Oven Roasted Whole Chicken and Potatoes — FOUR ingredients + ONE pan = PERFECT roasted chicken with ZERO cleanup!! Your new FOOLPROOF and EASY whole roasted chicken recipe that’s ready in 1 hour!
Table of Contents
4-Ingredient Roast Chicken Dinner
I’m all about an easy sheet pan meal. One pan, no fuss, and cleanup is as easy as tossing away a sheet of foil.
It’s the simply prepared, easy, timeless food that has a way of tasting the best, and this was literally some of the best chicken we’ve ever had. There’s nothing that says comfort food like a roasted chicken.
The oven roasted whole chicken is tender and so juicy, the potatoes are buttery soft, and the juices from the chicken ooze over the pan and onto the potatoes and they’re incredibly flavorful.
And oh boy, did my family ever enjoy this roasted chicken and potatoes. Finger licking good.
I like making a whole roast chicken over the weekend or at the start of the week and we can use the meat all week long, similar how you’d use rotisserie chicken.
Use this leftover chicken – either shredded or cubed – in recipes where you’d use rotisserie chicken such as:
- Chicken Enchilada Sliders
- White Chicken Lasagna Rollups
- 30-Minute Thai Noodle Soup with Chicken
- 20-Minute Chicken Tinga Tacos
- Southwest Chicken Cobb Salad
- Barbecue Chicken Sliders
- Mini Chicken Pot Pies with Crescent Rolls
Ingredients You’ll Need
With this sheet pan chicken recipe, there are just 4 ingredients. That’s right, four:
- Whole chicken
- Fingerling potatoes
- Olive oil
- Paprika (or swap with your favorite poultry seasoning blend)
Plus salt and pepper, which I don’t count as true “ingredients” — and for that matter olive oil is even iffy in my book.
Point being, a whole baked chicken with potatoes is about as no-frills and easy as it gets. I don’t even truss it.
How to Make Oven Roasted Whole Chicken and Potatoes
If roasting a whole chicken intimidates you, don’t be scared. It’s so much easier than you’d think!
- Remove the chicken giblets, rinse the chicken inside and out, pat it dry, and place it on one side of the baking sheet, breast side up.
- Add the potatoes to the other side of the baking sheet.
- Season the chicken and potatoes with salt and pepper, then drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle the chicken with paprika before baking.
- Roast until the chicken is done and the potatoes are tender (see section below on how to tell when a whole chicken is finished roasting).
How Long to Roast a Whole Chicken?
I convection baked at 425F for 57 minutes and both the chicken and potatoes were perfect. If you don’t have a convection oven, I imagine the potatoes will need about an hour (remove them after 1 hour) and bake the chicken for another 15 to 30 minutes (about 75 to 90 minutes total) but with anything you’re making, bake until done and don’t get caught up on what the clock says.
Make sure to read my tips below about using a digital thermometer!
Recipe FAQs
I always roast whole chickens at 425F on the convection setting.
I roast a whole chicken until 155F, pull it out of the oven, then let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes, and it easily comes up to 160F during the resting period. By using this method, the juiciness and tenderness of the poultry is better preserved. As with all things, cook until you think it’s done and you and your family will enjoy it most.
No, when making a whole baked chicken in the oven you do NOT need to cover it with foil. The skin on the chicken will prevent it from drying out, and as a bonus the skin crisps up nicely when left uncovered.
When the internal temperature reaches 160F (see notes above on resting), or until the juices run clear when the deepest part of the breast is pierced with a fork.
I used fingerling potatoes, but you may also use new potatoes, sweet potatoes, or another favorite roasting potato. Because my potatoes were thin and small, I didn’t need to chop them in any way which is why I used them. Less work for me.
Some people prefer to parboil (i.e. partially boil) potatoes before roasting them, but when using small potatoes like fingerling potatoes I don’t think it’s worth it. The convection setting on my oven crisps up the potatoes and chicken skin beautifully — plus I just like to avoid unnecessary steps in recipes whenever possible to save myself from doing more dishes!
