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When it comes to weeknight dinners, we all know chicken reigns supreme. We also all know, sometimes, even cooking up some breasts or thighs can be a lot on a busy night, not to mention how expensive those cuts can get. Enter: the whole chicken. You can cook one up one night, then feast (literally!) on it for the rest of the week. It’s also extra economical, especially if you have a big family. Whether you’re looking for the perfect Sunday dinner, a holiday centerpiece, or are just trying to get a jump start on meal prep for the week, these 16 whole chicken recipes are for you.
Never roasted a whole chicken before? We’ve got you! It doesn’t have to be intimidating. There are two main methods, keeping the chicken whole and roasting or poaching it as is, or “spatchco*cking” the chicken (a method in which you cut out the backbone of the chicken so it lays flat, thus ensuring it cooks more evenly). If you’re interested in the first, you’ve got to check out our classic roast chicken recipe. It’s perfect in its simplicity. Want something even easier? Modern appliances to the rescue—try our Crockpot roast chicken, our Instant Pot fall-off-the-bone chicken, or our air fryer rotisserie chicken for all the flavor you love, with a lot less effort. Feeling like you’ve got the basics down and want to take your flavors OTT? Take inspiration from our Tuscan butter roast chicken, our cold ginger chicken, or our tomato-butter roast chicken. They’re super-flavorful but not overwhelmingly so (so leftovers are a DREAM).
If you’d consider yourself a chicken expert but have never spatchco*cked one before, consider this your sign to start. Our brick chicken, our Peruvian roast chicken, our perfect bite chicken (great for fans of the show You), and our piri piri chicken all use this technique to great effect. Whip this method out next time you need to wow a crowd—it always impresses. Also, hot tip for the squeamish: Ask your butcher to cut the backbone for you!
Now you’ve got your perfect whole chicken, what are you going to do with it? Check out our guide for how to shred chicken and our favorite recipes to make with a rotisserie chicken, then get excited—you’re going to be set for meals all week long.
1
Roast Chicken
The perfect centerpiece to any holiday dinner, the steps to make this chicken are simple: You season the bird (just salt & pepper!), then roast it at high heat until the skin is bronzed and crisp and the flesh juicy.
Get the Roast Chicken recipe.
2
Brick Chicken
Roasted, deep-fried, stuffed, we've done it all; however, brick chicken, or chicken under a brick, is one of our most simple and reliable ways to get tender, perfectly cooked chicken and that crispy skin we all crave.
Get the Brick Chicken recipe.
3
Tomato-Butter Roast Chicken
Tomato butter works wonders on chicken. Not only does it keep the bird moist, but the healthy dose of tomato paste brings a slightly sweet, umami acidity, which chicken could often use.
Get the Tomato-Butter Roast Chicken recipe.
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4
Air Fryer Rotisserie Chicken
We love a good classic roasted chicken, but it's not always practical for a weeknight dinner. This easy air fryer recipe takes most of the waiting out of roasting a chicken, with remarkably similar results. Air fryer, we love you.
Get the Air Fryer Rotisserie Chicken recipe.
5
Peruvian Roast Chicken With Aji Verde
Peruvian roast chicken is everything you love about roast chicken, with a smoky, spicy twist. It's got that crisp and golden skin, and that mind-blowing aroma that'll fill your kitchen, but with a little extra pizzazz.
Get the Peruvian Roast Chicken With Aji Verde recipe.
6
Perfect Bite Roast Chicken Dinner
!Spoiler alert! If you load a fork with garlic-herb butter chicken, crispy roasted potatoes, tender sweet carrots, and a smear of balsamic reduction, you will experience perfection.
Get the Perfect Bite Roast Chicken Dinner recipe.
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7
Air Fryer Cilantro-Lime Cornish Hen
If you’ve never tried cooking a Cornish hen before, this is a great place to start. They’re really just little chickens, and they happen to fit perfectly even in petite air fryers. Serve this tangy, garlicky version over rice.
Get the Air Fryer Cilantro-Lime Cornish Hen recipe.
8
Cold Ginger Chicken
Originating as a Chinese dish, cold ginger chicken made its way to the Hawaiian islands. The contrast of the cold, tender poached chicken with the hot sticky rice and pungent ginger puree hits all the senses for a light yet powerfully flavorful dish.
Get the Cold Ginger Chicken recipe.
9
Piri Piri Chicken
This piri piri chicken is marinated in a spicy and citrusy sauce, then grilled. Piri piri means “chile” in Swahili, specifically the African bird’s-eye chile that is traditionally used, but that can be hard to find. Fresno chiles work well as a replacement—they're vibrant, fruity, and not too spicy.
Get the Piri Piri Chicken recipe.
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10
Instant Pot Fall-Off-The-Bone Chicken
Roast chicken is one of our favorite dinners ever, but it's usually too fussy to make on a weeknight. In the Instant Pot, you cut the cooking time in half!
Get the Instant Pot Fall-Off-The-Bone Chicken recipe.
11
The World's Most Perfect Roast Chicken
If you've never spatchco*cked a chicken before, consider this your sign to start. This is the winner winner of ALL chicken dinners.
Get The World's Most Perfect Roast Chicken recipe.
12
Tuscan Butter Roast Chicken
A roast chicken is the perfect Sunday dinner. Season the chicken well, in this case, with the most amazing Tuscan butter, and throw whatever vegetables you have around it, and you've set yourself up for a week's worth of meals.
Get the Tuscan Butter Roast Chicken recipe.
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13
Crockpot Whole Chicken
It might sounds wild, but you can replicate the deliciousness of a rotisserie chicken at home... in your slow cooker. Though it may not hold a candle to the coveted Costco rotisserie chicken, it will definitely beat out the dry birds you find at most grocery stores.
Get the Crockpot Whole Chicken recipe.
14
Bundt Pan Roast Chicken
This easy hack uses your trusty Bundt cake pan for a perfect roast chicken. Whip this recipe out over the holidays and watch everybody swoon.
Get the Bundt Pan Roast Chicken recipe.
15
Instant Pot Chicken Pot Roast
This chicken is so ridiculously juicy, you won't ever want to roast your chicken in the oven again. Feel free to mix and match veggies: sweet potatoes, bell peppers, or fennel would all be delicious substitutes.
Get the Instant Pot Chicken Pot Roast recipe.
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16
Chrissy Teigen's (Better Than Ina's) Roast Chicken & Vegetables
Few things are more beautiful than a giant, deep golden brown featherless bird in the middle of a dinner table... To go along with such beauty, you'll find stuffing chunks of garlic butter under the skin and shoving lemons and garlic up the bum to be quite therapeutic. Some people pay for that kind of thing.
Get .
