WHOLE BAKED CHICKEN RECIPES FOOD NETWORK RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 450 degrees before starting to prepare the chicken.
• Place the whole chicken into a medium sized baking pan.
• Rub the entire bird with the olive oil.
• In a small bowl combine the salt, pepper, oregano, basil, and paprika, then sprinkle evenly over chicken.
• In the preheated oven bake the chicken for 20 minutes.
• Lower the oven to 400 degrees.
• Continue baking for 40-50 minutes, or until golden brown and juices run clear.
• If your chicken looks like it is browning too quickly, Lay a sheet of tin foil over the top loosely and it will slow down the browning for you.
• Let the chicken rest in it's juices for at least 10 minutes before carving and serving. (This let's the bird reabsorb some of the juices and helps to make it even more moist.).

Steps:

• Remove giblets from chicken; discard or reserve for another use. Season chicken all over with 4 teaspoons salt and 11/2 teaspoons pepper, making sure to season the cavity. Stuff cavity with shallot and thyme sprigs. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Meanwhile, fill lid of a 4.1-quart Römertopf clay baker with water; let stand 30 minutes to allow water to soak into lid.
• Toss together sweet potatoes, Yukon Gold potatoes, carrots, parsnip, garlic, chopped thyme leaves, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper in bottom half of clay baker. Place chicken on top of potato mixture, and tuck wing tips under chicken.
• Drain soaking water from lid. Cover chicken with lid, and place in lower third of a cold oven. Set oven temperature to 425°F, and bake until a thermometer inserted into thickest portion of breast registers 125°F, 45 to 55 minutes. Remove lid, and continue baking at 425°F until a thermometer inserted into thickest portion of breast registers 155°F, 20 to 30 more minutes. Let rest 15 minutes before carving. (Temperature will continue to rise to 165°F as chicken rests.) Serve chicken with vegetables.