The BEST 3 Ingredient Roast Chicken Recipe (2024)

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This easy roast chicken recipe makes moist, delicious chicken. Spend 5 to 10 minutes preparing it, add carrots and potatoes and you’re done with dinner! You can find this recipe in volume 1 of our Dining On A Dime Cookbook.

Your family will love this healthy chicken recipe and it’s very versatile, so you can make it with a variety of different sides and have many different meals. Mike and the kids love this chicken and it’s a frequent favorite at our home. You can also use the roast chicken leftovers to make lots of other recipes that are best with roast chicken!

The BEST 3 Ingredient Roast Chicken Recipe

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This easy roast chicken recipe makes moist, delicious roast chicken. Spend 5to 10 minutespreparing it, add carrots and potatoes and you’re done with dinner!

Author: Tawra Kellam
Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

1 chicken

1-2 cloves garlic

olive oil

salt and pepper

Optional Ingredients

1 tsp. thyme (to taste)

1 tsp. rosemary (to taste)

1 tsp. oregano (to taste)

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450°.
Rub the inside of the chicken with garlic cloves.
If you’re using the optional items, put the thyme, rosemary and oregano (to taste) inside the bird.
Rub the outside of the bird with olive oil and salt and pepper.
Bake at 450-500° for 15 minutes.
Then turn the oven down to 400° and roast for 35-45 minutes (for a 2 1/2 pound bird) or 1 hour (for a 3-5 pound bird) or until the temperature of the thigh reaches 180°. You can also let it cook all day in the crockpot on low.
Allow the chicken to rest 10 minutes before serving. Serves 6-8.

This easy roast chicken recipe is from volume 1 of our cookbook:

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Reader Interactions

Comments

Eleanor Lokey
October 7, 2010 at 4:37 pm

I notice your (and every other recipe provider) uses garlic in almost every recipe (except desserts). My husband and I do not like garlic, even though it “is good for you.” Could you give alternates sometimes or cut down the amounts? Must every recipe need garlic to make it tasty???
Reply
- Jill
  October 7, 2010 at 4:46 pm
  
  Eleanor of course not. In the same way I don’t like onions and most recipes call for onions I just adjust it to my taste – I just leave it out. Now something like the garlic salad is like an onion soup so I don’t fix that but most of the other recipes it is easy to leave out. Most cookbooks have recipes where we don’t always like all of the ingredients you just adjust it plus if you read all of our web site and posts not all of our recipes do use garlic we have many without.
  I always say I am left handed living in a right handed world. I just adapt.
  Reply
Beverly
October 8, 2010 at 5:29 pm

I roast a chicken almost every week. I buy the biggest chicken I can find from Wally’s usually at $.87 a pound. So for about $5.00 I can get at least 3 meals plus lunches for our family of 3 adults. I use a variety of seasoning on the chicken, rotisserie, Kicken’ chicken, lemon pepper, herbs, whatever I’m in the mood for. You can also put a halfed orange inside.
The first dinner is usually chicken, with mashed potatoes, salad, and a veg. Maybe chicken enchiladas the next night with Mexican rice or homemade refried beans, then a chicken noodle casserole, or creamed chicken over biscuts or English muffins. And then finally a soup or chicken and noodles with the chicken bones, the broth from the original roasting, and the pickings on the bones. There is usually leftovers each night for at least one person to have for lunch the next day.
Can’t hardly get cheaper than that from that bird!
Reply
- Debi Morsette
  October 18, 2022 at 9:04 am
  
  I’ve done the very same thing for years. Sometimes I was feeding 4-5 people, sometimes 8-10, but that 6 lb chicken just kept on feeding all of us for days. Debi in Vicksburg, MS. 🥰🥰
  Reply
Jackie
September 20, 2011 at 7:19 pm

Beverly, if you make a soup with the chicken bones, aren’t they so small that you can choke on them, or accidently bite into one or something? And how do you save the broth from the original roasting? Thanks!
Reply
See Also
Roasted Chicken Pho Recipe
- Jill
  September 21, 2011 at 7:37 am
  
