How to Bake a Whole Chicken

How to Bake a Whole Chicken? Using minimal ingredients baking a whole chicken is an easy recipe for the family any night of the week.

I love cooking from scratch and feeding my family healthy whole food that are simple and affordable. Baking a Whole Chicken is beyond simple and very little prep work. Straight from the oven right to the table in record time this whole chicken is a family favorite. Everyone in the home devours this dinner. 

Often I struggle after a long day trying to figure out what to cook for dinner. I want simplicity with limited ingredients at dinner time, easy and few dishes to clean. Just using my cast iron Dutch oven there are few dishes that need cleaning after baking a whole chicken. The prep work is a breeze and the oven bakes the smells right into your home. I feel good and accomplish making meals from scratch that my whole family loves!

How to Bake a Whole Chicken Video

Buying and Storing a Whole Chicken at Home

I learned a lot when buying poultry. When purchasing a whole chicken decide how much you need for serving and what you will use it for.

Fresh whole chickens are not hard to buy but, if not carful they can be expensive! Watch local sales on whole chicken and at the “right price point” buy as many as you need for a season.

Shopping and selecting a whole chicken it should be fresh. Try to buy chickens from local farmers or remember to watch sales at your local supermarkets. I usually, buy my chicken two at a time and store in the freezer for the best cost.

I like to purchase all natural free from preservatives and antibiotics.  When whole chicken are on sale I stock up.

Advance purchase of whole chickens will save money and time!

Always check poultry’s sale by date, skin color and odor for color and smell. Odor of a chicken should smell like fresh and not foul. Skin of a fresh chicken shouldn’t look dry but, smooth and soft.

Sometimes a chickens color of skin may vary in yellow tones due to the feed they are given. Do not assume a chicken that is brighter in yellow tone is bad or good!

Rich colored feed filled with nutrients will result in a healthy chicken.

When you bring your chicken home make sure you store properly and do not let chicken juices touch other surfaces in home. Disinfect surfaces is there is contact.

Disinfect all surfaces when working with fresh chicken.

Storing Your Whole Chicken at Home

Always store your chicken in the coldest part of your refrigerator and will store for two days. Cooked Chicken can store in refrigerator for 3 days.

You may freeze your poultry for up to 8 months if wrapped tightly in heavy-duty plastic wrap or freezer paper. Cooked poultry can freeze for up to; two months if properly wrapped.

What to do with your Leftover Whole Chicken

This baked whole chicken can stretch a long way with left overs. Baked whole chicken can be used for Chicken Salad, Chicken Sandwiches or Tacos. Do take note, that I have tried to make this oven baked chicken in the Instant Pot but, it just does not taste as juicy and crispy as in the oven.  this recipe is one that I keep saved not only is it easy but, I can cook once and prepare 2 meals from it; not only cost effective but simple. 

Herbs I used for Baking a Whole Chicken

Thyme is a perennial and a fine-stemmed herb. This delicate herb is flavorful and fragrant. This is a wonderful herb when baking a chicken.

Rosemary is a herb that grows year and year. Rosemary has a strong, Mediterranean flavor and very hearty.

Fresh herbs are awesome to use during the winter months and all year long.  Cooking and herbs make make me feel like I am provide a fresh and healthy meal at dinnertime. Using herbs such as rosemary and thyme in this Baked Whole Chicken will also, enhance the flavor resulting as a crowd pleaser.

I grow my Fresh herbs; either from my garden or growing in posts indoors will improve the taste of baking a whole chicken. In a pinch buying herbs at farmer’s market or a local supermarket can be an option.

How to Bake a Whole Chicken Recipe

 Ingredients

• 1 Large Lemon; cut in half
• 3-4 Sprigs of Fresh thyme
• 3-4 Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary
• 2 cloves of garlic; chopped 
• 1 small yellow onion; chopped 
• One tablespoon of olive oil 
• One tablespoon of lemon pepper seasoning
• 1 whole chicken

How do you Bake a Whole Chicken? First, preheat oven to 400 degrees and cut your lemon in half.  Remove any giblets that are inside your whole chicken. Squeeze the lemon all over the whole chicken and store inside the cavity of the chicken along with onion, garlic, thyme and rosemary. 

Brush whole chicken with olive oil and run seasoning all over bird.   Next, place chicken breast down in a KitchenAid Digital Instant Read Thermometer, TEMPERATURE RANGE: -40F to 482F, Black” rel=”sponsored nofollow”>meat thermometer into chicken. When temperature is 185 degrees the chicken is done.

Baste a the whole chicken frequently with the juice in the bottom of the pan. Cover the whole chicken with a lid or aluminum foil for 45 minutes.

To achieve a golden brown chicken; remove the lid or covering the last fifteen minutes of baking in oven.

Continue to bake chicken; basting every five minutes until desire color is achieved.

This is How to Bake a Whole Chicken. Serve Whole Chicken with your favorite side dishes for a perfect dinner this winter season. Store left overs for a future meal as mention above like taco’s or chicken salad sandwiches. Let me know if make this Bake Whole Chicken Recipe! Comment your thoughts on Baking a Whole Chicken below. Thanks so much for stopping by the farm today to bake with me!

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