Oven Roasted Rotisserie Style Chicken
This oven roasted chicken recipe is like no other. The chicken is flavourful, tender and juicy just like grocery store rotisserie chicken. Seasoned deliciously and slow roasted until cooked through and nice and golden. It takes just minutes to prepare. No special rotisserie attachment or equipment or basting needed while it roasts - a very hands off recipe once the chicken is seasoned and in the oven. Serve it as is with any of your favorite sides like veggies (carrots, broccoli, corn…) , noodles, beans or use this recipe to meal prep loads of other meals that are great for easy weeknight dinner.
Oven Baked Rotisserie Style Chicken Recipe Ingredients
- CHICKEN: You will need a 5 lb chicken. Look for a plump chicken with meaty breasts and drumsticks. Another consideration is to buy organic if you can – they’re often more tender and flavourful. One last thing is to always bring chicken to room temperature for 30-60 mins before roasting. This ensures it will roast evenly
- OLIVE OIL: I use olive oil but you can also use unsalted melted butter
- HERBS & SPICES: Other than salt and black pepper, we season the chicken with a mixture of onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and Italian seasoning. Basic but it works. If you would like a little extra heat feel free to add a pinch of cayenne pepper or chili powder.
- BROWN SUGAR: Brown sugar in the seasoning blend not only adds a very suite sweetness but it also helps caramelize the skin while the chicken bakes.
- ONION: I quarter the onion and stuff the cavity of the chicken with it - not only does it add flavor and moisture but without any science to back this I also find stuffing the cavity also helps keep the bird upright. Other options include lemon wedges and fresh herbs but I like to keep it simple with the onion - it is optional though so feel free to omit if you prefer
How To Make This Easy Faux Rotisserie Chicken
- Preheat Oven & Prep Pan: I like to roast this chicken on a rack so I spray and grease the rack and place it over an aluminum foil lined baking pan.
- Pat Chicken Dry & Separate Skin: Use your fingers or a spoon to help gently separate skin off breasts and thighs of chicken to be able to season the chicken thoroughly.
- Rub With Olive Oil & Season: Rub bird all over with olive oil then season really well with seasoning blend
- Stuff Chicken With Onion: Place on rack in prepared pan and feel free to tie the drumsticks together and tuck wings of the chicken underneath the chicken.
- Slow Roast: Slow Roast the chicken for 2 hours 15 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 162-165.
- Rest, Carve & Serve: Rest for a few minutes so that the juices redistribute and the meat fibers relax. This results in a more tender, juicy, and flavorful chicken.
What To Serve With You Rotisserie Chicken
What to Do With Leftover Rotisserie Chicken
If you have leftovers or are like me and always make double this recipe just for the extra shredded rotisserie chicken you can use it in plenty other recipes just liek you would with store-bought rotisserie chicken. Gotta love that!
- Add it to Enchiladas like my Chicken Enchiladas
- Add it to Quesadillas like my sheet pan quesadillas
- Throw it into Soups like my Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Throw it into Salads like my Chickpea Avocado Salad
- Throw it in any Casserole like my Chicken Tetrazini casserole
- Throw it in to Pasta Dishes like my Zesty Lemon Pasta
- Make it into a Sandwich like my classic Chicken Salad Sandwich
- Make a Dip like my Buffalo Chicken Dip
Roasted Rotisserie Chicken Make Ahead, Storage & Freezing
- MAKE AHEAD: This recipe really comes together quickly so I don’t think there is much need to make ahead but if you wanted to make it ahead you could season the chicken and allow it to marinate overnight in an airtight container. This gives the chicken some time to allow all the seasoning to penetrate more deeply. Allow chicken to sit at room temperature as you preheat the oven to cook it.
- STORAGE: Cooked chicken can keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the oven, stovetop or in the microwave.
- FREEZING: Cooled chicken can be wrapped tight and stored in an airtight container or freezer bag and frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge (not at room temperature) then reheat in the oven stovetop or microwave.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 lb. whole chicken, giblets removed
- 1 small onion peeled and quartered
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1½ teaspoons black pepper
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (or dried thyme)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F.
- Line a baking pan / roasting pan with aluminum foil and place rack overtop and set aside. (Feel free to spray or grease the rack to prevent chicken skin from sticking to it)
- Combine the spices and brown sugar together in a small bowl and set aside.
- Pat the chicken all over in side and out with paper towels. Separate the skin of the chicken from the meat with a spoon or your fingers on the breast and thighs where possible.
- Rub the entire chicken with the olive oil, also underneath the skin.
- Sprinkle the seasoning blend all over the chicken, in the cavity and underneath the skin.
- Place the chicken on the rack insert breast side up. Stuff the chicken with the quartered pieces of onion. If desired, use a piece of kitchen string or twine to tie the drumsticks together and tuck wings of the chicken underneath the chicken.
- Transfer the chicken in pan to the preheated oven and bake uncovered at 300 for 2 hours and 15 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 162-165. (Chickens that are larger with take longer to cook and smaller chickens will take less time)
- Once done, remove chicken from the oven, tent lightly with foil and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before carving.
- Carve the chicken and serve right away.
Recipe Note
- This recipe works great whether you marinate the chicken or not. If you prefer to allow the chicken to absorb more of the flavors of the seasoning, after preparing the chicken with the seasoning, stuffing with the onion and tieing it off, place it in a large sealable bag or airtight container and let it sit in the fridge overnight. Once ready to cook, remove the chicken from the fridge and rest on the counter while you prepare the oven so that the chicken is closer to room temperature before it goes in the oven so that it roasts evenly, otherwise it may take longer to roast.