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
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
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