Moist Roasted Whole Chicken

CarrolJ's Note:

I found a version of this recipe online somewhere and used it to take a roasted chicken to church for a special sampling of foods you can get from ordering foods from Angel Food Ministries. (http://www.angelfoodministries.com/) Everyone raved about it and since I am going to roast one for home today I decided to add the recipe here too. This is a well seasoned bird which is cooked with high heat for the first 20 minutes then cooked the remaining 40-50 minutes at a lower temperature. This makes the chicken nice and moist and very flavorful. It's easy and quick to prepare as well.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 15 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Serves: 4-6

Yield: 1.0 whole c ...

• 1 -3 lb roasting chicken
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon paprika

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees before starting to prepare the chicken.
2. Place the whole chicken into a medium sized baking pan.
3. Rub the entire bird with the olive oil.
4. In a small bowl combine the salt, pepper, oregano, basil, and paprika, then sprinkle evenly over chicken.
5. In the preheated oven bake the chicken for 20 minutes.
6. Lower the oven to 400 degrees.
7. Continue baking for 40-50 minutes, or until golden brown and juices run clear.
8. If your chicken looks like it is browning too quickly, Lay a sheet of tin foil over the top loosely and it will slow down the browning for you.
9. Let the chicken rest in it's juices for at least 10 minutes before carving and serving. (This let's the bird reabsorb some of the juices and helps to make it even more moist.).

Reviews

[Marie]

Absolutely fabulous recipe! I added just a small amount of chicken broth to the bottom of the pan before baking By skimming off the fat in the drippings when done, you will have a delicious sauce to pour over the cut up chicken . I also used Italian seasoning instead of basil and oregano and the flavor was superb. Going into my "WOW" cookbook and will be made many more times. Thanks so much.

[JoJo723]

OMG this turned out PERFECT! HAS to be the best roasted chicken I've ever made and my family agreed. DH laughed that the word "moist" is in the title but after he tasted it agreed that it is true...it was very moist! I also tossed some cubed potatoes and baby carrots in some olive oil and the same herbs used on the chicken, poured them around the chicken to bake, and they turned out great also. Full meal in a pan...my favorite kind!

[crzydsy]

Simply AMAZING! How is it that this recipe isn't the most popular? I, too, have tried many ways of roasting and this is THE BEST! We all have our own spice blends for dry rubs. So, of course we changed the flavor of this recipe but the cooking technique that CarrolJ describes here is the best you will EVER try. It came out even better than the rotisserie we usually use! The skin is crispy and the inside is VERY MOIST! Letting it rest 10-15 minutes before carving is critical to achieving the desired results. Pairs really well with the roasted potatoes that others have described, though we roasted them on a separate cookie sheet during the last half of the cooking time.