Roast Chicken and Potatoes

This is one of those recipes that you will come back to because after you taste how mouthwatering, juicy and tender with spicy crispy skin this chicken is, trust me, you’re welcome!

I sincerely need to tell you how good it is! Use your favorite chicken rub but if you have these natural and organic spices in your cupboard, combine the Paprika Dry Rub and the Meat Salt. Now wait for your kitchen to smell amazing! Even an anosmic cook can sense that something wonderful is happening in the kitchen!

After making roast chicken for so long I believe that I have acquired the teaching skills to show anyone who wants to learn how to roast the best chicken. It must be tender, juicy and in this case spicy. You can use less spice if you don’t want it too spicy but when the skin crisps up in those last few minutes is when the spicy skin really gets to work!

Chicken roast always sounds easy and it is! However, I know that there are many people still making dry chicken???? You might know someone that doesn’t like chicken roast, until they taste yours! If you’ve been making dry chicken, it’s over, no more dry chicken because after this recipe, you will be the oven baking roasting chicken master chef of your own kitchen!

I’m making it very easy for you to make the best chicken roast so read through this post to make sure you don’t miss a thing.

What You Need To Make This Roast Chicken and Potatoes

I have made this recipe very easy and straight forward with lots of tips and images to help you along.

An oven tray with a rack but you can also use a regular oven tray with rimmed sides so that pan juices don’t spill out. You can also use a skillet.

Safe thick oven gloves. The ones that are long and cover your whole hand and some of your arm are a bit more pricy but so worth it.

Cooking thermometer because it gives you that extra measure of security that the meat is perfectly cooked.

Ingredients

Whole chicken My chicken weighed in at 1.5kg and was fresh. You can use frozen but make sure to remove it from the freezer overnight. It will thaw in the fridge overnight and then on the counter/sink to reach room temp. Also be sure to dry it well with kitchen towels before seasoning.

Meat Salt This meat salt is an absolute highlight to most dishes especially chicken. In most of my chicken dishes, I use this chicken spice but today we are going for a different more intense flavor!

Paprika Dry Rub This is what creates the intensity and my personal secret spice blend! It’s not just smoked paprika which in itself adds a fantastic smokiness but the combination of spices that have you hooked for life!

Note If you are using your own spices then make sure to add salt otherwise your chicken ends up bland. The meat salt used in this recipe adds more than enough salt so we don’t add salt.

Fresh herbs You can add fresh herbs like parsley, thyme (love thyme!), sage or even marjoram. For flavor and garnish.

Olive oil We use olive oil to mix with the spices before coating the chicken.

Unsalted butter And that my friends is where my tip comes in! As mentioned above, I’ve been making chicken for possibly a decade now (a few decades but now I’m digressing!) 🙂 Point is, that melted butter over the chicken is worth real gold!

You have to take the chicken out the oven, pour the melted butter over and back in. However, you don’t have to do it and your chicken will still be amazing BUT if you want that extra flavor, do it!

Potatoes The potatoes go in with the chicken and bake the same time as the chicken does. Just make sure to cut them into large squares so the cooking time works out. In half, and half again (just twice) is good for a potato cut when roasting.

Do the potatoes need to be spiced? Not much at all since the chicken is very well coated. Use what’s left after rubbing the chicken, and again the potatoes don’t need much.

How To Make Roast Chicken and Potatoes

Just by looking at the images above, you can see that this is an easy recipe that uses basic ingredients. What you don’t have you will find easily at any supermarket.

Preheat The Oven: This is often an overlooked step but it’s as important as every other step to great tasting chicken (or any recipe for that matter). Preheat on 180°C / 356°F.

Prep The Chicken: Dry the chicken with kitchen towels to make sure its not damp. This will allow the skin to absorb the spices easily.

Spice Mix: Add the spices to a bowl, pour in the oil and give it a mix. Don’t forget to add the full quantity for the potatoes as well. Full recipe card below.

Coat The Chicken and Potatoes: Use your hands to coat the chicken with the spice mix. Start with the chicken and make sure to cover it in the spice mix and oil. Don’t forget about inside the chicken too! Under the wings around, everywhere. Use what’s left of the mix for the potatoes. Use your hands to turn the potatoes over once or twice in the spice mix before adding them into the pan.

Roast: Roast your chicken for 20 minutes per 500 grams. Use your timer and after the first 20 minutes, take it out and pour half the butter over it. The remaining butter must be poured on in the last 20 minutes when you increase the heat to 220 C. Those last 20 minutes when you pour the butter over, that’s a good time to use your kitchen thermometer (if using) because it will give you a good indication of how much longer the chicken must cook.

Serve: Let the chicken cool for 15 to 20 minutes before slicing.

