 6 lbs), backbone removed
– kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
– 1 lemon, sliced into rounds
– 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
– ½ cup white wine
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a rimmed baking pan with aluminum foil. Place a rack on top of foil.
- Rub olive oil on both sides of chicken and generously season with salt and black pepper. Arrange lemon slices and rosemary on the rack and place chicken, skin-side up, onto the rack.
- Roast in the preheated oven until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, 45 to 55 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
- Transfer chicken to a serving platter and tent a piece of aluminum foil over it. Discard lemon and rosemary and remove rack.Pour wine into the baking pan and gently loosen the bits of food in the pan with a wooden spoon, being careful not to tear the foil. Strain pan juices into a saucepan and bring to a boil; cook until sauce is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Spoon sauce over chicken.
TIPS
Chicken broth can be used in place of white wine.
The Best Roasted Chicken (ORIGINAL RECIPE)
This is the best chicken I have ever made. My husband liked this so much that, because I had leftover potatoes, gravy, and cornbread stuffing, I had to make another chicken.
Prep Time:
20 mins
Cook Time:
1 hrs
Additional Time:
15 mins
Total Time:
1 hrs 35 mins
Servings:
6
Yield:
6 servings
INGREDIENTS
– ¼ cup butter, softened
– 4 cloves garlic, chopped
– 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
– 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
– 1 lemon, zested and halved
– 1 teaspoon salt, divided
– 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
– 1 whole chicken
– 1 tablespoon olive oil
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
- Mix butter, garlic, thyme, rosemary, lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together in a bowl.
- Loosen skin on chicken breast; rub butter mixture between skin and breast meat. Press on the skin to distribute evenly. Rub oil, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper all over; place lemon halves inside cavity. Set in a baking pan.
- Roast in the preheated oven, basting after 30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink, about 1 hour. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone, should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Let rest before carving, about 15 minutes.
CHEF’S NOTES
I like to let the chicken rest in the refrigerator for a few hours or a full day after placing the herb butter under the skin to let the flavors mingle. Basting really enhances the color and flavor and creates nice drippings for a gravy.
