I’m not going to take credit for this recipe. Heck, I can’t even take credit for making this dish, because my husband did everything from start to finish. And since he can follow a recipe, truss a bird and correctly use an oven, you could say I married well. (I will take credit for that.)
The secret to perfect whole roasted chicken really isn’t a secret at all. First, purchase a high quality whole chicken, such as Maple Leaf Prime Naturally Whole Chicken for a consistently tender and juicy taste.
Next, find a foolproof recipe. We faithfully use the same recipe over and over – Simple Whole Roasted Chicken from allrecipes.com. My compliments to Indriani, a home chef who shared the love. As its name suggests, it’s an easy recipe that, quite frankly, is hard to mess up. The combination of unique ingredients makes this dish delicious, and the aroma that permeates your home as the chicken roasts is enough to make you drool.
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (4-5 pound) whole chicken
5 cloves garlic, crushed
In a bowl, mix the salt, sugar, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Rub the chicken with the mixture. Cover chicken, and place in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours.
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Stuff the chicken cavity with the garlic. Place the chicken, breast side down, on a rack in a roasting pan.
Roast 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce heat to 450 degrees F, and continue roasting 15 minutes. Baste chicken with pan drippings, reduce heat to 425 degrees F and continue roasting 30 minutes, to an internal temperature of 180 degrees F. Let stand 20 minutes before serving.
Finally, find people you love and sit down to a comfortable meal. The pan drippings can be thickened into a gravy, and pair well with mashed potatoes or any root vegetable. And don’t forget your greens! Brussels sprouts or asparagus are welcome sides. And that’s it! Three steps to the perfect whole roasted chicken. Bon appetit!
Yummy! I also add cut lemon inside the cavity. I will definitely try it your way (or hubby’s way).
Ooohh… I may have to try that next time! Thanks for the tip Tricha!
Wow – that looks so yummy…honest-to-goodness, my stomach just growled LOL! I’ve cooked simple roast chicken before (with lemon, garlic, butter & salt) – but am very intrigued by the combination of ingredients in this recipe…am pinning it to try someday soon ;-)
LOL Zeba! I may need to trade recipes with you – always looking for yummy ways to roast a bird!
I too have a husband who is in charge of roasting chicken and who does a wonderful job. (In 27 years of marriage I don’t remember ever roasting a chicken or turkey – he does them all). I’ve pinned this recipe to share with him.
That is wonderful Cheryl – how fortunate you are!
Yum!
Try it Heather!
Hehe, my husband does most of our cooking! I REALLY lucked out on that one! This looks delicious – may have to pass the recipe on to him ;)
You really did – you must pass the recipe along Nicole!
I have a husband who roasts a perfect chicken too!
Nice!! You deserve it Anne!
Awesome! Looks so yummy.
Thank you Jaime :)
We love roasted chicken in my home. It’s nice that your hubby cooked it :) Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome Helene! Chicken lovers unite!
Your chicken looks amazing. Good job on marrying so well! I’ve been looking for a good roast chicken recipe because I can never get that gorgeous crispy brown skin everyone else seems to get. I’ll try this for sure. Thanks!
Please try it Elizabeth. Crispy brown skin is usually achieved by rubbing the skin with butter, but we didn’t do that here – I think it’s the variable heat that allows it to crisp up nicely :)
wow. that is one yummy looking bird.
Glad you approve – even though it’s not bacon-wrapped!
That can be remedied after the fact. A good bird always bring a smile.
That chicken looks amazing, you can send your hubby here to cook anytime…lol Will definitely have to try out the recipe!
It’s so easy (says hubby) and you will love it (says me)!
Oh wow! this was making me drool just looking at the picture, looks damn good, your one lucky lady to have such a wonderful hubby
It was very juicy and tender inside too, Lynda! Definitely a must try!
yummy, lucky you my hubby can boil potatoes thats about it
:) Boiled potatoes do go well with chicken!
Breast side down ? Never tried my chicken that way – will have to give this recipe a shot and see how it turns out ;)
My daughter is lucky – her hubby does all the cooking too. I tried teaching her how to cook, but to no avail. LOL
Yup, we actually flip it after half an hour, you can try that too!
Never heard of roasting a chicken with the boobs side down. I always make my with the boobs facing up. Yes, I call them chicken boobs!
Neither had I – which is why we flip the bird halfway through. I like my boobs on top too, LOL!
That’s a darn good looking chicken!!
Why thank you!
Yummy chicken! Can’t wait to try this recipe soon.
Please do Marissa!
That looks so good. I love roast chicken.
I do too. Such a great Sunday night dinner!
ummm yup i am totally drooling right now!!
Hahaha well then you’ll just have to try it :)
I’m going to have to try this. I have to admit that I have probably only made whole roasted chicken a handful of times, as it intimidates me!
Don’t let it! This recipe is so simple and honestly, it comes out perfect every time!
ohhh this makes my mouth water! Thanks for sharing girlie.
You’re very welcome Darlene!
thanks for the tips – looks delicious!
Any time Nicky!
why put the chicken upside down I know someone who cooks it like that. I have never tried it.
I don’t have a good answer for you Chandra :( I flip it halfway through cooking though so it ends right way up…
Oh my. Looks delicious! I should try this recipe sometime. Thanks for sharing
You’re welcome Melinda!
Roast Chicken is my absolute favourite. It’s funny my husband said to me tonight “how about we have roast chicken tomorrow night”
Well! You’ll just have to try this recipe then!
being a vegetarian I have a hard time finding good recipes I can trust to feed my house of carnivores. I can always count on your blog thanks sooo much.
Thank you so much Jo-Anne! So nice of you to say!
looks good! made me kind of hungry now. :)
It’s delish! Please do try it!
This looks & sounds amazing!!
Thanks Lindsay!
It doesn’t get much better than the classic roasted chicken. Thanks so much for the Tips (or your Hubby) Now I have a craving for a classic dinner tonight with roast potatoes & Asparagus ohhh now I am drooling.
Ty! Looks yummy!
Oh my this looks DELISH , i love chicken , thanks for sharing :)
That looks delicious!
Sounds great but I have one son who really dislikes cinnamon (how in the world did he end up in this family of cinnamon lovers!?). I use a rub from a Canadian Living cookbook that has chili powder and other spices and it turns out great.
Might have to pass this recipe onto hubby. He is the cook in the house.
that skin looks so yummy!!
The chicken looks so delicious, last time we steamed the whole chicken instead of roasting it.
I sounds delicious.
The picture for this recipe has my mouth watering and I think I’m going to make this soon
Thanks for sharing your recipe,i usually just add salt & pepper….time to surprise with this beauty!!
You are so correct doing to chicken your way gave it a wonderful taste !