Making a home cooked meal for your family can be such a hard task with all of the demands we face each day. And finding one that is delicious as well as economical can be even more challenging. Slow cooker meals are great but what if you want something that is truly a comfort food and special enough for guests. A slow roasted, herb-rubbed whole chicken is a perfect entree to serve.
Whole chicken with pieces to please everyone
A roasted chicken from the oven is one of those simple pleasures. Cut into pieces there is something to please both the dark and white meat lovers. Perfectly tender and juicy legs, thighs, wings and breast meat with a nice crispy skin.
Beyond all of that, this chicken is infused with amazing flavor from an herb rub. Not overpowering or spicy. Just enough kick to perk up a sometimes bland meat.
Plump and golden, the meat easily falls from the bone leaving very little waste.
Because it is so tender, carving is just a matter of slicing the sections apart and arranging on a platter.
With family running in all directions, this meal just might help to gather everyone around the table for a time of connection. And such a perfect Sunday dinner! Invite another family over you’ve been wanting to get to know better without worrying about a complicated meal. Chicken appeals to children and adults alike.How to prepare a whole chicken for roasting
I prepared this for our after-church lunch and it was wonderful to open the door and catch the smell as it filled the house.
Since I wanted it to be ready to eat at lunchtime, I prepared the chicken the night before. Combine the herbs together in a small bowl. Rinse the chicken inside and out then blot dry. Sprinkle and rub the chicken with the herbs. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. I rested the chicken in the refrigerator overnight and then bake it all morning. If you are planning to serve at dinnertime, prep it early morning and get it into the oven early afternoon.
Here it is out of the fridge and read to go into the oven.
Oven roasted chicken
My just-over 6-pound chicken was ready to eat when we walked in the door at 12:45. I put it in the oven at 7:30AM. It registered 200 degrees but not dry or overcooked. If I was home I might had pulled it out of the oven a bit sooner but it was perfect.
So good for so little work. Lovely coating of herbs and ready to slice.
Since the chicken was roasted without a lid or covering, the skin was dry and crispy. But, as you can see in the photos, a little basting with the juices moistens and softens it for those who like the skin on their pieces.
Making gravy
There was a nice amount of pan juices too, even though I did not add any liquid to the dish while roasting.
Instead of making gravy, I poured the juices into a saucepan and cooked at a high simmer to reduce and intensify the flavor. While this was simmering, I sliced the chicken and served the pan juices in a little pitcher on the side.
Slow Roasted Herb-Rubbed Chicken Recipe
slightly adapted from Allrecipes
INGREDIENTS
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 – 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 onions, quartered
- 1 (6 pound) whole chicken
DIRECTIONS
In a small bowl, mix together salt, paprika, onion powder, thyme, black pepper, and garlic powder.
Remove and discard giblets from chicken. Rinse chicken cavity and pat dry with paper towel. Rub chicken inside and out with spice mixture. Place onion into the cavity of chicken. (I like onion so I placed extra onion in the pan) Place chicken in a resealable bag or double wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight, or at least 4 to 6 hours.
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
Place chicken in a roasting pan. Bake uncovered for 5 hours to a minimum internal temperature of 180 degrees F (85 degrees C). Let the chicken stand for 10 minutes before carving. If desired, while chicken is resting, pour pan juices into a saucepan and simmer/low boil to reduce. Baste chicken with juice and serve the rest on the side.
Side dish serving suggestions for slow roasted chicken you might like…
Colcannon (Irish Mashed Potatoes)
Haricots Verts (French Green Beans)
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Absolutely delicious!!!!!!! 5 stars. I didn’t let mine sit overnight, just rubbed it down and baked it for 4 hours. Falling off the bone tender and that broth that it renders is wonderful. Will make this often. Thank you for sharing this.
Hi Peggy,
So happy to receive your comment and hear that you like the roasted chicken recipe. I am definitely going to follow your suggestion and bake without sitting overnight.
Thanks for stopping back and leaving your comment!
Kindly, Lorraine
I'm catching up with my blog friends after being away from home for nearly two months. This recipe sounds wonderful. I'm going to put it in the oven some Sunday soon so my home will smell as wonderful as yours when we walk in! Thank you for sharing it with us.
~Adrienne~
Oh my. No more rotisserie chickens from the grocery store for me. This will be my new go to recipe. Thank you !!
I love chicken, this one looks really good
This sounds absolutely wonderful…now I am hungry for chicken made like this!!! You are so right about walking into a house and that smell of a rich chicken dinner rolling towards you. Love it, Lorraine. Thanks—I can almost smell that from here. xo Diana