Using A Kitchen Thermometer

I know I’ve always said in my bread recipes, if you don’t have a thermometer you really can make bread by just touching the water with your knuckle. It works! You can also use room temp water. However, with roasting and baking meats especially since that’s when I use it most, the thermometer really does make a difference! I insert it where the meat shows the thickest in the chicken like the thigh or breast.

Using Foil

You don’t have to no but when you are coating the chicken you might find that a lot of it ends up on the board. Since I like all the flavor in my food, I use foil underneath while prepping the chicken. You can then take the same foil and place it into the pan (less clean up after) and place the rack down and then the chicken. So whatever drippings happen while roasting will be caught in the rack at the bottom not even on the foil! Once the chicken is done, simply remove the foil, shake off any drippings into the pan with the other juices. Yes the juices will be under the foil incase you want to make a gravy.

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How To Make A Gravy

Incase you want to add gravy to this roast chicken and potatoes recipe this is how you do it.

Pour about a cup of water into the roasting pan before you bake the chicken (in which case you can’t use the foil). While the chicken rests after roasting, make your gravy. The water would’ve collected all the drippings and now you have pan juices which you pour into a cup/bowl. Use a spoon to skim the surface to remove the fat and then pour the remaining liquid into a pan. Bring it to a simmer.

Make a Maizena slurry with 1 tablespoon Maizena and 2 tablespoons water (1 to 2 ratio) and pour it into the liquid to simmer while you give it a good stir.

Tips For Chicken and Potato Roast

This recipe is non complicated with a few simple ingredients however it always helps having a few tips up your sleeve. Roast Chicken is a fantastic recipe especially when you make it delicious!

Use your hands: Getting the spice rub coated all over is okay with a brush and best with your hands. Also, as shown in this Roast Chicken and Vegetables getting your spice mix under the skin is a brilliant idea for flavor!

Melted butter: Don’t skip on the melted butter halfway through roasting.

Pat Dry: Make sure your chicken is dry before coating in spices.

Oven Temperature: Don’t be in a hurry to roast on high heat, easy does it on the regular 180C and then a short burst of high heat at the end to crisp up that skin.

Rest The Chicken: Allow the chicken to rest 15 to 20 minutes before slicing into it. If you look at the skin, especially on the sides after you just take it out the oven, the skin is still breathing. Let it rest and once the cooking temp has lowered you can slice.

Use a cooking thermometer if you can for a more safe result. Chicken is ready (and safe) to eat when the internal temperature is a steady 75°C / 165°F. If your chicken is under 75C let it finish cooking.

Roasting Time: The cooking time will depend on the weight of the chicken but work with 20 minutes for every 500 grams. This chicken was 1.5 kg so it roasted for an hour. This is how I used the kitchen thermometer to properly measure the time.

This Is A Guideline For Getting Your Chicken At The Perfect Temperature

First 20 minutes: Roast, uninterrupted for the first 20 minutes.

Melted butter: Remove from the oven and pour part of the melted butter over and return to continue roasting. No dilly dallying with the chicken out we don’t want to lose heat!

Roast for another 20 minutes, that’s 40 minutes.

Repeat: Remove pour more butter and return to continue baking. However, this time, have the cooking thermometer ready. When you take the chicken out, insert the thermometer and pour the butter. It will give you an indication of how much longer the chicken must roast. Around this time, my cooking thermometer was reading about 40 degrees so I knew it would go another 20 minutes without a problem. This is also a good time to increase the oven to 230 C.

Last Roast on High Heat: Remove the thermometer and continue roasting for the last 20 minutes on 230 C.

How did we make chicken roast before the cooking thermometer?

Use a toothpick or sharp skewer to insert into the thickest part of the chicken. It would either be where the drumstick and thigh meet the chicken breast or any other part that looks thick enough. If when you insert the skewer or toothpick the juices run clear out of the chicken, it’s ready. If there’s still a trace of blood, keep cooking.

Follow this recipe for the best most tender, delicious and perfect internal temperature chicken!

What To Serve With Roast Chicken and Potatoes

This recipe is already overfilling with potatoes but you can serve it with any side dish! You can also add fruit if it’s in season for a fresh sweetness to the hot crispy spicy skin. These are great side dishes;

At this time of year, I can’t think of anything better than serving chicken roast with cranberry sauce.

How To Store Leftovers

If you have left overs simply store in an airtight container, it will keep for 3 to 4 days. If you want to freeze your chicken you can do so but perhaps freeze in smaller portions, making it easier if you don’t need it all at once. Otherwise, shred and freeze. Warm it up with a little water or stock on the stove.

More Delicious Chicken Roast Recipes

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