Easy Simple Roasted Chicken

Some home cooks are intimidated by chicken. It’s dry if you over cook it, and bad for you if under cooked, no one likes raw chicken! Let me tell you how easy it is to do a moist, juicy, perfectly cooked chicken….

So you bought a whole chicken, now what? There are a million ways to cook a chicken. Traeger, grill, roast, boil, bake… but this post is about a simple roasted chicken you can make every week and use in a lot of recipes thru out the week. I like to plan out my meals each week, and do prep on Sunday’s. It keeps me accountable, and keeps me from spending a lot more money than if I didn’t plan. Roasting a chicken each week is part of my food prep. Some olive oil and mixed seasoning, and in the oven it goes. I never tie the legs together, it seems like an extra step that is not needed, in my opinion. You can roast your chicken in any oven proof vessel or even on a cookie sheet.

Let’s talk about this gadget above! A thermometer is a must for juicy, perfectly cooked chicken. My husband taught me this trick! I was scared of roasting whole chickens when we met. He told me to use a thermometer and it will turn out great every time. He was right :) I set mine to 165 degrees, and just wait for the beeper to go off. It usually takes about a hour and half. I like using this method because it let’s me “set it and forget it.” Also you won’t be opening the oven door every half hour to check on your chicken and letting hot air out. I found this thermometer on Amazon, it is a lifesaver!

If you are cooking this chicken for meals thru out the week, let it cool after cooking. I then take the skin off and shred the meat. Set all that aside, and save the bones, juices and skin to make chicken stock. I’ll post that next week, so check back! I like to use the chicken for tacos, soups, salads, casseroles, all kinds of delicious meals!

You will never buy a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken again! It really is simple to roast your own chicken :)

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Whole Chicken
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp mixed seasoning, dried herbs
  • 1 tbsp pepper
  • 1 tsp salt

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees
  • Rinse chicken and remove insides. such as neck, gizzards, etc
  • Place chicken in oven proof pan or on a baking sheet, rub olive oil over the outside of chicken, and season with salt, pepper, and herbs.
  • Place end of thermometer in thickest part of chicken breast. Set thermometer for 165.
  • Roast in oven until thermometer goes off and chicken is done.