Roasting a whole chicken is one of my favourite budget friendly ways to prepare chicken for use in a range of dishes. As a bonus you can also make your own chicken stock from the chicken carcass and bones, plus some veggie scraps (I keep a bag of veggie scraps in my freezer to use for this).
How to roast a whole chicken in a turbo oven
This is my favourite method! I picked up a turbo oven (convection oven) for about $20 on Facebook marketplace a few years ago, but you can also buy one new for not very much at all.
Instructions:
- Clean and dry a whole chicken (make sure the cavity of chicken is empty).
- Put chicken on a plate, breast side up and season + rub in your favourite seasonings. I often use salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika as my base. You don’t need to add any oil for this recipe.
- Place the chicken on the low rack of the turbo oven breast side down to allow air to circulate. Cooking it breast side down will help keep the meat juicy.
- Season the top of the chicken with same seasonings and rub across all sides.
- Optional but delicious: Wash and cut a small lemon in half and add to cavity of the chicken. This will help keep meat extra juicy and add flavour.
- Put the lid on your turbo oven and set your temp and cook time. I typically cook a 1.5 – 2kg chicken for about 1 hour and 30 minutes total on 200C. Make sure to stick around whilst cooking this, or set a timer on your phone, as most turbo ovens have a max timer of 60 minutes when they switch off, so you’ll have to reset to add 30 mins.
- Avoid burning the top: You can flip your chicken half way through to crips up both sides, but I usually don’t. Instead I use an extender metal ring (see photo below) for the last 30 mins of cook time to move heat up and avoid burning the top of the chicken while it finishes cooking.
- Check internal temp in a few spots with a meat thermometer to ensure your chicken is fully cooked (internal temp in thickest part of chicken should be 75-80 degrees C).
- Rest: Let the chicken rest for 10–15 minutes before carving to keep it juicy
- Bonus: You can use the juices in the bottom of the turbo oven to make gravy or add to you chicken stock.
Making chicken stock
You can then remove meat from bones and carcass and make chicken stock in the Instant Pot or in a pot on your stove. When your stock is finished cooking, strain it and let it cool. Keep in airtight container in your fridge for 2-3 days or freeze for up to 2-3 months.
How to cook a roast chicken in the oven
If I don’t have access to a turbo oven, I prefer to use oven bags to reduce mess and ensure the chicken is juicy. Unfortunately, your chicken wont have the crispy top if you cook it this way, but it’s a super easy way to cook your first chicken if you’re new to this.
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 180-200 degrees (Celcius).
- Season your chicken with your preferred seasonings, I often use salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika as my base.
- Optional but delicious: Wash and cut a small lemon in half and add to cavity of the chicken. This will help keep meat extra juicy and add flavour.
- Add seasoned chicken to oven bag and close bag as per package instructions.
- Place bag on roasting dish or oven tray big enough that the chicken does not hang over the sides.
- Make small holes on top of bag (just follow instructions on package of your oven bags).
- Cook for 20-25 mins per 500g weight (example: 1.5 kg chicken needs to cook for about 1 h – 1h15 mins at 200C)
- Check internal temp in a few spots with a meat thermometer to ensure your chicken is fully cooked (internal temp in thickest part of chicken should be 75-80 degrees C).
- Rest: Let the chicken rest for 10–15 minutes before carving to keep it juicy
- Bonus: You can use the juices from the bag to make gravy or add to you chicken stock.
Roast chicken is a very budget friendly way to prepare a chicken. You can also freeze the cooked, shredded meat for up to 3 months to use for a range of dishes and help you meal prep faster.