Simple, comforting, and so delicious. This slow-roasted whole chicken recipe is juicy and tender, flavored with garlic, fresh thyme, and ground fennel.
Roasted chicken is a comfort food you can make year-round, and slow-roasting a whole chicken is one of the easiest cooking methods. The meat is fall-off-the-bone tender, without the need for any basting or rotating in the oven. You prepare the chicken, toss it in the oven and bake. That is it! You are going to love how simple yet delicious this recipe is.
Some sides that would pair well with this slow-roasted chicken are Mashed White Sweet Potatoes with Brown Butter, Rainbow Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary, Honey Roasted Rainbow Carrots, Gluten-Free Corn Casserole, and Parmesan Roasted Acorn Squash Recipe With Sage Brown Butter.
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Why you will love this easy recipe
Incredible flavor: This recipe is so flavorful! The chicken comes out incredibly juicy and tender. It will have you making this recipe over and over again.
Simple ingredients: A simple recipe with healthy ingredients that is packed with so much flavor.
No basting! The chicken is cooked undisturbed, and no basting or covering is required. Cooking with high heat can sometimes dry out the chicken breasts quickly, but slow roasting produces an even bake, with less moisture evaporating, creating an ultra-moist bird.
Cooking time
Roasting a chicken at a low temperature produces an amazing outcome! The chicken comes out tender and evenly cooked, but keep in mind that the cooking times vary depending on how hot your oven runs.
I've made this recipe several times and because our oven runs hot, it only takes 1 hour and 45 minutes for the chicken to cook to temperature, but it can take up to 3 hours depending on your oven. Therefore, I recommend checking the internal temperature of the chicken with an instant-read thermometer after 90 minutes of cooking to estimate how much longer it needs.
Ingredients
- Whole Chicken: Look for a high-quality chicken, organic and around 4-5 pounds in weight. If it’s smaller or larger, you’ll need to adjust the cooking time.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Helps to brown and crisp the skin while maintaining the chicken's moisture.
- Fresh Thyme: Fresh herbs add so much flavor. You'll use the fresh thyme in both the rub mixture and inside the cavity. Another great option would be fresh rosemary. If using dried herbs, remember for every tablespoon of fresh herbs, use only a teaspoon of dried herbs.
- Garlic: Slice the garlic bulb in half and run 3 cloves through a garlic press for the rub mixture. Stuff the remaining bulb inside the cavity, don't worry about peeling.
- Ground Fennel: Mild, sweet flavor with notes of licorice.
- Red Pepper Flakes: Just a pinch of spice to help balance the sweetness.
- Salt + Black Pepper: There's plenty of salt and pepper to help enhance all of the flavors.
- Lemon: A fresh halved lemon inside the cavity adds a ton of flavor to the chicken and pan juices, which can be used for gravy.
Instructions
- Bring the chicken to room temperature. One hour before cooking, remove the chicken from the refrigerator. Discard the neck and giblets inside the cavity, and pat the chicken dry with paper towels. You want the chicken to be as dry as possible. Place the chicken on a large plate to rest at room temperature.
- Create the rub mixture. Preheat the oven to 300ºF. Cut the garlic bulb in half crosswise. Squeeze out 3 garlic cloves and run them through a garlic press. Place the pressed garlic into a small bowl. Add the olive oil, minced thyme, ground fennel, red pepper flakes, 1 ½ teaspoons of salt, and black pepper. Stir the rub mixture together with a spoon and set the bowl aside.
- Evenly coat the chicken and stuff the cavity. Place the chicken in a cast iron skillet or roasting pan breast side up. Salt and pepper the inside of the cavity. Grab the rub mixture. Evenly coat the chicken spooning the mixture on both the back and front of the chicken, inside the cavity, and under the skin of the breasts. Make sure to really get under the skin to coat the breasts for maximum flavor.
- Stuff the cavity and truss the legs. Slice the lemon in half and stuff one-half of the lemon inside the cavity along with the remaining garlic bulb (peel included), and several sprigs of thyme. Pull the wing tips back and truss the legs with kitchen twine.