  Jackie making soup from chicken is one of the easiest and tastiest things to do. Turkey soup too is done like this. You just strain the bones and things like bay leaves if you use them out and use the broth and even a roasted chicken produce a bunch more broth. You are just cooking the “flavor” out and a roasted chicken done this way is delicious. Here is our how to make basic chicken and turkey soup post off of the web site. If you read it it might help you to understand how it is done better.
  Reply
- grandma
  October 26, 2012 at 9:01 am
  
  to make it really easy use a pasta pot and put all the ingredients into the pasta part when it is cooked just lift out the pasta basket and you have the broth.
  When the boys were little I told them the one who got the bone was the one who got the love part of the meal.
  They were disappointed if they didn’t get a bone. It was a sort of game with us.
  Reply
Tommienell Ellis
September 27, 2012 at 7:31 pm

My German grandmother always put a bit of vinegar in when using bones to boil for soup—-calcium from the bones goes into soup—-be stingy, you don’t want to taste the vinegar. Tommie
Reply
jean
October 26, 2012 at 5:06 am

I get several meals from one chicken. When there are just scraps left, I use a little olive oil in my frypan and soften onions and peppers. Then I add a can of tomatoes and some spices (basil, garlic, tarragon.) The chicken goes in last. This can be served over rice or mixed with pasta. It tastes great when reheated, too.
Reply
Jane
February 23, 2014 at 4:59 am

Are the herbs in this recipe fresh or dried? If using fresh, how do you the adjust the amount? Thank you
Reply
- Jill
  February 23, 2014 at 6:59 am
  
  You can use either, I think Tawra mostly uses dried. You will have to adjust the amount and you will have to adjust it for your own tastes. I personally don’t like the taste of herbs hardly at all but Tawra loves them so we each will do ours differently.
  Reply
CJ
February 26, 2016 at 1:33 pm

We love roast chicken! But that seems like an awful hot oven, usually poultry is roasted much lower.
You don’t have any trouble getting it to cook through properly?
Reply
- Jill
  February 26, 2016 at 6:09 pm
  
  It is a hot oven but that is what you cook it at. Cooking at 450 degrees for 15 mins. browns it and then you turn it down to 400. Martha Stewart does her main roasted chicken at 425 degrees which is even hotter.
  Reply
Sandy Pittman
February 29, 2016 at 10:42 am

At our house it is all about a moist chicken. I roast my chicken breast side down on a rack in a baking dish. I put a cup or two of water into the bottom of dish (depending on dish size). I don’t want the water to touch the meat. After the bird is about 20 degrees from being done I turn it over so the breast can be basted and gets a nice crispy skin. It is so moist and even the leftovers are moist .
Reply
Julia
February 18, 2019 at 9:16 am

You two are so cute together. I hope your books sell well and you can do even more now with You Tube.You came up on Youtube although I was not even looking at frugal posts, just the political ones. I love your attitude and confidence and happy outlook despite your disabilities. I may be forced into early retirement due to unexpected health problem and am worried about money. But if you two can do it I can. I think you should write a book about extra ways to make money to supplement Social Security. I used to walk my niece in the stroller for almost a mile in order to get her to fall asleep for her afternoon nap. My sister used to have to drive her colicky baby in the car so the motion would soothe him or hold him atop the washing machine. So I could relate to the B.J. story. Now they have those baby swings but for some reason they didn’t like them.
Reply
- Jill
  February 19, 2019 at 2:44 pm
  
  Oh thank you so much Julia for such a nice and encouraging comment. You do understand all the “stroller” I had to do with B.J. I did love doing it because we had so much fun but it was exhausting. :)
  Reply
Jennifer
May 6, 2019 at 10:05 pm

I wonder, can I roast chicken parts? We got a package of thighs on sale today (about the same price as the rotisserie chicken) so India like to roast a big batch of these and the I have a little bit to work with throughout the week,
Reply
- Jill
  May 7, 2019 at 11:38 am
  
  Yes you can as a matter of fact that is all I roast now. I slap them in a pan with salt and pepper, uncovered and just roast at about 350- 375 degrees for about 35 mins. until juices run clear. If I am not in hurry I will cover them and bake them at 250 degrees for 2-3 hours and they will fall off the bone. Usually the skin doesn’t get as crispy this way although you can turn the heat up to 350 the last 30 mins to crisp it a little if you need to
  Reply
Mel
September 27, 2019 at 5:18 pm

Hi is this roasted covered or uncovered? I have a Dutch oven and am trying to decide… thank you for your recipes and tips!!!
Reply
- Jill
  September 28, 2019 at 8:26 am
  
  This roasted uncovered. And thank you. Am so glad you are enjoying the recipes and tips.
  Reply

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The BEST 3 Ingredient Roast Chicken Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between roast chicken and roasted chicken? ›

Both are correct, but they have subtly different meanings.
Roasted chicken describes meat that has been cooked by roasting. Roast chicken is a dish made by roasting a chicken.
In practice, #2 is what you would normally use when ordering, on a menu, or describing what you intend to serve. #1 migh...

