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How to make Oven rotisserie chicken using a handful of simple ingredients. Dry brine the chicken with salt. Then season and roast until golden! Serve for Sunday supper and use the rest for quick dinners throughout the week!
FAUX-tisserie chicken.
Or better known and oven rotisserrie chicken.
As in chicken that we made in the oven to mimic the rotisserie chicken you buy from your favorite grocery store — only it tastes so much better.
Begin my dry brining the chicken with salt and baking soda. This ensures the juices of the chicken stay put after roasting. Season with simple ingredients like spices and herbs and roast.
And when this chicken comes out of the oven, it’s fall-apart tender.
Serve oven rotisserie chicken with mashed potatoes (ready in 20 minutes!) and with your favorite steamed or roasted veggies. And what’s leftover can be turned into bbq chicken nachos, chicken tortilla soup, white chicken chili, or lemon chicken orzo soup.
Bonus points: if you use the bones to make homemade chicken stock.
Homemade oven rotisserie chicken is the meal that keeps on giving!
Ingredients for Oven Rotisserie Chicken
- Whole chicken: For this rotisserie-style chicken, you’ll want to use smaller chickens, about 3.5-4 pounds. Make sure to use a skin-on chicken. Skinless chicken will dry out too much in the oven and won’t work for this recipe.
- Seasonings: You’ll need a good bit of kosher salt for this recipe, as well as baking soda, black pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika.
- Herbs: you’ll need fresh thyme and rosemary. If you don’t have fresh herbs on hand, you can replace them with dried herbs.
- Lemon: cut the lemon into wedges. We’re going to put this in the cavity of the chicken while it roasts.
- High heat oil: I prefer to use melted ghee for this recipe instead of the high heat oil. However, both options work.
Why dry brine with baking soda?
Dry brining helps boost browning. The chicken will get crisper and much more golden because baking soda raises the pH and allows the protein to break down better. It’s important to note that for this to work, you must allow it to rest in the refrigerator uncovered for at least 10 hours.
Recipe Tips
- Truss the chicken. take a piece of kitchen twine and wrap it around the chicken in such a way that it stays together and looks picture perfect when it comes out of the oven. But here’s the thing, you don’t have to truss the chicken if you don’t want to. I usually tie the legs together and tuck the wings under the bird – that’s it!
- Take the time to dry brine. I know it’s easy to skip this part but trust me, it’s so worth it.
- Roast two instead of one. If you plan on serving this for dinner as is and want to have more chicken around for meals throughout the week, roast two. It will take the same amount of time. Use half sheet pan so two birds can fit side by side
- Check the temperature of the chicken using a digital thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the chicken
- Rotisserie Chicken. If you own a rotisserie oven or a rotisserie attachment for your grill, you can make this chicken on that for even better flavor. My suggestion would be to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations.
- Carve with a carving knife. The same carving knife you use for a turkey! Remove kitchen twine and cut around the legs. The wings will pop right off with a twist. Then, use the knife to separate the thigh from body. Slice down the center of the breastbone then turn the knife almost 90º and cut outwards. Hold on to the bones – they make a delicious chicken stock!
What to serve with this recipe
- Cheddar Mashed Potatoes
- Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole
- Golden Brown Garlic Butter Roasted Carrots
- Autumn Crisp Apple Sweet Potato Salad
- Toasted Bread Kale Caesar Salad
And there are tons of other ideas here!
Using leftover chicken:
- Chicken Tetrazzini
- Fried or Baked Chicken Taquitos
- Winter Lemon Chicken Barley Soup
- Chicken Pot Tater Tot Hotdish
- Mexican Chicken Noodle Soup
Oven Rotisserie Chicken (Faux-tisserie Chicken)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 (3.5-4 pound) whole chicken giblets removed
- 4 teaspoons kosher salt up the salt by 1 teaspoon if not dry brining
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 whole lemon quartered
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary chopped
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons melted ghee or high heat oil
Instructions
- DRY BRINE: Ideally 10-24 hours before making this recipe, dry brine the chicken. Place the chicken on clean surface. Remove the neck, giblets, and wipe down the bird using paper towels. Using 1 teaspoon of salt, season and rub the inside cavity of the chicken. Take the remaining 3 teaspoons of salt combine with the baking soda and dry rub the outside of the chicken with this mixture. Be sure to get under the wings, and all around the thighs. Place the chicken on a wire rack set on top of a baking sheet and place in the lowest rack of the refrigerator.
- SEASON: Position a rack in the enter of the oven and preheat the oven to 450ºF. Line a sheet pan with foil, top with a wire rack and set aside for now. Remove chicken from refrigerator while the oven is preheating. Wipe the entire chicken down with a paper towel to get rid of moisture, including the inside cavity. In a small bowl, combine rosemary, thyme, black pepper, paprika and garlic powder. Rub the bird with the high heat oil (or ghee.) Sprinkle the inside cavity with a bit of the seasoning. Rub the spice mix all over the outside of the chicken. Place the lemon inside the cavity. Place the chicken on the wire rack. Using kitchen twine, tie the legs of the bird together and tuck the wings under the bird so that the tips don’t burn.
- BAKE: Roast chicken for 12 minutes at 450ºF, then drop the oven temperature down to 350ºF and continue roasting for 50-70 minutes or until the chicken reads 160ºF on an instant read thermometer when tested in the thickest part. At that point, remove the chicken from the oven, carryover cooking will cook the chicken as it rests and it will hit 165ºF. Let the chicken rest for at least 15 minutes before carving so the juices don't run out.
Notes
- For best results, dry brining the chicken. If you do not dry brine, omit the baking soda.
- A larger chicken will also work for this recipe, however, you’ll want to increase 1 teaspoon of salt for every pound of chicken you use over what is listed and you’ll also need to roast the chicken for longer; about 15-20 minutes more per pound.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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