When people ask me what my “specialty” is, my answer is always the same: salads and roast chicken. I LOVE a good oven roasted chicken. NOTHING makes the house smell more heavenly than a bird in the oven. And this Easy Roast Chicken- Whole30/Keto is my most simple recipe yet!
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Easy Roast Chicken- Whole30/Keto garnished with thyme, on wood board surrounded by lemon wedges

Let’s Talk about this Easy Roast Chicken- Whole30/Keto

I have many recipes on this site for roasted chicken, some are elaborate, some are easy, but none are as simple as this Easy Roast Chicken- Whole30/Keto. It literally has four ingredients (besides salt and pepper) and takes about 8 minutes to prep, and once you pop it in the oven you don’t revisit it again for an hour and 15 minutes. Oh, and it’s tender, sooo tender! And just because it’s simple doesn’t mean it lacks flavor, it’s loaded in fact.

Two roasted chickens on wood boards with lemon wedges and a large knife with wood handle: Easy Roast Chicken- Whole30/Keto

Why I Love Roast Chicken, Especially When Eating Whole30 or Low Carb:

I build all my meals around protein. I choose my protein, add a small portion of healthy fat (olive oil, avocado oil, avocado, nuts, seeds, butter, etc) and then fill the rest of my plate with vegetables. Roast chicken is my ‘go to’ for protein. 

Cooking Two Birds at The Same Time:

I will often cook two birds at the same time, serving one for dinner, and cutting up the second to use in soups and salads the rest of the week. It saves so much time! To cook two birds, just follow the same recipe but use a bigger pan. That’s it. So simple!

Easy Roast Chicken- Whole30/Keto on a wooden cutting board with rustic plaster wall in background

How to Carve a Chicken:

Now after creating a roasted chicken masterpiece you don’t want to rip it to shreds. Watch this video tutorial to see how to carve a bird so it looks as pretty when serving as it looked when it came out of the oven!

The Recipe: Easy Roast Chicken- Whole30/Keto

Tips and what you need: a roasting pan or a large skillet. I love Maldon flaked sea salt. Cooking time is 75 minutes, but if you need some reassurance an “insta-read” meat thermometer (affiliate link) is a great tool. 

Easy Roast Chicken- Whole30/Keto
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 15 mins
Total Time
1 hr 25 mins
 

A super simple, tender, delicious, roast chicken. If you wish to cook two birds at the same time, use a big roasting pan or sturdy rimmed cooking sheet.

Course: dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chicken dinner, roast chicken, whole30
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 lemon, cut into quarters
  • 1 head garlic, cut in half
  • 1 4 1/2-5 pound whole chicken
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
If possible, remove chicken from oven and set on counter 60 minutes ahead of time. This allows for more even cooking. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and place oven rack in lower third of oven
  1. Cut lemon into quarters, cut entire head of garlic in half, place both in roasting pan or skillet.

  2. Remove giblets from chicken cavity. Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels.

  3. Rub chicken all over with olive oil, sprinkle liberally with sea salt and pepper (please don't use table salt, it's bitter and will not make for the best chicken) Tuck the bird's wings behind it's back and if you have trussing string, tie the feet together (if not, don't worry about it!)

  4. Place chicken on it's back in the roasting pan. (if you have a rack for your roasting pan you can set it under the chicken, otherwise, don't worry about it!)

  5. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until thigh juices run clear. (if you have a bigger chicken add 15 minutes per additional pound)

  6. Remove from oven and allow chicken to "rest" for 10 minutes before carving. Be sure to scrape those drippings from the pan to pour over chicken. Yum!

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