Jan 17, 2021

Read On ›

Why is my roast chicken not crispy? ›

Air-Dry Overnight

After rubbing the chicken with the mixture of salt and baking powder, it needs to air-dry in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours. By letting the chicken sit uncovered in the refrigerator, we allow the surface moisture to evaporate, leading to extra-crisp skin once roasted.

What type of chicken is best for roasting and why? ›

A capon is about 16 weeks to 8 months old, weighing between 4 and 7 pounds. Capons are usually roasted and yield generous quantities of tender, light meat. Capons are great for roasting but can also be used for braises and poaching.

Learn More Now ›

Is it better to roast or bake chicken? ›

If you're cooking food that has a solid structure — like any type of meat or vegetables — no matter the temperature of the oven, you'll roast it. If you're cooking food that doesn't already have a solid structure, but will after it's cooked — like muffins, cake, bread, and casseroles — the proper method is baking.

Show Me More ›

What is the tastiest part of roasted chicken? ›

Chicken oysters are simply the two small, oyster-shaped pieces of dark meat that lie on either side of a whole chicken's backbone. Arguably the best part of the chicken, these tender bits are frequently known as the chef's reward for cooking.

Discover More Details ›

What temperature is best for roasting a chicken? ›

You can roast or bake anywhere between 325 and 450 degrees F. When roasting a whole chicken, a nice rule of them is to start at 400 to 425 degrees F and then turn the oven down to 350 after 15 minutes and cook until the internal temp of the chicken is 165 – 175 degrees F on an instant read thermometer.

Find Out More ›

What is the secret to cooking chicken? ›

Chicken breasts must be at room temperature before going in the pan as cold chicken can cook unevenly and tends to be tough. Allow the chicken breast to sit out for 20 minutes. That should do the trick.

Read The Full Story ›

Why is my oven roasted chicken tough? ›

Overcooking might play a role in your chicken's tire-like texture. Leaving chicken in a pan, oven, or grill for just a little too long can suck the moisture right out and leave you with a dry, rubbery bird. Without moisture, the protein fibers in the chicken become elastic.

Explore More ›

Should I cover whole chicken with foil when baking? ›

When chicken is covered while baking, it traps steam and moisture within the dish, resulting in juicier results. The covering helps prevent excessive evaporation and keeps the chicken moist throughout the cooking process. Preventing dryness. Chicken tends to dry out more quickly when exposed to direct heat.

What pan is best for roasting chicken? ›

But a rimmed sheet pan or oven-proof skillet (like cast-iron) works just as well. Kitchen shears are very useful for trimming excess fat from the chicken's cavity. They also come in handy if you want to spatchco*ck the chicken.

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Is it better to roast a chicken fast or slow? ›

You have two options for roasting your chicken: low and slow or hot and fast. To make the right decision, you first have to decide what type of chicken you're craving. For sticky, rotisserie-style skin with fall-apart meat, cook it at a low temperature for hours.

View Details ›

What is the meaning of roast chicken? ›

Roast chicken is chicken prepared as food by roasting whether in a home kitchen, over a fire, or with a rotisserie (rotary spit).

Learn More Now ›

What is roasted chicken called? ›

Rotisserie chicken is a chicken dish that is cooked on a rotisserie by using direct heat in which the chicken is placed next to the heat source.

Read On ›

Is Rotisserie Chicken and roasted chicken the same? ›

However, despite the fact that both dishes utilize dry heat, their preparation methods are actually a bit different: Roasted chickens are cooked in the oven at high heat, whereas rotisserie chickens are cooked on a rotating spit, allowing all parts of the bird to be heated evenly.

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Which is healthier rotisserie chicken or roasted chicken? ›

A rotisserie chicken will have similar nutrients to one you roast,” says Allers. “Similar protein, iron. The main difference is the amount and type of any additives.” Some stores “inject the chickens with a solution, which might contain added salt, sugar, various natural flavorings,” Allers explains.