Whole Roast Chicken — Crispy in 75 Minutes
Pat the chicken dry, salt inside and out, rub with soft herb butter, half a lemon and garlic in the cavity. Breast up on vegetables in a tray, 200 °C, 75 minutes for 1.5 kg. Done at 75 °C in the thigh. Rest 15 minutes, then carve — or the juices run out.
A whole roast chicken is the Sunday dinner with the best ratio of work to impression: 10 minutes of preparation, then the oven does everything. It costs less than four chicken breasts, tastes better, and the bones make Monday's stock. The only things you need to know: the core temperature and the resting time. A chicken forgives everything else.
Ingredients
- 1 piece Whole chicken (about 1.5 kg)
- 60 g Butter (soft)
- 2 tsp Salt
- Pepper
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 4 sprigs Thyme
- 1 piece Lemon
- 1 piece Garlic bulb (halved)
- 800 g Potatoes (in wedges)
- 3 pieces Carrots
- 2 pieces Onions
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 2 dl Stock
Method
- 1
Prepare the chicken
Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Pat the chicken thoroughly dry inside and out. Salt the cavity, put half the lemon, half the garlic bulb and 2 thyme sprigs inside. Tie the legs together with kitchen string.
- 2
Rub
Mix the butter with salt, pepper, paprika and the remaining thyme leaves. Carefully loosen the breast skin with your fingers and push a third of the butter underneath. Spread the rest over the whole bird.
- 3
Vegetables
Toss the potatoes, carrot pieces and onion wedges with oil and salt and spread in a roasting tin. Add the remaining lemon and garlic. Set the chicken breast up on top, pour in the stock.
- 4
Roast
Roast 75 minutes in the lower half of the oven. Baste once with the juices after 40 minutes. Done when the core temperature in the thickest part of the thigh reaches 75 °C and the juices run clear when pierced.
- 5
Rest and carve
Chicken onto a board, cover loosely with foil, rest 15 minutes. Remove the legs, cut the breast away along the breastbone and slice. Serve with the vegetables and juices from the tin.
Tips
- Do not throw away the carcass: simmer 2 hours with onion, carrot, celery and bay, strain — 1.5 litres of stock for the next soup or risotto.
- Salted overnight and left uncovered in the fridge, the skin turns noticeably crisper. Season on Saturday evening, into the oven on Sunday.
- Monday's leftovers: chicken salad, chicken curry, fried rice, sandwiches. A 1.5 kg chicken gives four portions on Sunday and two on Monday.
What can I substitute?
The skin crisps just the same, slightly less golden. With lemon and rosemary, the Italian version.
Rosemary is stronger — chopped into the butter. Mix dried herbs straight into the butter.
Stale bread under the chicken soaks up the juices and turns soft underneath, crisp on top. No joke — try it.
Nutrition per serving
Estimated from the ingredients.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a whole chicken need in the oven?
At 200 °C about 45 minutes per kilo plus 15 minutes — so 75 to 80 minutes for 1.5 kg. Only the core temperature is reliable: 75 °C in the thickest part of the thigh, not touching bone. A thermometer costs 10 francs and prevents raw or dry chicken for good.
Why does the breast dry out while the thighs are still raw?
The breast is done at 72 °C, the thighs only at 75 °C, and the breast sits on top in the heat. The butter under the skin protects it, and roasting in the lower half of the oven helps. To be safe, do not tie the legs — then they cook faster.
Should you wash a chicken before roasting?
No — that just spreads bacteria around the sink. The oven kills everything. Just pat dry, and wash your hands thoroughly afterwards.
How much does a whole roast chicken cost per person?
A Swiss 1.5 kg chicken costs 12 to 18 CHF at Migros or Coop, depending on the label. With vegetables and potatoes about 4 to 5 CHF per person for four — plus leftovers and a stock.
How you collect recipes
Paste a link
Copy the address of any recipe page — including this one. Ingredients, amounts and steps are recognised automatically.
Photograph a cookbook
Take a photo of a page from your cookbook. Even handwritten recipes from your grandmother get read.
Pull from Cookidoo
Got a Thermomix? Your Cookidoo recipes come into your collection with one click.
