This Cast Iron Skillet Roasted Whole Chicken Recipe will get you a delicious dinner on the table with only 1 pan to clean after! Roasting the whole chicken in a cast iron pan is so easy to do - plus you'll roast veggies in the same pan. This chicken turns out juicy, tender, and full of flavour - a naturally gluten-free supper the whole family will love.
You know when you see other people making recipes, like roasting whole chickens, and you're thinking: there's no way I could do that, or that's way to much work, or maybe ewww, I gotta touch that thing?! or a combination of all that?
I was 100% the same, always being intimidated with the thought of roasting a whole freakin' bird?!
Plus, my roasting pan is bulky and waaaaay up on my top shelf in my pantry. ie, not so convenient.
BUT, and this is a big chicken butt🐔, I have finally conquered this "me-no-roasty-chicken-thing" with the help of my amazing cast iron skillet!
Jump to:
That's the secret to WHY this roasted chicken recipe is so easy: because you'll roast the chicken in the cast iron pan.
More Cast Iron Skillet Recipes
📝Ingredients for whole roasted chicken
- 1 whole chicken - about 1.5 kg or 3 lbs. Sometimes called a "fryer chicken"
- Kosher salt
- Pepper
- Paprika
- Dried basil
- Dried oregano
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- 1 lemon - this you'll put inside the chicken when it's roasting
- 3 yellow skinned potatoes - for roasting in the cast iron pan with the chicken
- Green beans - same as above, for roasting with the chicken in the skillet. Could also use carrots (see below for other veggie options)
And this recipe works only for this smaller chicken - around 3 lbs or 1.5 kg. Anything much larger and you'll risk getting a dried out bird (eww.)
🔪Instructions
Dry the little chicken with paper towels to get a crispier skin.
Sprinkle the entire bird with Kosher salt. Mix up spice blend.
Rub spice blend into the skin of the bird. Add lemon wedges inside cavity and drizzle olive oil overtop. Place chicken into the cast iron pan, on top of prepared veggies.
Roast for approximately 55 minutes but check with an instant read thermometer and take out at about 165 degrees F. Let chicken rest before serving.
See more TIPS below to set you up for success.
💃Variations
Love garlic lots? Add some whole garlic cloves to the vegetables before roasting or stuff them right inside the bird.
Change up the spice - I do love this classic spice blend for this recipe but I want to change it up too. Next time, I'm going to use try the simple seasoning I use on this Cast Iron Skillet Chicken Breast or the spicer one on this Cast Iron Skillet Boneless Pork Chops with Homemade Spice Rub.
For the veggies - roasting the vegetables in the same pan as the chicken is such a great way to get an all-in-one pan meal. My favourite veggies to roast with this chicken recipe are potatoes and green beans. But I've roasted brussel sprouts, carrots, broccoli and sweet potatoes too! Almost veggie you have on hand will work with the chicken.
⏲️Make ahead tip
Working a day ahead? You can marinade the chicken the day before and keep it in the fridge. This way, you'll not only save some time the day you'll cook it but it also helps the dry spices get into and flavour the bird.
To make this chicken ahead of time, follow the recipe steps up to #4 - adding the dry rub marinade to the chicken.
Keep the chicken covered, in the fridge until you're ready to roast - up to overnight.
Then roast chicken as per instructions below - #5 and on.
🥡Make it a Meal Prep
Place the chicken, veggies and potatoes in meal prep containers and eat up within 3 days.
🍽️What to serve with roasted chicken
If you're looking for something else serve with the chicken, check out these side-dishes that go great with oven baked chicken:
- Oven Roasted Yellow Potatoes with Lemon Greek Yogurt Sauce
- Oven Roasted Cinnamon Sweet Potatoes (Cubed)
- Roasted Potatoes and Carrots Recipe {one pan!}
- Kale Salad with Cranberries
- Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan Cheese
Feeling festive? Really get into the holiday spirit by making this Sugar-Free Cranberry Pomegranate Sauce to serve with the chicken too😋
⏰How long to roast a chicken?
For roasting a whole chicken about 3 lbs or 1.5 kg, it will take about 1 hour to roast in an oven at 425 degrees F.
Personally, I prefer to use an instant read thermometer to check that the chicken has come to temperature.
A larger chicken will take longer and may dry out at the temperature for this recipe.
Top tips
Salt is KEY - I'm as salt conscious as the next dietitian and we don't want to over do it but for this roasted chicken recipe, I don't want you to be shy with the salt k? When you're salting it, use 4-5 fingers grabs of Kosher salt (about 1.5 tablespoon total). The measurement of regular table salt will be a little different
Dry dry DRY - patting down the whole chicken with paper towel before you add the salt and spices helps to get the skin as crisp as possible
Bring up to room temperature - if you think of it, take the whole chicken out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you want to roast it. Letting the chicken come to room temperature (or at least shake off the fridge chill) before roasting, makes it more likely you'll get an evenly cooked bird. Not a deal breaker at all but if you can, consider it
Don't baste!! Basting a small chicken like this will tend to make the skin soggy so resist the temptation
Let it rest, babe - this took me a while to get used to but it is worth it: once you take the chicken out of the oven, let it rest before cutting into it. This will allow the juices to go back into the meat (where they belong) giving you the juiciest, most delicious roasted whole chicken😋
Hope you love this recipe like we do❣️
~April
📖 Recipe
Cast Iron Skillet Whole Roasted Chicken
Equipment
- 1 Cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- 1 whole roasting chicken about 3 lbs (1.3kg)
- Kosher Salt about 1.5 tablespoon total
- pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 lemon
- 3 yellow skinned potatoes
- 4 carrots
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Pat chicken with a paper towel to remove any extra moisture.
- Salt generously with Kosher salt. Do it everywhere! All over the chicken, inside the cavity, wings, thigh, up, down and sideways.
- Mix up the spice blend. Rub into the chicken.
- Add cut potatoes and carrots to the cast iron pan. Place chicken on top.
- Drizzle 2 tablespoon of olive oil overtop of the chicken and rub all over. Place cut lemon wedges into the cavity of the chicken.
- Place the cast iron pan filled with chicken and vegetables into the pre-heated oven. Roast for ~55 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees F. Stir the vegetables around in the cast iron pan halfway.
- Let rest for about 10 minutes before serving. Carve away and serve with roasted vegetables.
Pinch says
Check the inside is cooked by poking in the end of a sharp knife – the juices should run clear. If not, keep cooking for another minute and check again
April says
Thanks for commenting!
Lynne says
This recipe was simple and delicious, I substituted what I had on hand, wedges of cabbage and onion with the carrots, and I added fresh rosemary. Chefs kiss! It came out perfectly juicy and flavorful.
April Saunders says
YUM! Thanks for commenting, Lynne. So glad you loved it and those additions sound delicious 🙂