A meal that’s always in our rotation is Oven Roasted Chicken. It’s really quick to prep, very affordable, and a dinner that everyone likes. It’s my go-to meal for company dinners or weeknights when I need to get something on the table without much effort.
While I love roasting a whole chicken, my usual choice is drumsticks and bone-in thighs. They are the cheapest cut to buy so if you’re feeding a group is the perfect option. Another advantage of thighs and drumsticks is that you can roast them until they are nice and tender without drying out the meat.
Oven Roasted Chicken Recipe
This is more of a method than a recipe. You should figure on 2 pieces of chicken per person plus a few extra. If there are leftovers you can have them for lunch as is or make chicken salad.
- 2 chicken pieces, (bone-in thighs and drumsticks) per person plus a few extra
- salt, ground black pepper, or seasoning of choice
Start by preheating your oven to 425 degree and lining a large baking sheet with parchment paper. If you are roasting a lot of chicken go ahead and prep two baking sheets. You want to have the chicken in a single layer, they can be touching if needed but not stacked. The parchment paper will keep the chicken from sticking and make cleanup so much easier. I buy this brand in bulk and use it all the time, it’s my favorite kitchen hack!
Prep the chicken pieces
Tip the chicken out onto the parchment lined baking sheet and separate the pieces. Check for any extra skin or fat and trim that off. I use kitchen scissors for this job and put them straight into the dishwasher as soon as I’m done. Also I check for any feathers that were left on the pieces, especially the drumsticks. This is a gross job but necessary.
I know this is controversial but I don’t wash chicken before I cook it. My thinking is that I’m about to cook it so any germs or bacteria will be killed. Washing or rinsing raw chicken increases the risk of spreading bacteria to the sink and surrounding area. If you prefer, go ahead and wash the chicken after trimming it then pat it dry. Be sure to scrub down your sink really well.
Season it up!
Now you’re going to season the chicken. I often just use classic salt and black pepper. My Cajun Seasoning or Garlic and Herb Seasoning are great options too. Feel free to use whatever you like best or have on hand. As long as you season the chicken really well you’re good to go. I usually turn all the pieces skin side down, season them, turn them skin side up and season again. With any kitchen chore like this I use one hand to work with the chicken or whatever raw meat I’m prepping and the other hand to season. This way I’m not stopping to wash my hands between steps.
Roasting the chicken
Once you have seasoned the chicken and arranged it in a single layer, it’s time to roast it. If you have one baking sheet, put it in on a rack in the center of the oven. If you opted for 2 sheets, arrange the racks to divide the oven into thirds and put a baking sheet on each rack. The chicken needs to roast for an hour. With 2 baking sheets going, you will need to swap racks halfway through roasting so they brown evenly. Sometimes I rotate the sheets because the back of my oven is hotter than the front. It’s also ok to just put the sheets in the oven, set your timer, and walk away. This is a really hands-off dinner that never fails me.
Once the hour roasting time is up, pull the chicken out and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes. You can check the temperature with a meat thermometer if you’d like. Here’s the kind of meat thermometer I use. the chicken should read 165 degrees. Another advantage of drumsticks and bone-in thighs is that even if the temperature is higher the meat won’t be dry.
Dinner is served!
All that’s left to do is serve up your delicious Oven Roasted Chicken! I like to serve it with potatoes of some sort. Mashed potatoes are always a favorite. If you have room on the baking sheets you can roast potatoes along with the chicken pieces. Just toss large pieces of potatoes with a bit of oil and salt and black pepper before tucking around the chicken. You don’t even need to peel the potatoes as long as you scrub them clean first. We like to have Creamy Potatoes and Green Beans with it sometimes. In the summer I serve Oven Roasted Chicken with Grandma’s Potato Salad and watermelon. You just can’t go wrong with this simple, classic, and affordable meal!
Oven Roasted Chicken
Ingredients
- chicken drumsticks or bone-in thighs 2 per person plus a few extra
- salt, black pepper, seasoning of choice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use 2 baking sheets if needed. Chicken should easily fit in a single layer so a larger amount of chicken will need to roast on 2 baking sheets.
- Tip chicken out of the package and trim off any extra fat or skin. Check for feathers and remove if needed. If desired wash chicken and pat dry. Arrange skin side down on the parchment paper.
- Season well with salt and black pepper or seasoning of your choice. Flip each piece over skin side up and season well. Arrange chicken pieces in a single layer.
- Bake for 1 hour, in center of oven if using 1 baking sheet or evenly spaced racks if using 2 sheets. Swap positions of trays halfway through baking if you have 2 trays so the chicken cooks and browns evenly. Chicken should register 165° with a meat thermometer if used.
