Paleo/Keto
A closeup of Weeknight Roast Chicken on a wooden cutting board next to a ramekin of pan drippings.

This simple, foolproof oven roasted whole chicken recipe is perfect for weeknight dinners!

A closeup of Weeknight roasted chicken on a wooden cutting board next to a pan dripping ramekin.

A super simple recipe for oven roasted whole chicken!

Who says roasting chicken is exclusively a weekend affair? Survey says… NONE, especially with this simple and satisfying weeknight roast chicken recipe. It comes straight from the food nerds new cookbook The American Test Kitchen, The Cook’s Illustrated Meat Book: The Revolutionary Guide That Teaches You How to Cook Meat and Poultry with 425 Bulletproof Recipes.

A shot of the cover of Cook's Illustrated Meat BookA shot of the cover of Cook's Illustrated Meat Book

This carnivore-pleasing tome is not the first ATK book in my collection. Over the years I have accumulated more than 30 of their books. (I’ve lost count, actually.) I don’t like to think of myself as a hoarder; I just can’t resist the lure of guaranteed-to-be-amazing recipes that have been tested dozens of times. The ATK crew did all the tweaking and testing so you and I can follow their recipes knowing that even stupid people like us can’t mess things up too much.

A large stack of Cook's Illustrated and America's Test Kitchen cookbooks with a Mini Michelle action figure in the center.A large stack of Cook's Illustrated and America's Test Kitchen cookbooks with a Mini Michelle action figure in the center.

Another winner, chicken dinner winner from ATK!

ATK’s dishes are always solid, but his recipe for Weeknight Roasted Chicken is a real game-changer. No fancy ingredients or techniques needed; just take a whole chicken, salt, pepper, a little fat, a piece of string and a meat thermometerAND SOON-CHANGE-O!—in less than 5 minutes the chicken will be ready for the oven.

Best of all, The book of flesh reveals the secret to moist chicken: turn off the oven halfway through cooking.

An overhead image of paleo and Whole30 Weeknight roasted chicken with browned skin on a wooden cutting boardAn overhead image of paleo and Whole30 Weeknight roasted chicken with browned skin on a wooden cutting board

I tried it. Works. It is brilliant.

How to prepare whole chicken in the oven

Place the oven rack in the center position, place a 12 inch baking pan on it, close the oven door and turn the heat up to 450°F.

Place a cold skillet in the oven to make weeknight roast chicken, a paleo dinner, and Whole30 chickenPlace a cold skillet in the oven to make weeknight roast chicken, a paleo dinner, and Whole30 chicken

Mix salt and pepper in a small bowl and take the melted ghee.

Close up of a small ramekin filled with salt and pepper for seasoning roast chicken during the weekClose up of a small ramekin filled with salt and pepper for seasoning roast chicken during the week

Dry the chicken with paper towels.

Someone dries a whole raw chicken with paper towels to make a simple roast chicken recipeSomeone dries a whole raw chicken with paper towels to make a simple roast chicken recipe

Truly. Don’t skip this part. Nobody likes handling a plain chicken.

Trim off any excess fat around the open cavity and trim away any extra skin.

Trimming excess fat from the cavity of raw whole chicken in preparation for Whole30 roast chickenTrimming excess fat from the cavity of whole raw chicken in preparation for Whole30 Roasted Chicken

(If you happen to spot any remaining feathers, just pluck them. Don’t be picky with me.)

Brush the entire surface of the bird with melted ghee. If your chicken is still cold from sitting in the fridge, the ghee may clump up a bit upon contact with the bird, but it’s not a big deal.

Brush melted ghee over a whole raw chicken on a gray cutting board to make healthy weeknight roast chickenBrush melted ghee over a whole raw chicken on a gray cutting board to make healthy weeknight roast chicken

Do you see my face? It’s not a worried expression.