You probably can, but different veggies may have different cook times than potatoes.
Tips for Making the Best Roast Chicken Dinner
If you’re making any type of whole bird from Thanksgiving turkey to a whole roasted chicken, I cannot stress enough the importance of using a digital thermometer.
- Thermoworks digital thermometer – Lightning fast, big and easy-to-read display. If you are a cook or want to become one, you will adore this thermometer!
- Budget-friendly digital thermometer – This is similar to many digital thermometers on Amazon. It gets the job done and has a great price point. The display isn’t as big and isn’t quite as fast as the Thermoworks, but still speedy enough.
If desired, you can use your favorite poultry seasoning instead of paprika to flavor the chicken. This whole roasted chicken recipe is easy to adapt in that regard!
Likewise, you’re welcome to top the roasted potatoes with fresh parsley or another herbs once they’re out of the oven.
If you wind up with leftovers, you can shred the chicken and use it in soups, salads, sandwiches, and more! The potatoes are best reheated in a skillet with a drizzle of oil, if needed.
What to Serve with Roasted Chicken and Potatoes
The oven roasted whole chicken and potatoes is practically a meal in itself, but I often like to pair it with some kind of green veggie and / or side salad for some color. Homemade rolls also wouldn’t go amiss!
Here are some side dish options:
- House Salad
- Apple, White Cheddar, & Spinach Salad
- Garlic Herb Rolls
- No-Knead Dinner Rolls with Honey Butter
- Steamed broccoli or green beans
- Roasted Parmesan broccoli
- Balsamic roasted Brussels sprouts
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Oven Roasted Whole Chicken and Potatoes
Ingredients
- one 4 to 5 pound whole roasting chicken
- 2 pounds fingerling potatoes, new potatoes, sweet potatoes, or other favorite roasting potatoes may be substituted; quartering or halving as necessary
- kosher salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon paprika, or to taste (poultry seasoning or your favorite chicken seasoning may be substituted)
- fresh parsley, optional for garnishing potatoes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425ºF convection, line a large baking sheet with foil; set aside. If you don’t have a convection oven, bake at 425F regular, noting that the baking time will need to increase (see step 6. below).
- Remove the chicken giblets, rinse the chicken inside and out, pat dry, and place on one side of the baking sheet, breast side up; I don’t truss it.
- Add the potatoes to the other side of the baking sheet.
- Very liberally season the chicken with salt and pepper, more moderately season the potatoes with salt and pepper, and evenly drizzle about 2 tablespoons olive oil over the chicken and 2 tablespoons olive oil over the potatoes; toss the potatoes with your hands to coat evenly.
- Evenly sprinkle the chicken with paprika.
- Bake for about 55 to 60 minutes convection, or until potatoes are tender and chicken is done* (see Tips below). Toss potatoes once midway through baking to ensure even cooking. If you don’t have a convection oven, I imagine the potatoes will need about 1 hour (remove them after 1 hour) and bake the chicken for another 30 minutes (about 90 minutes total), or until done. As with anything, bake until done and don’t get caught up on what the clock says.
- Optionally garnish potatoes with parsley before serving.
Notes
- *For me, done is 155ºF with a 20-minute resting period, but bake until as done as desired and you’re comfortable with. Always allow chicken to rest for at least 15 minutes minimum before slicing and serving so the juices are better contained and the chicken will stay moister.
- Place potatoes on the warm baking sheet while chicken rests to re-warm them if desired if you don’t have a convection oven and pulled them out earlier than the chicken.
- Recipe is best warm and fresh but will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Thermoworks digital thermometer – Lightning fast, big and easy-to-read display. If you are a cook or want to become one, you will adore this thermometer!
