How to Roast a Seven-Pound Chicken (13 Steps)

A perfectly roasted chicken with a golden exterior and moist interior is a flavorful main dish fit for holiday dinners and special occasions. Unfortunately, larger chickens can dry out before they cook through if they are roasted at too high a temperature. You can solve this problem by roasting a larger chicken using the method for cooking turkeys. The key is in cooking the chicken at a high initial temperature to brown the exterior and then roasting the chicken for the remaining time at a lower heat to cook the meat through without drying it out.

Things You'll Need

7 lb. chicken, giblets and neck removed
Towel
Butter or olive oil
Salt and pepper
Herbs and seasonings of your choice

Kitchen twine
V-shaped oven roasting rack
Roasting pan
Meat thermometer

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Wash and pat the chicken dry with a clean towel.
Rub butter or olive oil on the exterior and inner cavity of the chicken.
Lightly sprinkle the exterior and inner cavity of the chicken with salt and pepper and any additional herbs and seasonings of your choice.
Tuck the chicken wings behind the breast.
Tie the chicken legs together with kitchen twine.
Set the prepared chicken with the breast up on the oven roasting rack.
Place the roasting rack inside a roasting pan.
Roast the chicken, uncovered, at 450 degrees F for 30 minutes to brown it.
Cover the roasting pan with foil or a lid and lower the temperature to 325 degrees F.
Continue to cook the chicken for 70 to 90 minutes.
Test the chicken with a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest portion of the thigh. Remove the chicken from the oven when the thermometer reads 170 degrees F.
Remove the chicken from the oven and leave covered for 15 minutes for the internal temperature to raise to 180 degrees F and for the juices to return to the inner portion of the meat.

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