- Bake. Place the chicken in the oven, on the middle rack, and roast for a total of 1 hour and 45 minutes or up to 3 hours. After 90 minutes, check the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer placed in the thickest part of the inner thigh. It should read 165°F and the juices should run clear. *Optional* Once the chicken reaches 165°F, broil for 2-3 minutes to ensure extra crispy deep golden brown skin. Watch carefully to avoid the chicken from burning.
- Let the chicken rest. Remove from the oven and allow the chicken to rest in the skillet for 15-20 minutes. On a large carving board, carefully carve the chicken and then transfer it to a serving platter.
Tips for the best slow-roasted chicken
- Bring the chicken to room temperature. This will help the chicken to cook more quickly and evenly.
- Pat the chicken dry. Removing excess moisture from the chicken will crisp up the skin.
- Rub the mixture under the skin. Make sure to get under the skin to coat the breasts for maximum flavor.
- Use a meat thermometer. Every oven is different and it may take a longer or shorter time to fully cook your chicken. To ensure cooking safety I recommend inserting a meat thermometer into the chicken, similar to a turkey, for reliability.
- Broil at the end. Slow roasting a chicken produces less crispy skin compared to cooking at a higher heat, but a quick broil at the end gives a last-minute crisp and golden brown color.
- Rest before carving. The chicken will continue to cook internally for several minutes after it is removed from the oven. The resting period will allow the cooking process to complete, and to seal in the savory chicken juices.
Storage
To store: You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
FAQ
For this slow-roasted chicken recipe, you will roast the chicken uncovered.
There is no need to baste the chicken. Slow roasting will create a tender moist chicken and produce a golden brown skin.
It depends on how hot your oven runs, but it can take as little as 90 minutes up to 3 hours to fully cook.
Recipe
Slow Roasted Whole Chicken with Fennel and Thyme
Ingredients
- 4-5 pound whole chicken, giblets removed, and patted dry
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, (45 ml)
- 1 whole garlic bulb, divided
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, minced, plus 8 sprigs for the cavity
- 1½ teaspoons salt, plus more for the cavity
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, plus more for the cavity
- 2 teaspoons ground fennel
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 lemon, sliced in half for the cavity
Instructions
- Bring the chicken to room temperature. One hour before cooking, remove the chicken from the refrigerator. Discard the neck and giblets inside the cavity, and pat the chicken dry with paper towels. You want the chicken to be as dry as possible. Place the chicken on a large plate to rest at room temperature.
- Create the rub mixture. Preheat the oven to 300ºF. Cut the garlic bulb in half crosswise. Squeeze out 3 garlic cloves and run them through a garlic press. Place the pressed garlic into a small bowl. Add the olive oil, minced thyme, ground fennel, red pepper flakes, 1½ teaspoons of salt, and black pepper. Stir the rub mixture together with a spoon and set the bowl aside.
- Evenly coat the chicken and stuff the cavity. Place the chicken in a cast iron skillet or roasting pan breast side up. Salt and pepper the inside of the cavity. Grab the rub mixture. Evenly coat the chicken spooning the mixture on both the back and front of the chicken, inside the cavity, and under the skin of the breasts. Make sure to really get under the skin to coat the breasts for maximum flavor.
- Stuff the cavity and truss the legs. Slice the lemon in half and stuff one-half of the lemon inside the cavity along with the remaining garlic bulb (peel included), and several sprigs of thyme. Pull the wing tips back and truss the legs with kitchen twine.
- Bake. Place the chicken in the oven, on the middle rack, and roast for a total of 1 hour and 45 minutes or up to 3 hours. After 90 minutes, check the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer placed in the thickest part of the inner thigh. It should read 165°F and the juices should run clear. *Optional* Once the chicken reaches 165°F, broil for 2-3 minutes to ensure extra crispy deep golden brown skin. Watch carefully to avoid the chicken from burning.
- Let the chicken rest. Remove from the oven and allow the chicken to rest in the skillet for 15-20 minutes. On a large carving board, carefully carve the chicken and then transfer it to a serving platter.
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