Simple Whole Roasted Chicken

See how to make a simple roasted chicken that’s very moist and flavorful. See more

READY IN 1+ days

Simple Whole Roasted Chicken

Read Reviews (592)

"The combination of unique ingredients make this chicken dish delicious. It roasts beautifully and is surprisingly fast once it's in the oven. I serve this with the Chimichurri Sauce I found on Allrecipes, and I can't get enough! Plus the leftovers are fantastic for sandwiches, salads, and Mexican dishes." — INDRIANI

Directions

In a bowl, mix the salt, sugar, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Rub the chicken with the mixture. Cover chicken, and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).
Stuff the chicken cavity with the garlic. Place the chicken, breast side down, on a rack in a roasting pan.
Roast 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce heat to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C), and continue roasting 15 minutes. Baste chicken with pan drippings, reduce heat to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C), and continue roasting 30 minutes, to an internal temperature of 180 degrees F (85 degrees C). Let stand 20 minutes before serving.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 15 mins
COOK 1 hr
READY IN 1 day 1 hr 35 mins

Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Sep 04, 2006

This is only the 2nd time in my life making a whole roasted chicken (because I find them too dry and bland to bother), but after using *this* recipe it may just become a weekly occaision! Not only was this easy to prepare and the flavour outstanding, this was the JUICIEST chicken I have ever eaten - anywhere! I am so impressed with this recipe, I'm going to try this rub/marinade and roasting method with my next holiday turkey. I think roasting it breast-side down may be the key in retaining the flavourful juices. My only changes were to double the spices and add an onion to the cavity with the garlic. Amazing chicken!

—KAITCH

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Oct 03, 2011

It was a standard roasted chicken, but I wasn't really a fan of the spices. I saw other reviews that shared my concern for the spices, but they said the chicken turned out great. So I gave it a go. I followed everything about the recipe except the cooking time (I do roasted chickens somewhat often, and have a cooking time that works great for me). It tasted like I should be eating pie, but I got chicken instead. I'll stick with my usual herb roasted chicken. But they do have it spot on about baking it breast-side-down and basting.

—mayflour

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746 Ratings

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Feb 12, 2008

Excellent recipe. I didnt realize I was out of allspice, so I substituted with dried rosemary and pepper. I put 1 cup of water in the bottom of the pan, with quartered potatoes, celery, onions and carrots. Cooked uncovered at 400 for 30 min and then 350 for 45 min. Once the skin was crispy, I covered with foil. It was so tender and juicy. A HIT!

—Denise R

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Nov 19, 2006

The savory aroma of the cooking chicken didn't disappoint the eater. My husband loved this roasted chicken. I doubled the spices as other reviewers recommended. I didn't marinade overnight... I just rubbed it in and put it in the oven. I also stuffed it with an onion. Husband has already requested for this chicken again. It was so easy. And the result was a hot, juicy and tender chicken.

—Jessie

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Sep 06, 2007

I am an extremely picky cooker and eater. My kids could not be pickier. I also love to cook and am considered to be pretty good at it. Having said this, this was the best chicken recipe I've ever made! I followed the advice to double the spices and I did marinate it overnight. I put the spices under the skin and rubbed them inside the bird as well. then I cut slits in the skin to make sure the flavors got in. Being concerned about the smoke issue, I used one of those stand up chicken cookers where you place the bird on two metal arches with a bowl in the middle to catch the juices. I cooked it at 350 for just over an hour and It was perfect. The only things I changed were I sprinkled garlic powder inside and out instead of crushing garlic and I basted it once with some melted butter.This recipe was a total sucess with not one morsel left over. The dogs were going crazy over the smell, but as cinnamon is bad for dogs we did not give them any. This is a great company dish and I plan to make it again this weekend when we have friends over. Absolute perfection!

—Patty M.

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Jan 13, 2006

AWESOME recipe! I just made it for the first time tripling the spices because I cut out the backbone to butterfly it (and put it under the skin for me to eat) coating both the inside and out, as well as under the skin and marinated in a zip bag only a few hours because that's all the time I had. I roasted a 4 lb chicken with the directions shown butterflied breast down with minced garlic on the inside of the breast, and it is EXCELLENT! My 9 year old even gobbled it up! DEFINATELY will make again and again.

—WATTYZ

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Aug 21, 2005

This recipe is good, my family loves it. At first I was a little hesitant to put sugar and cinnamon on meat, but I'm glad I did, because it's the best whole chicken recipe I've made.

—Kristina M

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Feb 15, 2008

WOW! We were having guests over and I wanted to serve more than just a basic roasted chicken. I followed advice and doubled the spices, no allspice though. I rubbed the mixture under the skin with the garlic and marinated for the recommended 24 hours. I baked it according to directions, and it came out delicious! The left-overs made a delicious and exotically spiced chicken soup. These are my only changes: #1 Double the spices, mix with grated garlic. #2 Rub under skin, marinate for 24 hours. This is my standard baked chicken now, thanks, Indriani!

—lakeffect

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Nutrition

Calories
387 kcal
19%

Carbohydrates
1.6 g
< 1%

Cholesterol
129 mg
43%

Fat
22.8 g
35%

Fiber
0.1 g
< 1%

Protein
41 g
82%

Sodium
900 mg
36%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Simple Whole Roasted Chicken

Serving Size: 1/6 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 387
Calories from Fat: 205

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 22.8g 35 %
Saturated Fat 6.4g 32 %
Cholesterol 129mg 43 %
Sodium 900mg 36 %
Potassium 371mg 10 %
Total Carbohydrates 1.6g < 1 %
Dietary Fiber 0.1g < 1 %
Protein 41g 82 %
** Sugars 0.7g
Vitamin A 3 %
Vitamin C 1 %
Calcium 3 %
Iron 22 %
Thiamin 10 %
Niacin 97 %
Vitamin B6 39 %
Magnesium 12 %
Folate 5 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.