This roast chicken comes out perfectly juicy with crisp skin and roasted veggies that soak up all the flavor. It’s a no-fuss meal perfect for weeknights or guests.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Holly’s Highlights For Roast Chicken
- Flavor: This recipe has a homey flavor with juicy chicken and crisp skin. The vegetables are infused with flavor from the chicken drippings and beautifully caramelized.
- Skill level: While this recipe seems fancy, it’s pretty easy to prepare. Chop the vegetables, season the chicken, and cook it all together.
- Technique: Tying the legs together (known as trussing) ensures the chicken cooks evenly. I use kitchen twine.
- Recommended tools: An instant-read thermometer is an inexpensive way to ensure the chicken is roasted to perfection.
- Budget tip: Watch for whole chickens to go on sale. If you find a good price, they freeze well for future meals.
How Long To Roast A Chicken
A 4lb chicken will roast for 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.
- 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
- 6lb chicken: 12 minutes at 450°F + 120 minutes at 350°F = 132 minutes total
Cook times can vary slightly if your chicken is very cold out of the fridge. A meat thermometer inserted in the thigh (not touching the bone) should read 165°F.
Pro Tips For Roast Chicken
- The secret to juicy chicken with crispy skin is to preheat the oven to 450°F and turn it down for roasting.
- Pat the skin dry before seasoning for the best results.
- Roast the chicken 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.
- Let the chicken rest at least 10 minutes before carving.
- While the chicken is resting, the vegetables can continue cooking. If they are done, turn the oven off and let them rest in the oven to keep warm.
Sides to Serve with Roast Chicken
Did you enjoy this Roast Chicken Recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 to 6 pound whole chicken
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning or 1 tablespoon fresh chopped herbs
- chicken seasoning see notes
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 2 medium carrots cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 potatoes cut into 1-inch pieces
- salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Add the vegetables to the bottom of a shallow casserole dish or 9×13 baking dish. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
- Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel and check the insides for giblets. If the chicken has giblets, they can be added to the pan or discarded.
- Rub the skin with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with chicken seasoning or the rub below.
- Place the chicken breast side up on the vegetables. Place the pan in the oven. Cook uncovered for 12 minutes at 450°F.
- Turn the oven down to 350°F and bake for an additional 20 minutes per pound or until the inner thigh reaches 165°F. (A 4 pound chicken will need an additional 75 to 80 minutes).
- Remove the chicken from the oven and transfer it to a plate to rest for at least 15 minutes. While the chicken is resting, return the vegetables to the oven if they need a few more minutes cook time.
Video
Notes
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.
Are there enough drippings to make a gravy?
No there is not, a lot of the drippings are soaked up by the vegetables. I hope this helps Brian!
Winner Winner Chicken Dinner, the aroma while roasting . Taste delicious and moist and root veggies
Another satisfying recipe from spendwithpennies.
Added Brussel sprouts,parsnips and sweet potato
There doesn’t seem to be any juice in pan! What can I add so veggies don’t dry out!
We don’t add broth or water. These roast (like roasted potatoes) and the juices from the chicken will also drip into the veggies.
Tastiest roasted chicken. Cooked juicy and to perfection. Added large cubed yellow potatoes and baby carrots and cooked as instructed.
Do you put water in the dish or broth? I’m scared it will dry out and burn
We don’t add broth or water. These roast (like roasted potatoes) and the juices from the chicken will also drip into the veggies.
Best, well explained recipe with hints as best methods.Thanks
I haven’t cooked it yet but judging be the other remarks I’m looking forward to the finished product
Thankyou Holly
How nice of you to provide all those cooking times per pound..helped me alot
We luv roast chicken. Was wondering ßince you are a superb cook, would you demonstrate on how to cut up a whole chicken and then do it fried, just for something different. No pressure just thought I would ask if you had the time
You bet Sami! Here’s a post on how to cut a whole chicken!
I plan on making this for dinner but wanted to make sure that the veggies went in at the same time as the chicken as it seems like 90 minutes is a long time to roast the veggies
Hi Helena, they do! We place them at the bottom of the casserole dish underneath the chicken when cooking.
This is the best, easiest roast chicken recipe I’ve ever tried. My 4 1/3 pound chicken was perfectly done, thanks to your weight/cook time hints. Thank you!