Michelle Tam spreads melted ghee on a whole raw chicken to make paleo roast chickenMichelle Tam spreads melted ghee on a whole raw chicken to make paleo roast chicken

Sprinkle the salt and pepper mixture all over the surface and inside of the bird. Then massage the dressing with your hands.

Sprinkle salt and pepper on a whole raw chicken for weeknight roast chickenSprinkle salt and pepper on a whole raw chicken for weeknight roast chicken

Place the chicken wings behind your back to prevent them from burning in the oven…

Tuck the wings behind the back of a whole raw chicken to make Whole30 weeknight roast chickenTuck the wings behind the back of a whole raw chicken to make Whole30 weeknight roast chicken

…and tie the legs together with a piece of kitchen twine.

Using kitchen twine to tie the legs of a Weeknight roast chicken Using kitchen twine to tie the legs of a Weeknight roast chicken

Delicate, right?

Now the bird is ready for the oven. Place the bird in the hot pan in the oven breast side up. Remember your pan is hot, don’t burn your hand.

A whole raw chicken is placed breast side up in a hot pan in the oven A whole raw chicken is placed breast side up in a hot pan in the oven

Roast the chicken until the chicken breasts reach 120°F and the thighs reach 135°F, about 25 to 35 minutes. (If you haven’t already invested an instant read thermometer, I recommend you do it. It’s a great insurance policy against ruined dinners.)

Checking the temperature of a Weeknight roast chicken.  The meat thermometer shows 120 F on the display.Checking the temperature of a Weeknight roast chicken.  The meat thermometer shows 120 F on the display.

Turn oven off immediately, leaving chicken inside until breast reaches 160°F and thighs are 175°F, about another 25 to 35 minutes. Again, use your meat thermometer to check that your bird is done.

Remove from the oven a healthy and easy weeknight roast chicken in a skillet.Remove from the oven a healthy and easy weeknight roast chicken in a skillet.

Remove the chicken from the pan and let it rest for 20 minutes.

Using a spatula to drip juices from the Weeknight Roasted Chicken into a skillet.Using a spatula to drip juices from the Weeknight Roasted Chicken into a skillet.

I used a pair of tongs to transfer the roasted chicken from the pan to the plate, but I found that the teeth of my tongs tore the beautifully crispy, golden skin. The solution? Now I insert the handle end of a sturdy wooden spoon or spatula into the cavity of the bird to lift it up and out and to drain any excess juices from inside the chicken.

The handle of a wooden spatula is used to help the juices from the Weeknight roast chicken flow into a pan.The handle of a wooden spatula is used to help the juices from the Weeknight roast chicken flow into a pan.

While the chicken rests…

Rest the Weeknight roast chicken on a cutting board.Rest the Weeknight roast chicken on a cutting board.

…we have time to prepare a quick pan sauce!

Remove all but 1 tablespoon of fat from pan. Leave the extra Right and brown bits in the pan. Then, she heats the contents of the pan over medium-high heat. When the liquid begins to boil, add the shallots. Cook the shallots until softened.

    Four shots showing how to make pan sauce for a whole oven-roasted chicken.    Four shots showing how to make pan sauce for a whole oven-roasted chicken.

Then pour in the broth and mustard, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Simmer until reduced to ¾ cup.

Four sequential shots showing someone adding broth and mustard to a pan sauce.Four sequential shots showing someone adding broth and mustard to a pan sauce.

When the sauce is ready, remove it from the heat. Take cold butter or ghee (use the latter if you’re on a Whole30!) and slowly whisk it into the sauce along with the lemon juice and chopped tarragon. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Adding cold ghee and herbs to a pan sauce for an oven-roasted whole chicken.Adding cold ghee and herbs to a pan sauce for an oven-roasted whole chicken.

Serve the chicken with the sauce!

A whole oven-roasted chicken sits on a cutting board next to a white bowl filled with pan sauce.A whole oven-roasted chicken sits on a cutting board next to a white bowl filled with pan sauce.

Voila: the perfect roast chicken!

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