Whole Roast Chicken
A whole roast chicken is a classic meal for any season. There are so many variations on flavours and sides to build your menu. Here we share some of our top tips to help you cook up a tasty roast chicken.
Recipe
Method
- To prepare your chicken, we don’t recommend washing it in the sink, as this can increase the risk of cross-contaminating sinks, towels, and other work surfaces. To remove moisture on the surface of the chicken, simply pat it dry with a paper towel. Be sure to safely discard the paper towel right after use.
- Take the chicken out of the fridge approximately 30 minutes before cooking. You want the meat to come to room temperature to help it cook more evenly.
- To season the chicken, you can stick with the basic (and very delicious) combination of salt and pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil rubbed on the skin. If you want to get a little more adventurous, cut a lemon into wedges (remember to wash the lemon first and to remove any seeds) and place lemon pieces, along with fresh herbs such as thyme, rosemary, sage, savory, or oregano, inside the cavity.
- To roast the chicken, place the chicken in a roasting pan, preferably on a rack (this allows air to circulate under the chicken and helps it cook more evenly). Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF). Place chicken in the oven and cook for approximately 90 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken. To ensure you have achieved a safe internal cook temperature, use a meat thermometer and insert into the inner thigh. It should read 85ºC (185ºF).
Our friends at chicken.ca have a handy cooking times reference guide, which offers cooking times by weight to help guide you.
Meet the chef
Johnny C.Y. Lam
Many of the farmer portraits and delicious food photos — like this whole roast chicken images — on this website are the work of the multi-talented photographer Johnny C.Y. Lam.
Photographing people and travelling are his life’s passion. He has always had a strong sense of curiosity about the world and enjoys telling stories with his images through making real connections with the people he meets and photographs.
Some of Johnny’s favourite things are airports, bonsai and dim sum. When he is not away taking photos, Johnny enjoys cycling, fishing, cooking or reading photo books at home.
