How to roast a whole chicken

Follow our top tips to learn how to roast a whole chicken for perfectly juicy, succulent results. From epic flavourings to achieving crispy skin, this guide will help you.

Food Editor

Malou Herkes

Why learn how to roast a chicken?

Succulent, juicy, super versatile and a great way to stretch leftovers into the week, there are so many reasons why cooking a whole roast chicken should be your weekly go-to. With these roast chicken tips and just a little prep, you’ll see it’s super simple, with the oven doing most of the hard work. Stunning Sunday dinners and plenty of leftovers are coming your way…

Roast chicken recipes

What you’ll need to roast a chicken

You don’t need any special equipment to roast chicken, although a large roasting tray and a carving knife are must-haves. A meat thermometer is not essential, but if you’re nervous about cooking your chicken properly without drying it out, it will help you – more on that later.

Buy the best chicken you can afford

Sourcing a quality chicken that’s been naturally slow-reared will help you get flavour-packed results, and it’s better for the animal, too. Our Oakham Gold chickens are 100% RSPCA Assured are naturally slower grown, with 20% more space to roam than birds reared to the industry standard. As chef Tom Kerridge testifies, “The most important thing is to buy the best chicken you can afford: the better the chicken, the better the flavour. It’s as simple as that, and these are the tastiest chickens you can get at a supermarket”.

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How to prep your roast chicken

How to cook a whole chicken without it drying out

For crispy skin and maximum juiciness, make sure your chicken is dry all over. Pat dry with kitchen paper before cooking, and season with salt all over. Take your bird out of the fridge about an hour before cooking so it comes up to room temperature and cooks evenly in the oven.

Choose your seasoning

Seasoning your chicken with a few cracks of black pepper and our Collection Rosemary Anglesey Sea Salt will be delicious, but you might want to experiment. Flavour with thyme and lemon zest for a sunny, Mediterranean vibe, as in this easy roast chicken recipe. Or try more punchy, robust flavours, like in this fajita roast chicken recipe or za’taar roast chicken. Tom Kerridge loves to use our Oak Smoked BBQ Seasoning in his BBQ-roasted chicken recipe. You could stuff the cavity too – try a halved lemon, whole garlic cloves and herbs, to infuse your bird with fragrant flavour.

Rubbing flavoured butter into your chicken is another way to add flavour while keeping your chicken deliciously juicy. Try our Garlic and Herb Butter or make your own thyme and rosemary butter, like in this herby roast chicken recipe.

What's your flavour?

How long to roast a whole chicken

Depending on the weight of your chicken, the cooking time will vary. Our Oakham Gold Medium Whole Chicken weighs 1.2kg and will cook in about 1 hour 20 minutes. Adjust these times if your bird is larger or smaller. A ballpark to remember is: 40 minutes for every kilo, plus 30 minutes.

To get crispy skin, put the chicken into a preheated oven at 200ºC/180ºC fan/gas mark 6. After 20 minutes, reduce the heat to 180ºC/160ºC fan/gas mark 4 for the remaining time.

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How to know your chicken is done

Chicken must be completely cooked without any red remaining. When the time’s up, use a sharp knife to pierce into the thickest part of the thigh – if the juices run clear, it’s ready to go, but if it’s still red or bloody, put it back in the oven. If you’re not confident and you’re worried you’ll overcook and dry it out, use a meat thermometer. Stick the probe into the thickest part of the thigh – once it reaches 75ºC, it’s ready.

Leave the chicken to rest for at least 10 minutes, or up to 30 minutes to let the juices settle for lovely succulent results. Cover with tin foil and a couple of tea towels to keep it warm.

Love those roast chicken leftovers

You’ve now aced how to roast a whole chicken, but what about all those lovely leftovers? Shred the meat into soups and broths, like Tom Kerridge’s leftover chicken and orzo soup, add it to risottos, like this chicken, pancetta and pea risotto or toss it through a Brussels sprouts, chicken and pecorino winter salad.

To make chicken stock, roast the leftover carcass and bones until golden, then simmer the lot in water with salt, black peppercorns and bay leaves to make a silky, nutritious chicken stock. Freeze in freezer-safe containers for soups, pies and risottos another day.

Why not make your own chicken salt for delicious seasoning. Bake leftover chicken skin in a low oven until crisp, pat to remove any grease, then blitz into a powder with a little more salt, black pepper and your favourite dried herbs or spices. Best thing ever.

Chicken soup, please

Your questions answered

What's the secret to a good chicken gravy?

Everyone has a secret gravy tip, from scraping the roasted sticky bits from the bottom of the tray to using quality chicken stock. Chef Tom Kerridge recommends adding mushrooms. “Not only do they add lovely earthy flavour, they add volume, body and texture”, he says. He also recommends sieving your gravy for deliciously silky results.

Do you have to put water in the roasting pan when roasting a chicken?

You can add liquid to the pan, but it’s not essential as chicken naturally releases juices as it cooks. If you're not making gravy, adding a good splash of water to your tray will provide you with more juice to drizzle over your chicken.

Which way should I roast my chicken?

The short answer is, either way! Traditionally, chickens are roasted breast-side up, but you could flip it upside-down for super-succulent breast meat. As it cooks, the juices from the darker meat will drip into the breast meat and keep it lovely and moist.

Can roast chicken be frozen?

Yes, you can freeze roast chicken. Store in freezer-safe containers and use within three months. Defrost it in the fridge overnight.

Try chicken recipes

Our best roast chicken recipes

Now you’ve learned how to roast chicken, check out our roast chicken recipes for inspiration. Whether it’s a roast chicken with roasted grapes or a fresh, vibrant satay-roast chicken with pickled salad, we’ve got plenty to inspire you. Want to speed up the cooking time? Try spatchcocking a whole chicken so it cooks more quickly, like in this sweet and smoky spatchcock chicken recipe. Which will you try?

More roast chicken recipes

Published 11.1.2024