Love the concept of your Roasted Chicken w/ Vegetables… the bake time(s) you listed, however, is wwwaaaaayyyyyy off!! Will try out other recipes you’ve shared so thank you for posting them.
We have found that the chicken cooks perfectly with the times listed. Using a thermometer will help make sure that your chicken cooks to just the right doneness!
This is easily our favorite recipe to date. I first discovered it at the beginning of covid and I’m glad I did. We make it every two weeks and it’s amazing each time. The first time we made it, our husky who is normally very well behaved, couldn’t resist and stole the whole chicken off the table when we were in the other room!
Oh my Lana! I remember when our dog stole our turkey once, so I can empathize completely!
Holly Thankyou for sharing all your fantastic recipes. I’m wondering if you would recommend attempting to put some spice rub under the skin when cooking the whole chicken & on split chicken breasts if possible. I’m asking because to save calories I sometimes don’t eat the skin. Thanks in advance for your help.
I sometimes do that Dana, it’ll definitely flavor the meat more, so I’d suggest using only part of the seasoning under. Enjoy!
This is the best chicken recipe I’ve ever made. I don’t like whole chicken so I used chicken breasts. I hit them with a hammer to make the chicken pieces thinner and cut each breast in half. It took 20-30 minutes for the chicken to be 165 degrees Fahrenheit. I had to remove the chicken from the veggies because the veggies weren’t ready and cooked them (the veggies) for 10-15 more minutes. It had the kids looking at the chicken before I even cooked it because the seasoning was so good. I had 8 full pieces of chicken breast and doubled the seasoning recipe to cover the pieces enough. I Spread the seasoning on the chicken twice, once before putting it in the oven and 10 minutes before it finished. It’s so juicy you can cut it up with your fork. BEST RECIPE.
So happy to hear that you love the recipe Keila! Great that you adapted to suit your family!
Can you do this with two chickens at once? I’d like to make it this weekend for my family and we are 6 adults and two kids. Would it change the timing at all?
Sure you can! You’ll just want to ensure you have a large pan so everything isn’t too crowded and the chickens aren’t touching (or make 2 pans). You may need to increase cook time very slightly, you’ll want to ensure the chickens reach 165°F.
I’ve made this recipe multiple times and the entire family loves it. I’ve saved this cooking time equation for the chicken and have used it with 100% success for this and other recipes. Thank you.
You are welcome Nick!
Thanks for breaking down the pounds made it easier. Have I check it in the oven now thank you smells amazing.
Do you cover the chicken
The chicken is cooked uncovered so the skin crisps up.
The article say’s the “trick” to this recipe is to put it in the oven @ 450 then quickly turn the oven down to 350. The recipe however says to keep it at 450 for 12 minutes, THEN turn it down to 350. Which is it?
Sorry for the confusion Ray, the oven should be turned down after the initial 12 minutes.
For the chicken rub, are all of the herbs dry or did you use fresh? Wasnt sure if it was dry herbs if I should double the amounts if it is fresh.
This recipe uses dry herbs. To substitute fresh herbs, I usually triple the amount.
Hi Holly! I just want to start off by saying I love your site. Any time I’m searching for a recipe and see spendwithpennies pop up, I know it’s gonna be good!! This is my go-to roast chicken recipe. All the comments raving about the flavour of the rub are no joke, it really is awesome! Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful gift of cooking with the world.
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you loved this recipe Kristen.
The cooking time instructions are really spot-on. I had a 4.5lb chicken, and it turned out just right! Very juicy and the skin was crispy (delicious with the rub). I chopped up some large chunks of red onion, carrots, sweet potatoes, and red potatoes and they ended up being nice and tender. Next time I’m gonna roast a whole garlic bulb along with it. I’ve made this recipe 3 times now!
Can you do this recipe in a crockpot? How long to cook and would any ingredients change? Thanks
We haven’t tried it in a crock pot but it should still work. You will need to extend your cook time but everything will cook properly. Let us know how it goes!
It’s been over a year since I’ve made this recipe! Yesterday, when I found a frozen chicken in my freezer that needed defrosting, I hunted down the recipe. Thank goodness I had pinned it! Served with hot buttered rolls and homemade gravy. Delicious and so easy!!! Thank you!
Great recipe I have used this several times and I am cooking 2 chickens this weekend for some friends coming up. The only alternation I did was I cut up pats of butter and stuff under the skin so good and crispy.