​How to Roast a Chicken: A Perfect Roasted Chicken Recipe, Step By Step by LET’S EAT: Recipes for Kids Who Cook

Roast chicken may seem like an impossibly difficult thing to cook, but honestly, it’s one of the easiest meals ever. Just a few steps and then pop it in the oven. That’s it!

Keeping things clean is the most important part of cooking chicken. Be sure to work on a plastic cutting board that can be cleaned with hot water and disinfect any areas or tools that come in contact with raw chicken. Now wash your hands. No, really, wash them again, before and after you touch raw chicken. Note: You’ll need a meat thermometer and a 13x9-inch roasting pan with sides at least 1 inch high.

To make this perfect roasted chicken recipe you will need a whole chicken, a lemon, bulb or garlic, olive oil, ground sage, sea salt and black pepper. Serve the chicken for dinner with your favorite side dishes.

Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 1/2 to 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours and 20 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 4- to 6-pound whole chicken, thawed if frozen
• 1 organic lemon
• 1 organic garlic bulb
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons ground sage
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Recipe Notes

• Teach kids how to wash their hands often, especially when touching raw food.

Here's how to make it: 

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees Celsius).
2. Drain any liquid from inside your chicken and place it breast side up in a roasting pan with sides at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) high.
3. Cut the lemon into 4 pieces. Take the garlic bulb and cut it widthwise so every clove is cut in half. Open the chicken’s legs and push the lemons and garlic bulb into the chicken’s cavity (that’s the big open space inside).
4. Pour the olive oil over the outside of the chicken and spread it evenly over the chicken with your hands. Now wash your hands.
5. Sprinkle the sage, salt and pepper over the outside of the chicken. Use your hands to rub these all around the chicken evenly. Now wash your hands again.
6. Place the chicken in the pan on the middle rack of the oven and set your timer for 30 minutes. When the timer goes off, turn the oven heat down to 375 degrees F (190 degrees Celsius) and let it roast for another 45 minutes.
7. Check the chicken for doneness with a meat thermometer. Using oven mitts, remove the roasting pan from the oven so that you can reach all parts of the chicken safely. Place the sensor portion of the thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken’s thigh. The chicken is cooked when the thermometer reads at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees Celcius). Double-check the temperature by inserting it in the fattest part of the breast as well. If the chicken isn’t done after this amount of time, put it back in the oven and check the temperature every 10 to 15 minutes until it’s done.
8. Once the chicken is fully cooked, using oven mitts, remove it from the oven and place the roasting pan on a heat-proof surface to let the chicken rest for at least 10 minutes. This lets all the juices settle into the meat. Turn off the oven!
9. Now the chicken is ready to eat! If you’re going to store the chicken in the fridge for using in other recipes, be sure it cools completely to room temperature first, then remove the meat from the bones and store in an airtight container in the fridge.
   

Recipe cooking times, nutritional information and servings are approximate and provided for your convenience. However, 30Seconds is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe, nor may you have the same results because of variations in ingredients, temperatures, altitude, errors, omissions or cooking/baking abilities. This recipe has been analyzed by HappyForks. However, any nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and it is up to the individual to ascertain accuracy. To ensure image quality, we may occasionally use stock photography.

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