Roasted Rosemary Chicken

rosemary chickenI did it! I successfully cooked my first whole chicken. This probably sounds ridiculous coming from someone who is obsessed with food and cooking, but I have a fear of cooking whole chickens, turkeys, ducks…basically, whole ANYTHING that once roamed this earth. Its true…I leave it up to restaurants for these types of dishes! I’ve always told myself, “Someday I’ll learn…”

Luckily, I have two amazing cooks in my family back home in southern California – mom and grandma! This weekend I took a trip to see them for my brother’s birthday dinner, and my mom had the idea of roasting a whole chicken. I thought this was the perfect opportunity to learn from her expertise and do it with her. I was able to stomach it, although just barely, and found that it was actually quite easy to do! We bought a chicken that came neatly packaged with the “hard part” already done for us, so all we had to do was season and stuff it. I still feel a little scared cooking one by myself, but I am pretty sure I can do it now! Glad that has been checked off my list ๐Ÿ™‚ This roasted rosemary chicken came out so tender and DELICIOUS, I was so surprised at how easy it was to cook.

I hope you had a great weekend!

5.0 from 1 reviews
Roasted Rosemary Chicken
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total
 
Type: Main
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 1 whole organic, free-range chicken
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1 onion, quartered
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt
  • Ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Rinse the chicken and remove the giblets from the inside of the chicken (if you are lucky, this comes in a neatly packaged bag that you can easily remove).
  3. Rub the chicken with olive oil, 2 cloves of minced garlic and kosher salt all over the outside.
  4. Sprinkle with ground black pepper and 1 tbsp of chopped fresh rosemary. [
  5. Peel and chop the onion into four equal pieces and place inside of the chicken, along with the remaining chopped rosemary and 2 cloves of garlic.
  6. Place the chicken in a roasting dish and bake in the oven for 2 to 2½ hours, until juices run clear and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
  7. Use a brush to gently brush the chicken with the juices in the roasting pan.
  8. Place the chicken breast-bone side up and cut the wings first.
  9. Next, pull the legs away from the body and cut them off.
  10. Next, remove the breasts and remaining rib meat.

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27 comments

  1. Hotly Spiced says:

    What a fantastic looking roast chicken and I love the dish you cooked it in. I’ve never cooked a chicken for 2 1/2 hours before on such a low temperature. I usually cook mine for an hour on a high temperature. I’ll have to give your method a try xx

  2. Anne@FromMySweetHeart says:

    Kristi….you did a BEAUTIFUL job with the chicken! I can almost smell it from here! Lots of fresh rosemary….nice! I must admit. I am guilty of picking up rotisserie chickens from the market. But I think you’ve just inspired me to roast my own! Yours looks nice and juicy and your pics are great! : )

  3. Erin Allmann says:

    looks delicious!! is it weird that I find dealing with a whole chicken less gross than dealing with chicken parts? I can roast a chicken no problem, but when it comes to dealing with breasts, thighs, or anything boneless and skinless, I get so skeeved out! haha!

  4. Jane says:

    I totally understand how scary it is! It took me 20 years to try a turkey – and the “yucky stuff” was taken care of for me as well! Now, after doing the turkey in a bbq, I’ve got the strength to try a roasted chicken your way! It looks absolutely yummy, and perfect for this cold weather! Thanks so much!!! (And I love rosemary, too!!!!)

  5. john@kitchenriffs says:

    Congrats! Isn’t roast chicken wonderful? It’s great for a meal for just the two of you, or for company two. And rosemary (or tarragon) marry so well with chicken! Great combo of flavors.

  6. Erin @ Texanerin Baking says:

    I love roasted chicken! And especially rosemary. Yummy! I wish they sold chickens without the yucky stuff inside. Or maybe they do in the US.

    This one looks great! I’m happy that your first one came out so well. ๐Ÿ™‚

  7. Gabrielle says:

    This looks delicious! Rosemary is always a good choice for roasted birds–yum! I recently learned a weight watcher’s tip from my mother for ensuring tasty meat in recipes like this:

    One of the main purposes of skin is to serve as a barrier, so when you season the outside of the bird, you end up with TASTY skin, but the meat is often a little drab, in my humble opinion. If you use your hands to separate the skin from the meat of the bird, you can shove butter, herbs, lemon, wine, etc under the skin, which adds SO much flavor to the actual meat! (If you are squeamish about dealing with the bird, however, the previous suggestion might be a little difficult, lol.. but it’s worth it!) Shoving veggies, herbs, and citrus in the body cavity of the bird is another way to add flavor to the actual meat.

    I just found your site today, but I will definitely be back.. Thanks for all the yummy recipe ideas!

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