Roast Chicken and Vegetables is a classic family favorite recipe. We roast chicken in the oven over a bed of vegetables (carrots, onions, and potatoes) for an entire meal in one dish. I use my famous chicken seasoning and roast until the skin is crispy and the chicken is juicy.
Baked Chicken Breasts are great for a quick meal or to top salads but this whole roasted chicken is a complete meal that requires minimal prep work. We love serving it alongside some dinner rolls for the perfect meal!
How To Roast A Chicken
- Wash and chop the vegetables
- Then it’s time to truss the chicken. This ensures it cooks as evenly as possible. Tie the legs together using a piece of cooking string, then tuck the wings under the breasts.
- Brush the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning, and place it on top of the vegetables.
- Roast the chicken until it reaches a temperature of 165°F.
The trick to getting perfectly juicy chicken is preheating the oven to 450°F then turning it down. This seals the juices in as soon as possible then cooks the chicken at a uniform temperature (think, searing meat for beef stew).
What Temperature To Bake Chicken
When you roast chicken in the oven, start the temperature high and turn it down straight away to seal in all the yummy juices. The starting temperature should be around 450°F then turn it down to 350°F to complete the cooking!
If your bird is a different size, change the cooking time, not the oven temp. If you play around with the oven temperature, it can dry out the chicken or overcook some areas and undercook others.
How Long To Roast A Chicken
A 4lb chicken usually takes around 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 and a half hours. If your chicken is larger or smaller, adjust the cooking times accordingly!
Start with 12 minutes at 450°F and then you’ll need an additional 20 minutes per pound.
A 4lb chicken needs: 12 minutes + 80 minutes = 92 minutes total.
Chicken Roast Times:
- 3lb chicken: 12 minutes at 450°F + 60 minutes at 350°F = 72 minutes total
- 3.5lb chicken: 12 minutes at 450°F + 70 minutes at 350°F = 82 minutes total
- 4lb chicken: 12 minutes at 450°F + 80 minutes at 350°F = 92 minutes total
- 4.5lb chicken: 12 minutes at 450°F + 90 minutes at 350°F = 102 minutes total
- 5lb chicken: 12 minutes at 450°F + 100 minutes at 350°F = 112 minutes total
Cook times can vary slightly if your chicken is very cold out of the fridge etc. A meat thermometer inserted in the thigh (not touching the bone) should read 165°F.
Remember to let your chicken rest at least 15 minutes before slicing for the juiciest results.
Do You Cover Chicken When Baking
In this chicken recipe, the chicken is roasted uncovered so the skin crisps up nicely in the oven. If the chicken skin begins to brown too much before the chicken is done, tent it loosely with foil to prevent any further browning while it finishes cooking.
How To Brown Chicken
On the other hand, your chicken may not be browning correctly in the oven. Don’t fear! Brush it with a little more olive oil or baste it with the juices in the pan to help it brown up nicely. If you’re still struggling with browning the skin, broil the bird for a couple of minutes before you pull it out to rest. Make sure you watch it closely if you do this though, it will brown quickly!
We usually end up with leftover chicken, making this the perfect recipe if you need chicken for other favorites like buffalo chicken dip, chicken stew, chicken noodle soup, or chicken salad!
More Recipes You’ll Love
- Easy Chicken Parmesan – So good!
- Lemon Chicken Soup
- Air Fryer Chicken – Crispy and delicious!
- Cheesy Chicken Casserole
- Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup – Favorite!
- Spatchcock Chicken
Roast Chicken & Vegetables
Ingredients
- 1 chicken 3-4 pounds
- 3-4 cups chopped vegetables *see note (carrots, potatoes, onions, parsnips)
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning or 1 tablespoon fresh chopped herbs
- chicken seasoning or chicken rub below
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Wash and chop vegetables. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper and ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning or 1 tablespoon fresh herbs. Place in the bottom of a shallow casserole dish or 9x13 pan.
- Rub outside of chicken with remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with chicken seasoning or rub.
- Place the chicken breast side up on the vegetables. Place the pan in the oven. Cook 12 minutes at 450°F.
- Turn oven down to 350°F and bake until the inner thigh reaches 165°F. (A 4 pound chicken will need an additional 75-80 minutes).
- Remove the chicken from the oven and allow to rest 15 minutes before carving. (Return the vegetables to the oven if they need a few more minutes cook time).
Video
Notes
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon rosemary
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Chicken, Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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If you have a 3 lb. chicken… after the first 12 minutes @ 450 – then turn down to 350 … @ 350 for how long?
You can find this information in the post: 3lb chicken: 12 minutes at 450°F + 60 minutes at 350°F = 72 minutes total. Enjoy Elyce!
Looked for a different flavored meal. I made this dish with the rub for the chicken and used parsnips, Yukon potato, carrots & onion in it, seasoning the vegs with a little seasoned salt. The rub on the chicken permeated the vegs too making a very tasty meal. Thank you for posting, it’s a keeper.
Everything came out perfect! My son was even pulling off skin from other parts to eat! Thanks for a great recipe that I am sure I will use again and again!
This has become my go-to Roast Chicken recipe when I want something quick and simple. The Chicken Rub, particularly, has so much flavour, and I love that I know exactly what the ingredients are!
The chicken was a perfect cook, following the directions; nice and moist.
10/10
This is our new Saturday meal. It is SO good. I made a simple GF gravy to go with and it was insane. Thank you
Your chicken recipes look Amazing.
However I would Really like to know what seasonings you use.
Thank you
For the vegetables I use a homemade Italian seasoning, you can find the recipe here. For the chicken I use the rub that’s listed in the notes under the video or this chicken seasoning recipe here. I hope this helps Julie!
WHat temperature oven would you use when cooking chicken breasts in this recipe?
Hi Liza, I wouldn’t use chicken breasts in this recipe because the vegetables wouldn’t be cooked through by the time the chicken is done. If using bone-in chicken breasts, you can use this recipe and add vegetables to the pan. I hope this helps.
This turned out great. Starting at the high heat made all the difference.