We partnered with Tina and Franc from family Hudin for this delicious, simple roast chicken recipe. They are a lovely family from Miklavž na Dravskem polju, Slovenia. If you are ever staying in Slovenia and crave a good chicken, you can buy their free-range chickens in Ljubljana (market), BTC (market) and in Maribor (market). So why did we choose free-range chickens for this post? Well, they are the best, the tastiest and honestly, it’s a completely different feeling to eat a proper, delicious chicken. Their chickens are completely GMO-free (we were pretty surprised to learn that they are actually the only Slovenian chicken breeder with a GMO-free certificate). That of course results in a better, tender and juicier meat + the aroma that fills your home while this chicken is roasting is just divine.
Preparation before roasting:
Remove the chicken from the fridge (1 hour before roasting). Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, making sure to absorb all the liquid both outside and inside. Gently sprinkle the inside and outside with salt and then leave to rest for one hour, to let it come up to room temperature. That way the muscles of the chicken will relax and the roasted chicken will have tender and juicy meat.
Preparation before roasting (for easier serving later):
As seen on the photos below, all chickens have a wishbone and removing it will make serving and most of all cutting easier. Without the wishbone, the breast can be sliced nicely, in even slices, without the knife constantly getting stuck. Remove the wishbone by sliding the skin that covers the neck cavity aside and using your thumbs feel on the inside of the cavity for the wishbone. Using a sharp knife make a slice on one side of the cavity in the flesh covering the bone. Using your hand remove the V-shaped bone.
General tips and trick for better roasting:
Make sure to brush your chicken well with olive oil. It’s especially important that you don’t forget to brush it under the thighs and wings. That way, the skin of the chicken will get a nice, even, golden brown skin, that we all love. Crispy and delicious.
Don’t truss the thighs and wings. It’s better if the chicken thighs are free, so just leave them as they are. That way the temperature while baking will be spread evenly and the chicken will bake faster. However, right before serving or placing your beautiful roast chicken on the dining table, you can truss the wings and thighs to make them look prettier.
How to evenly bake the whole chicken:
Place the roasting pan on the lowest rack in the oven. That way the skin will be evenly golden brown because the heat will be evenly spread. Also, when placing the roasting pan in the oven, make sure that the legs/thighs are facing the ventilator in the oven. Legs take the longest to cook, so placing them right in front of the ventilator will allow them to cook faster because there’s the highest temperature in the oven.
Roast chicken cooking times and temperature:
If you don’t truss your chicken the rule for roasting the whole chicken is this: First roast the chicken in the oven for 10 minutes at 200 °C / 390 °F (or 180 °C / 355 °F convection oven), plus another 18 - 20 minutes for every 500g (1.1lbs) of the chicken. For example, our chicken has 2.5 kg, so we are going to cook it for 18 - 20 minutes x 5 = 90 minutes. Total roasting time is 1 hour and 40 minutes.
Formula
Weight of the chicken (2500g / 5.5 lbs) : (divided with) 500g / 1.1 lbs = 5 (cooking factor)
2500g (5.5 lbs) : 500g (1.1 lbs) = 5
18 minutes (roast time) x 5 (cooking factor) + 10 minutes at the beginning = 100 minutes total roast time
18-20 min x 5 = 90 min + 10 min = 100 min
If we decide to truss our whole chicken, then the beginning time goes from 10 minutes to 25 minutes, and then depending on the weight of the chicken the cooking time goes from 18 - 20 minutes per 500g (1.1 lbs) to 20 - 25 minutes (depending on your oven and the quality of the chicken). So if we would truss our 2.5 kg (5.5 lbs) chicken, we would need to roast it for at least 2 hours.
How to make sure that our chicken is perfectly roasted?
The easiest way to see if your chicken is cooked all the way through is by looking at the juices from the carcass of the chicken. If the juices are clear and nice, then the chicken is cooked through, but if there are any signs of blood then your chicken definitely isn’t cooked through. However, the best way and the most accurate to make sure your chicken is perfectly roasted is by sticking the kitchen thermometer into the thickest part of the legs and breast of the chicken. The temperature of the chicken must be around 65 °C - 70 °C (150 °F - 160 °F) when taking it out of the oven. Then leave the chicken to rest for about 15 minutes and right before serving it check the temperature again. It should be around 70 °C - 75 °C (160 °F - 165 °F) at the thickest part of the thighs and breast.
A big thank you to family Hudin for making our roast chicken dreams come true. Their free range chickens are truly tasty. For more info about their farm and their chickens visit: https://www.kmetija-hudin.si (In Slovene)
METHOD
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Prepare the chicken
Place the chicken from the fridge one hour before you want to roast it, to let it come up to room temperature. Pat dry with kitchen towels and season lightly with salt both inside and outside. Then remove the tip of the wings using a sharp knife. Also cut off the neck and remove the wishbone, as seen on the photos.
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Prepare the vegetables
Peel the carrots and cut it on large chunks. Cut the onions and garlic head in half. Peel the celery stalks and cut them on larger chunks. Put everything into the middle of a large roasting pan. Add the halved lemon and a sprig of thyme. Also add the removed chicken parts (they will release that wonderful juices that you want for the flavor of your sauce). Preheat the oven to 200 °C / 390 °F or 180 °C / 355 °F if you are using a convection oven.
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Brush the chicken
Place the chicken on top of the vegetables. In a bowl combine olive oil with 1/2 tsp black pepper and 1 tsp salt. Stir to combine. Season well the insides of the chicken, then evenly brush the whole chicken with the olive oil mixture. Make sure to brush under the thighs and wings as well. Don't truss the wings and thighs. It's better for the thighs and wings to be free, that way they will get baked more evenly because the temperature will be more even.
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Roast the chicken
Place the roasting pan with your chicken and vegetables on the lowest rack in the oven, with the legs of the chicken facing the ventilator (this way the chicken will get baked more evenly). First roast the chicken in the oven for 10 minutes at 200 °C / 390 °F (or 180 °C / 355 °F convection oven), plus another 18 - 20 minutes for every 500g (1.1lbs) of the chicken. For example, our chicken has 2.5 kg, so we are going to cook it for 18 - 20 minutes x 5 = 90 minutes. Total roasting time is 1 hour and 40 minutes.
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Perfect Crispy Roast Chicken
Remove the roasting pan with the chicken and vegetables from the oven. Check the temperature of the chicken to make sure that it’s cooked through. Leave the roasted chicken to rest for about 15 minutes. The chicken will continue to cook the the temperature will rise a bit more. Serve the chicken with your favorite side dish. We recommend parsnip puree, bread stuffing, baked potato wedges and / or string bean salad. Enjoy.
TipThe temperature of the chicken must be around 65 °C - 70 °C (150 °F - 160 °F) when taking it out of then oven. Then leave the chicken to rest for about 15 minutes and right before serving it check the temperature again. It should be around 70 °C - 75 °C (160 °F - 165 °F) at the thickest part of the thighs and breast.
