Whether you’re a mom, busy teacher, corporate queen, or wear about 50 different hats, you likely have a list of boxes that your meals must check in order for you to put the time and energy into making them. That’s the genius of this chicken recipe… it checks ALL the boxes! This Tender Whole Roasted Chicken has been a favorite of mine for years now because it is simple, delicious, and yields an abundance of rotisserie style shredded chicken to utilize in dishes for the remainder of the week (roasted chicken today, enchiladas  or casserole tomorrow)!

Day 1 Chicken & Veggies

Day 2 Leftovers made into casserole (recipe on my Instagram)

Another major BONUS about this tasty recipe… it is a huge grocery bill saver!! This chicken recipe is super friendly on the wallet because purchasing the chicken itself costs only between $6-$8 and will service your meat needs for up to 3 evening meals… a way cheaper alternative to purchasing 3 nights worth of stand alone meats that run between $7-12 a piece! I used to be highly inept in the art of “meat math” and could easily drop over $30 a week on evening meal meats alone, but since having Brooks I have made it a priority to get creative with how to keep my grocery bills low while maintaining hearty meals each night!

If you’d like to see this recipe made in action step-by-step, head over to my Instagram page! I have this recipe and over 100 recipes saved on my highlights (dips, dressings, chicken meals, pork meals, turkey meals, beef meals, pasta dishes, Asian inspired, salads, meatless meals, soups, chili recipes, smoothies, cocktails, and more)! I have begun the tedious process of translating my Instagram highlight recipes into blog posts so that they can be viewed all in one place and with more detail. I hope this will make my recipes more accessible to you!

Oven Roasted Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 Whole Chicken (4-6 lbs)
• Olive Oil (for greasing the pan)
• Aromatics (for stuffing in the chicken – I recommend chopped red onion, sliced lemon, and chopped garlic. If you want a more fall inspired flavor, add chopped apple!)
• Veggies of choice to roast with chicken (I used cauliflower, brussel sprouts, and sweet potatoes!)
• 2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tbsp Honey

For the Herb Butter:

• 3 Tbsp softened butter
• 1 Tbsp minced shallot
• 1 tsp chopped chives
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning (Dry herb mix) OR 1 tsp dried rosemary + 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp minced garlic (or garlic powder)
• Few dashes of salt & cracked black pepper

As seen on my instagram story

As seen on my instagram story

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 and remove chicken from packaging. pat the chicken dry and remove giblets from center. cut a small slit on the top of the chicken and slide your fingers in between the skin and the meat so that the skin is in tact but loose!
2. Oil up a roasting pan (OR a cake pan – 9×13 or larger) and place the chicken in the center, right side up. Chop up your aromatics and stuff the chicken with them until full.
3. Prepare your herb butter by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl. Then, use a spoon to coat the entire chicken with this herb butter (making sure to spread the butter above AND beneath the skin on the top of the chicken)! You do not have to coat the belly because the butter will drip down to the pan and flavor the underside.
4. Sprinkle any remaining herbs over the top of the chicken and place in the oven to cook for 18-20 minutes (until the top is lightly browned).
5. WHILE THAT COOKS… Chop side veggies into quarter inch pieces and toss with a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper!
6. Remove chicken from the over once browned and reduce heat to 350. Pour chopped veggies around the sides of the chicken in the pan and drizzle balsamic vinegar and honey over the top.
7. Place the entire pan back in the oven to cook for another 45 minutes (if your chicken was on the larger side, go ahead and add a few more minutes on until the chicken is no longer pink when cut with a knife! **You may want to remove the pan and toss the veggies around halfway through to cook them more thoroughly!**
8. Remove, carve, serve, and enjoy tonight and for many nights to come!

This recipe is:

• Easy
• Cost-effective
• Yields an abundance for leftovers
• Flexible ingredients
• Delicious
• Fairly healthy!

One of my favorite things about this recipe is it’s flexibility. Flexibility in flavor profile, extra leftover use, and spending money at the store! I hope you will bring this delicious meal to your table this week, your family (husband AND kids) are sure to love it!!  For more recipes like this one, explore my recipes tab on the menu!

Have a WONDERFUL weekend!

Kelsie