Healthy Oven Roasted Chicken | Minimal Prep Time!

This delicious Healthy Oven Roasted Chicken recipe is made with a few simple ingredients. It requires minimal prep, is super moist and flavorful, and turns out perfectly every time! Join me in this post to learn exactly how to make it. 

This healthy oven roasted chicken recipe really couldn’t be any easier.

The most difficult part about it is remembering to defrost the chicken — not the actual roasting.

Seriously!

If you have a whole chicken, a few spices, and a pan, you can roast a chicken.  A delicious chicken…with flavorful, crispy skin and moist, tender meat. All in about an hour.

If you want (and I totally recommend!), dice up some sweet potatoes and toss the cubes into the pan around the chicken while it roasts.

Roasting is so easy because the oven does all the work for you. Just season and plop it into the oven, and then walk away. Just walk away.

I love it!

And it’s not just roasted chicken that’s super easy — roasted pork tenderloin, roasted squash, pan-roasted salmon, roast beef, roasted tomato sauce.  All easy and all delicious.

IS CHICKEN REALLY HEALTHY?

Chicken is healthy and amazing. It’s a succulent and savory protein that contains a lot of good-for-you things. It is easy to work with and you can prepare it in a ton of ways (see 35 ways to cook chicken for dinner).

Additionally, chicken is rich in niacin, as is salmon, legumes, and seeds. Selenium, which is good for your immunity and thyroid health is found in chicken. These are just a few of the good things found in poultry (phosphorus and B vitamins being others).

HERE’S HOW YOU COOK HEALTHY OVEN ROASTED CHICKEN

Sure, I love to cook chicken breasts in marinades and make Panko Baked Chicken Thighs but there is just something about a roasted chicken that says, “comfort and deliciousness”.

This is how I do it:

• FIRST, I take a 2-3 lb. chicken and remove the giblets.
• I preheat my oven to 425F.
• Rinse the chicken and pat it dry.
• Place the chicken breast side down (for extra juiciness) on an oven-safe skillet or a rack in a roasting pan.
• Season the chicken to taste – I love lots of seasoning.
• Dice up some sweet potatoes and place the cubes around the chicken (y’all know I adore sweet potatoes, so this step is no surprise).
• Time to roast your chicken!

How do you position the chicken while roasting?

With chicken and turkey, I flip the bird breast-side down. Lots of people keep the breast-side up, but I find the juices from the thighs help keep the breast more moist this way. It may look a little wonky compared to the way you’re used to seeing it, but it’s totally worth it.

Do you cover roast chicken while roasting? Do you use foil?

A healthy oven roasted chicken can remain uncovered as it bakes. That’s because I want beautiful crispy skin! Once the skin is browning nicely, if you are worried about the chicken drying out (I know everyone’s ovens are a little different) you can place foil on top toward the end. But I have not needed to with this recipe. The high temperature ensures a juicy chicken with crisp skin.

HOW MANY DEGREES SHOULD I SET MY OVEN?

For a 2-3 pound chicken, the roasting time should be between 45 and 60 minutes at 425F. I like to take out the guesswork for doneness by using a meat thermometer. I always insert it into the thickest part of the thigh, making sure that it does not touch the bone.

• Place a meat thermometer into the deepest part of the thigh, setting it to 165F.
• Cook the chicken in the oven for about 45-60 minutes, or when the thermometer reaches 165 degrees.
  No meat thermometer? When the juices run clear between the leg and thigh when pierced with a fork, it’s done.
• Then I remove it from the oven and let rest 5 minutes before slicing.

STORE/REHEAT/FREEZE: HOW TO SAVE YOUR CHICKEN FOR LATER

I store leftover roast chicken in the fridge in an airtight container for 4 days max. To reheat, I wrap it loosely in foil and heat at 325F just for a few minutes. No longer, or it will dry out.

• To freeze the cooked chicken, I like to shred it first.
• Then I store it in an airtight container after I have placed it in a reusable freezer bag.
• This shredded chicken is easy to use for soup, shredded chicken enchiladas, and lunchtime fixins’ like wraps.

Want to learn all you need to know about freezing chicken? I’ve included lots of great info in this post!

WHAT DO YOU SERVE WITH HEALTHY OVEN ROASTED CHICKEN?

I’ve compiled a list of yummy sides to go with your most-loved entrées, and you can find it here.

Healthy veggie sides are always a great addition, too.

Here are some of my personal favorite things to serve with chicken:

• Cauliflower Rice
• Healthier Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes
• 3-Ingredient Healthy Mashed Potatoes
• Healthy Green Bean Casserole
• Easy Baked Jicama Fries
• Thyme Roasted Carrots

MORE HEALTHY CHICKEN RECIPES

Chicken is good for you, flavorful, and easy to make. Want to know how easy? Try these recipes!

• Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
• Cilantro Lime Chicken
• Healthy Baked Chicken Parmesan
• Nashville Hot Chicken
• Easy Chicken Piccata
• One Pan Chicken Bruschetta
• Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken
• Slow Cooker Chicken Cauliflower Curry

5 from 2 votes

Print

Healthy Oven Roasted Chicken

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

1 hr 5 mins

Total Time

1 hr 20 mins

 

This delicious Healthy Oven Roasted Chicken recipe is made with a few simple ingredients. It requires minimal prep, is super moist and flavorful, and turns out perfectly every time!

Categories: Easy Dinner

Difficulty: Easy

Keyword: easy roasted chicken, how to clean a whole chicken, toasted chicken recipe

Servings: 6

Calories: 486 kcal

Author: Lacey Baier of A Sweet Pea Chef

Ingredients

• 1 2-3 lb roasting chicken
• 1-2 tsp kosher salt
• 1-2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1-2 tsp dried thyme
• Optional: 2-3 sweet potatoes diced into 1-inch cubes

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
2. Remove the giblets from the inside of the chicken. They are not needed for this recipe so you can either save or discard them.
3. Rinse the chicken, inside and out, and pat dry.
4. Place chicken, breast-side down, on either an oven-safe fry pan or a rack in a roasting pan.
5. Season the chicken liberally with the salt, pepper and dried thyme.
6. If you want (and I totally recommend!), dice up some sweet potatoes and toss the cubes into the pan around the chicken while it roasts.
7. Insert a meat thermometer into the deepest part of the thigh and set to 165 degrees.
8. Place the chicken in the oven and cook until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, approximately 45-60 minutes. (If you don’t have a meat thermometer, you will know the chicken is done when the juices run clear between the leg and thigh when pierced with a fork.) Once done, carefully remove from the oven and allow to rest 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Nutrition Facts

Healthy Oven Roasted Chicken

Amount Per Serving

Calories 486 Calories from Fat 316

% Daily Value*

Fat 35.1g54%

Saturated Fat 10g50%

Cholesterol 195mg65%

Sodium 530mg22%

Carbohydrates 0.9g0%

Fiber 0.3g1%

Protein 38.9g78%

Vitamin A 3200IU64%

Vitamin C 7.4mg9%

Calcium 30mg3%

Iron 3.6mg20%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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