How to Bake a Whole 4.5 Pound Chicken

Serve a whole chicken with roasted vegetables for a simple dinner.

Baking chicken in the oven gives the poultry a golden brown and crispy texture. A properly baked chicken will come out of the oven with juicy meat. Roasting a whole chicken does not require much preparation. Before you bake the chicken, add your preferred seasonings to infuse it with flavor. Once you put it in the oven, you only need to monitor the internal temperature. After you bake the chicken, you may even have leftovers to make sandwiches or salads for future meals.

Things You'll Need

• Pan
• Rubber gloves
• Roasting rack
• Roasting pan
• Paper towels
• Melted butter
• Salt
• Pepper
• Stuffing
• Meat thermometer

Instructions

1. Thaw the chicken completely before you prepare it for the oven. Place the whole chicken in the refrigerator in a pan to catch any drippings. Thaw it for 5 hours for each pound. A 4.5-lb. chicken will take close to 24 hours to thaw completely.

2. Remove any giblets inside the chicken cavity once it thaws. Wear rubber gloves, if you prefer, and reach inside the cavity to remove the bag.

3. Insert a roasting rack into a roasting pan. The rack prevents the chicken from sitting in its own juices and developing greasy dark meat.

4. Place the thawed chicken on the rack with the breast side facing up toward you. Tuck the tips of the wings behind the back of the chicken. Pat the chicken with paper towels to remove the moisture. Brush the cavity and exterior of the chicken with melted butter.

5. Heat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Season the chicken with salt, pepper or other desired seasonings. Stuff the chicken with your preferred filling if you desire. Stuffing will increase the time it takes to bake the chicken.

6. Place the chicken on a middle-upper rack in the oven. Bake the chicken for 10 to 15 minutes until the skin appears golden brown.

7. Lower the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Roast the chicken until the juices run clear and it reaches the correct internal temperature. An unstuffed 4.5-lb. chicken will take 1 3/4 to 2 hours to bake and a stuffed chicken can take 2 to 2 1/4 hours.

8. Remove the chicken when the thickest part of the thigh reaches 175 to 180 degrees Fahrenheit. The middle of the stuffing must reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature will continue to rise by 5 degrees once you remove the chicken. Allow it to rest for 10 minutes before you carve it.

Tips & Warnings

• Cover the chicken loosely with aluminum foil if it browns too quickly.

• Wash your hands with hot water and antibacterial soap before and after handling raw poultry to prevent food-borne illnesses. Immediately clean cooking utensils and surfaces as well.

• Avoid allowing the thermometer to touch the chicken bone because it will give you a false reading.

References

• Recipe Tips: Chicken Cooking Times
• Recipe Tips: Thawing Chicken
• Help with Cooking: Roasting a Chicken
• "Fine Cooking"; Roast Chicken Made Better, Start to Finish; Beth Dooley et al.
• United States Department of Agriculture: Focus On Chicken