This Roast Chicken Recipe Is So Good, It’s Won Blue Ribbons (2024)

When you think of what dinner strikes the perfect balance between ease and elegance, nothing is up to the task like a roast chicken. Cooking someone a roasted chicken is like saying “I love you” in delectable food form. And while it’s easy to make, there are many recipes to sort through when deciding which to use.

Of course, a good rule of thumb is that if one of the roast chicken recipes you’re considering has won an award, it’s safe to say it’s a good recipe to follow. And that’s precisely the case with this recipe for Juicy Roasted Chicken.

One Allrecipes home cook said, “I entered a chicken cook off and used your recipe. Didnt change anything on the recipe. i won first prize out of about 50 entries. I got a nice plaque and trophy, a little prize money. Best part was the honor of it all. just wanted you to know your recipe is BLUE RIBBON!”

This recipe yields a chicken that’s ultrasimple to make (it only has six ingredients), but is—as the name suggests—succulent and juicy. Part of its juicy outcome is thanks to the celery used to stuff the chicken. Water-filled celery releases moisture as the chicken cooks.

This recipe is perfect for the most straightforward path to a satisfying meal. Allrecipes reviewer Jenny summed it up well: “I chose this receipe simply because I had a whole chicken, not a lot of time, and needed to cook it. I have NO idea why the combination of these ingredients or this cooking method (I followed it EXACTLY as written, but used real butter) yields such a wonderfully TASTY bird...but it does! If you don't try this, you're missing out. If you do try this, I venture to say that, you will be very pleasantly surprised!”

How to Make Juicy Roasted Chicken

Roasted chicken is surprisingly simple to make. You need four things to make a great roasted chicken: a whole chicken, seasonings, butter or oil, and stuffing for the chicken cavity. When it comes to seasonings and stuffing, you can go as simple or complicated as you like.

This recipe keeps it simple, using salt, black pepper, and onion powder for the seasoning and celery to stuff the chicken cavity. If you like, you can add other seasonings and stuffing to impart more flavor. Some Allrecipes commenters recommend adding garlic powder, poultry seasoning, and Cajun seasoning to the chicken. Others recommend adjusting the stuffing as you like, adding cut potatoes, halved lemons, onions, and fresh herbs to the cavity. Adjust as it appeals to you and whomever you cook for.

After you’ve gathered your ingredients, there are a few tips you should take to ensure a successful roasted chicken:

1. Pat your chicken dry with paper towels. The dry skin will get crispier than skin that isn’t dried.
2. Season the chicken liberally inside and out. This ensures that the chicken is fully seasoned and flavorful after it’s cooked.
3. Adjust your cooking time based on the size of your chicken, and always temp the chicken with a meat thermometer to tell if it’s done.
4. Allow the chicken time to rest after cooking. The rest time allows the juices to redistribute so that they don’t all pool out when you go to slice it up.

How Long Does It Take to Cook a Roasted Chicken?

The cooking time for your roasted chicken depends entirely on the size of the chicken and whether your oven runs hot or cold. In this recipe, a 3-pound chicken takes 1 hour and 15 minutes at 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). A larger chicken will require more cooking time.

According to one reader, “This did take closer to 2 hours, my chicken was 4lbs, you do have to adjust the time to the weight of chicken. But this chicken is fall-off-the-bone succulent. I now have a meal I can invite people over for.”

Insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken thigh near the bone to ensure it’s cooked through. If the thermometer reads 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), your chicken is ready to come out of the oven.

Allrecipes readers have been impressed by this recipe for years. Home cook rickr said, “Hard to believe something so easy could be this delicious... deep flavor that won't have that picky person saying ‘it's too spicy.’”

And the recipe’s ease makes it accessible even to less experienced cooks, too. Another commenter said, “Just made this and I’m no cook. This thing was rockin. Followed the directions but added a half a Spanish onion and some garlic to the cavity and it was amazing. I’m never going to cook a chicken any other way.”

With over 4,000 ratings averaging 4.7 out of 5, it’s practically guaranteed to make you feel the same.