How to Roast a Chicken

Since I have been waiting on some supplies I ordered to come in for my next project, I've had time to do a bit more cooking. Nothing crazy just good easy food for dinner & dessert. For years on a lazy night I used to buy an already done & delicious rotisserie chicken at our local store for dinner. They are good, and a decent price and there is literally no work involved.
But roasting a chicken in your home is so much better, and let me tell you why.
First of all its cooking (I know that's a bad word to some) I find it to be fun, as long as whatever I'm making comes out great! Its therapeutic to me. Then there is the smell, well a roasted anything smells good, but roasting a chicken fills your home with pure comfort. Also it tastes so much better than the store bought, believe me, & best of all it's so easy!

This is how I roast a chicken...

...with this! Not very attractive, I know.


I inherited this beauty from my mom before she and my dad turned into fishetarians. It's cooked a lot of birds over the years and never disappoints. I call it the Chicken Stand but it has a real name "Vertical Poultry Roaster" and it is the secret to my roasted chicken. Mine is just stainless steel and a pain to clean but worth it. Roasting a chicken can make a mess of your pan too, the pan I use is always the same beaten up jelly roll pan with all those lovely baked on stains. If you want to line a pan with foil for easy clean up that would be very smart but I don't mind a little cleaning.

I rinse the whole chicken approx 4 1/2 lbs. in cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. I buy organic poultry not only for health purposes but I have found from cooking non organic ones that they taste much better, and that's worth the extra $5 to me.
I put that pretty bird on her stand then mix up a rub. I use about 4 to 5 Tbsp of olive oil or melted butter in a bowl and mix in about one tsp each chopped fresh rosemary and thyme, since I grow both in the back yard, but I have used dried herbs before and that works too.


I add in about 1/2 tsp coarse salt, 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper, 1 tsp paprika, fresh crushed garlic to taste (or 1/2 tsp dried garlic).


Mix it up and its time to get your hands dirty. I use my hands to rub this mixture of "yum" all over the birds skin making sure to cover it all so every bit will taste epic.


This is what she looks like as she goes in. You may notice the metal object sticking out of her. Well I never trust any roast to time or look, I always cook according to my meat thermometer. I stick the meat thermometer into the thickest part of the breast making sure not to touch any bone.

I set mine to go off at 175 degrees which can take about 1 - 1/2 hours for that size bird in a 375 degree oven.

Voila! Roast Chicky.