Perfectly grilled chicken recipe

Make my family’s favorite roast chicken recipe and you’ll get rewards for incredibly juicy, tender chicken and gorgeous golden brown skin. I really like the whole roast chicken and can’t wait for you to try it!
I learned how to grill chicken from mom, who almost every week makes versions of this roast chicken recipe when I grew up. Our way of roasting whole chicken guarantees tender and juicy chicken, I really can’t get enough sparkling golden brown skin!
My family loves serving chicken with mashed potatoes, homemade gravy and grilled carrots, but I share more suggestions below, including my favorite chicken salad, perfect for running out of any leftovers!
Key Ingredients
- All Chicken: I like to roast chicken about 5 pounds. If your chicken is smaller, you don’t have to worry. You will have less baking time.
- Salt and pepper: I ate salt and pepper generously. For the best roasted chicken, season in the cavity and the chicken outside and inside.
- onion: For the most meat, grill the chicken on a bed of thinly sliced onions and a little liquid (water is good, or use chicken broth). We can also turn the juice on the left side of the baking bottom into a delicious gravy.
- Optional aromatics: For more flavor, stuff the chicken cavity with lemon wedges, cut the garlic in half, and fresh herbs such as thyme or rosemary.
How to grill chicken
Grilling whole chicken is easy. You can use any roasted chicken recipe in the oven safe pan. I used a large baking tray in the photo, but a baking tray (with or without a shelf), a large cast iron pan, or even a framed baking tray.
To grill the chicken, dry the whole chicken and season it in large quantities with salt and pepper. Sprinkle salt in the cavity and throughout the skin. I don’t use butter or oil for this recipe. I grill the chicken throughout the cooking process and spoon some of the fat produced on the chicken.

If you are using them, Stuff some aromatics into the chicken cavity. I love lemons, garlic and herbs. When the chicken is grilled, the aromatics steam inside, helping to keep the meat juicy and season. I also tied my legs together with a little butcher’s twine (not necessary, but makes things tidy).
Place the chicken side up on the bed of thinly sliced onion. Pour a little water into the pot and bake.
The optimal temperature for roasted chicken depends on what you want. Higher oven temperatures contribute to crisper, golden brown skin, while lower oven temperatures lead to softer, reduced bone-bone meat. We roasted the chicken in a 425°F baking dish, loving the golden brown skin.
- For tender, bone-dropped flesh and soft skingrill whole chicken at 325°F (162°C) for 1½ to 2 hours depending on weight.
- For sturdy, juicy meat and crispy, golden brown skindepending on size, roast whole chicken in 425°F (218°C) oven for 45 minutes to 1½ hours.
What to eat with roasted chicken
The oven-roasted chicken made such a wonderful dinner. The classic side is mashed potatoes and gravy, and if you use my gravy recipe you can make it with onion broth at the bottom of the baking pan
Sometimes we swap mashed potatoes for crispy roasted potatoes, or even mashed potatoes. Then, I always like to add vegetables (or two), especially grilled cabbage, grilled zucchini with feta and roasted green beans (both at or close to 425°F, like our chicken). If you don’t have room to grill vegetables, try stir-fry mung beans or stir-fry, or this simple stir-fry zucchini!
You can also use chicken for salads. Chop it and place it on your favorite salad. Or turn it into a salad, like this herbal chicken salad. I also added the remaining roasted chicken to the soup. Try our chicken noodle soup, chicken and vegetable soup or this creamy chicken soup.


Perfect roasted chicken
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Prepare
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chef
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All
Our recipe for roasting whole chicken is easy and adaptable to your favorite recipes. We use a preheated 425°F oven to guarantee crispy, golden brown skin and strong juicy meat. If you like roast chicken, use soft bone meat and roast it on 325°F.
About 4 servings
Watch us make recipes
You will need
1 chicken, 5 to 6 lbs, slap dry
Salt and fresh pepper
1 onion, sliced
1/2 cup (120 ml) water or chicken soup
1 lemon, one quarter, Elective
1 whole head garlic, half horizontally, Elective
Small bunches of fresh herbs such as thyme, rosemary and sage, Elective
direction
1Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper.
2Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C), or for softer meat 325°F (165°C).
3Sprinkle thinly sliced onions on the bottom of a baking tray or oven-safe frying pan. Pour in water (or broth).
4Place the chicken, breast on top of the onion.
5If using them, stuff the lemon wedge into the cavity and cut the garlic and herbs in half. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine. If you don’t have twine, it’s like they do to leave the legs.
6Grilled chicken for 1 hour. Then, bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, occasionally turning on the oven to pour the fat on the bottom of the chicken, placing the fat on the bottom of the chicken (watch me doing this in the video). If baking at a lower oven temperature, expect the chicken to take 1½ to 2 hours.
7The grilled chicken is done when the internal thermometer that is inserted into the thickest thigh reads 165°F, or when the chicken is cut between the legs and thighs.
Adam and Joanne’s Tips
- Store roasted chicken: The remaining roasted chicken lasts in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5 days. You can also freeze, chop or carve the chicken into pieces (breasts, legs). Freeze them in freezer-friendly containers for up to 3 months.
- Make gravy: The pot juice left at the bottom of the plate after roasting is delicious when used to make the gravy. Here is our simple gravy recipe that will guide you through it.
- Grilled chicken and crispy skin: Refrigerate the experienced chicken in the refrigerator overnight before baking in the oven. Nights in the refrigerator will dry out the skin and help crisp in the oven the next day.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
Calories
336
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protein
46 g
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carbohydrate
5 g
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Dietary fiber
1 g
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Total sugar
1 g
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Total fat
14 g
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Saturated fat
4 g
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cholesterol
170 mg