- Budget-friendly digital thermometer – This is similar to many digital thermometers on Amazon. It gets the job done and has a great price point. The display isn't as big and isn't quite as fast as the Thermoworks, but still speedy enough.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Originally posted January 29, 2018 and reposted January 26, 2024 with updated text.
When you say 425 convection, is that with or without the standard 25 degree decrease suggested when cooking a normal recipe in a convection oven? A lot of modern ovens(mine does this) will auto decrease the temp for convection. On my oven I’d need to set 450 convection if I want it to aim for a 425 temp. Readers having to figure out if you adjusted for the 25 degree change is something you’ll want to consider being explicit about if you start including convection uses regularly. I of course am asking because I’d like to give it a try this week. :D
Set your oven so that it bakes at 425F, whatever you need to do to get it to bake at that temp. If you have convection, great use it. If you don’t, skip it.
450F either convection or regular sounds a bit too hot.
Bake at 425 as I indicate in the recipe.
1144 Calories per serving?!?!?! Is this a typo?
I just looked at this and added this to the recipe:
The nutrition info is computer-generated and takes into account a 5 pound chicken, everything – the skin, gizzards, etc. and it’s unlikely that 100% of it will be consumed, rendering the stats artificially high in my opinion. Also, not every drop of the olive oil and juices will be consumed, there will be runoff on the pan. As always, do your own math re nutrition stats if this is critically important for you.
This was so delicious and easy. I’ve always shyed away from roasting a whole chicken but after this, it will be something I cook more often. I did find that my potatoes were a tad overdone but the chicken was perfect. I used some of the drippings and brown bits in gravy as well. I also loved using the convection feature on my oven. It’s only the second time I’ve used it in about 12 years. I’ll be checking out your other recipes too. Thanks again!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad your chicken turned out great! I’m also glad that you were able to take advantage of your convection oven for a second time!
This looks amazing! What a great easy dinner recipe!
Hi Averie, I’m a big fan of your dessert recipes but this chicken recipe looks too good to pass. Can I substitute it with chicken Maryland?
I don’t know what chicken Maryland is but you want to use a whole chicken for this recipe.
YES PLEASE. Your photos are SO enticing with all those crispy edges. Classic flavors prepared right! A great winter dish, esp for the foolish people who have chosen to live in the bitter Northeast. ;-)
Stay warm in that brutal weather!!
Do you mean 2 lbs fingerling potatoes? Thank you.
Yes and I updated the recipe.
hey girl- this looks so yummy!
Thank you so much! :)
Can’t wait to try. I, too, have a convection oven and never use it ?. And so simple! I need to take more advantage of the convection feature.
I rarely use the convection feature either but in this case, it’s so handy!
Your recipe call for 2 fingerling potatoes is this a typo?
Yes and I updated the recipe.
This looks wonderful. I have never thought of using convection to cook a chicken. I use it for cookies, homemade rolls, and biscuits. Need to try it.
YUM. This is the perfect meal to make early in the week and then repurpose for leftovers. Looks SO good!
Thank you and I agree – great for leftovers for the rest of the week!
I love how easy this is! This gorgeous and delicious roasted chicken is bound to disappear here! Pinned!
Thanks for pinning Anna! :)
Mmmm, this is one of my favorite dinners. So simple, but so impressive!
Simple but impressive…I totally agree. Chicken especially when it’s chilly out is great. But enjoy the 85F day today we’re having :)
Yum–and my oven has a convection feature!! I think there is something very satisfying about roasting a whole chicken (and they usually turn out better than the rotisserie chickens that cost twice as much).
I almost never use my convection feature (mostly because I worry a lot of people don’t have it on their ovens, but it’s becoming much more common now) and in this case, it works wonders! Seriously such good chicken! And yes rotisserie chickens are smaller, a million times more salty, and cost more!
This post was a great idea for a Friday night dinner. It turned out wonderfully and I love the paprika!! Have a great weekend as well:)
Thanks for trying this and now you probably have leftovers for a few meals which is nice going into the weekend :)