Roasted Half Chicken
Roasted Half Chicken is easy to make by splitting a chicken in half and roasting both halves covered with butter, a zesty seasoning blend, and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Pair it with scalloped potatoes or red skin mashed potatoes for a comforting meal.
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What is Roasted Half Chicken?
Roasted half chicken is the easiest way to prepare a whole chicken by removing the spine and splitting the chicken at the breast into two halves.
Then the chicken halves are roasted until the skin is crispy golden brown and the breast meat is tender and juicy. The pan gravy is perfect for pouring on top of roasted fall vegetables, over cheesy mashed potatoes, or jalapeno rice for a complete meal.
With barely any hands-on time required, this makes for an easy and delicious meal.
Ingredients
These simple ingredients are all that is needed to make this stress-free weeknight meal. Don’t worry about trying to buy a half chicken at the grocery store, it’s cheaper to buy a whole chicken and cut it in half yourself.
- Whole chicken – split it in half and use both pieces for this recipe
- Butter – unsalted butter makes the skin crispy and flavorful
- Smoked paprika – this gives the chicken a gorgeous color and smoky flavor
- Lemon juice – squeeze lemon juice over the chicken for a flavor boost
- Salt and black pepper – salt is needed to help make the chicken juicy
How to Cut a Chicken in Half
Cutting a chicken in half is so much easier than you’d think. You’ll need a 4-pound whole chicken for this recipe.
Lay the chicken breast side down on a large cutting board with the neck facing up. With sharp kitchen shears cut along one side of the chicken spine, separating it from the ribs.
Be sure to cut as close to the spine as you can so that you do not end up discarding any more of the chicken meat than necessary. Repeat on the other side of the spine.
Then, flip the chicken over onto its back, and firmly cut the cartilage and soft bone down the middle of the breast so the two halves come apart.
Roasting Half Chicken
After splitting the chicken into two halves, let the chicken rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes over a few layers of paper towels. This helps absorb excess moisture.
Next, place the chicken into a cast iron skillet, cover with softened butter, and season with spices and lemon juice.
Make a complete meal! Make it a one-pan dish by including halved red potatoes, onions, carrots, or other root vegetables nestled around the chicken in the roasting pan. The vegetables will roast with the chicken and soak up the chicken juices that collect in the bottom of the pan.
Bake until the chicken is cooked all the way through, then let the chicken rest for a few minutes before carving and serving.
Recipe Tips
The delicious flavors of this chicken come from cooking it just right. Follow these tips for the perfect roast chicken.
- Rest chicken before roasting. Let the chicken sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Make sure to line the plate or cutting board with a few sheets of paper towels. This helps absorb excess moisture and also ensures the chicken is dry and comes to room temperature before roasting.
- Liberally season with salt. Don’t be scared to season the chicken all over with salt. Not only does salt make the chicken flavorful but also tender.
- Use a sheet pan or an oven-safe skillet. After the chicken is done resting, place it in a pan that you’re going to roast it in and then add the butter and seasonings. That way excess can fall straight into the pan.
- Rest after roasting. Allow the chicken to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving; this makes the chicken juicer. Plus you can serve extra juices over homemade garlic mashed potatoes.
- Save the backbone! You can use the backbones to make slow cooker chicken stock.
Variations
This half roasted chicken recipe is easy to change to fit your tastes and preferences. Here are some options to get you started.
- Use the grill or air fryer instead of the oven.
- Use your favorite seasoning combinations like garlic, salt, parsley, and paprika, or use a spice mix from the store.
- Love extra crispy skin? Place the chicken under the broiler for 1-2 minutes.
- Substitute the butter with olive oil.
How to Serve
This half roast chicken recipe is a perfect meal for four people. Don’t forget to use the pan drippings from the bottom of the pan to make a delicious gravy that you can pour over baked roasted sweet potato wedges, dip sourdough garlic bread, or top your chicken.
Serve it with side dishes like Mexican beans and rice, cauliflower tabbouleh, lemon asparagus risotto, or red skin mashed potatoes.
Storing Tips
Refrigerate: Keep leftover roasted chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Reheat: To reheat the chicken, gently heat it in the microwave in 30-second increments until it’s warmed through. You can also eat it cold, right out of the fridge.
Freeze: Freezing chicken is a great way to save it for later. You can keep it in the freezer for up to three months.
To freeze your chicken, allow it to cool completely, pull the meat off the bones, and store in an airtight container. Feel free to freeze the bones for chicken broth.
Leftovers? Use leftover chicken meat in green goddess cobb salad, crustless chicken pot pie, apple walnut chicken salad, or zucchini chicken enchiladas.
Recipe FAQs
Since this is a whole chicken split into two halves, it will take less time to cook than leaving the chicken whole. Cooking it this way takes about 35-40 minutes.
There are three ways to ensure the chicken is cooked to at least 165°F. Use an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature in the thickest part of the thigh, wiggle the leg to check that it’s nice and loose in the leg joint, and poke the thigh to check that clear juices run out.
If the juice is red or pink, it’s not cooked through yet. Put the chicken back in the oven and continue to check in 5-minute increments until it’s cooked through.
If your chicken is slightly dry, it could be because it was cooked too long or it didn’t have enough time to rest on a cutting board after it was cooked. Resting time is very important, as it redistributes the juices back through the chicken as it cools.
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Roasted Half Chicken
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 40 min
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: 4-5 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Description
Roasted Half Chicken is easy to make by splitting a chicken in half and roasting both halves covered with butter, a zesty seasoning blend, and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Ingredients
- 1 (4-5 pound) whole chicken
- 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 tsp. smoked paprika
- Juice of half a lemon, about 1 tablespoon
- Kosher salt and fresh black pepper
Instructions
- Remove the chicken giblets, trim any excess fat, and pat the chicken dry with a few sheets of paper towels.
- Lay the chicken on a large cutting board breast side down with the neck facing up. With sharp kitchen shears cut along one side of the chicken spine, separating it from the ribs. Be sure to cut as close to the spine as you can so that you do not end up discarding any more of the chicken meat than necessary. Repeat on the other side of the spine.
- Flip the chicken over onto its back, and firmly cut the cartilage and soft bone down the middle of the breasts so the two halves come apart. Place both chicken halves on a clean cutting board lined with a few layers of paper towels. Rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Pat dry the chicken one more time with a clean paper towel and transfer to a baking sheet or oven safe-skillet.
- Rub the chicken all over with softened butter. It helps to have the chicken as dry as possible and the butter really softened for this step.
- Sprinkle the skin and underside of the chicken with paprika. Next, liberally season with salt. Make sure to pick up the chicken and salt all over, including the skin, underside of the meat, under wings, and legs. Lastly, season with black pepper and squeeze fresh lemon juice over the chicken.
- Roast the chicken for 35-40 minutes. Chicken is done when internal temperature registers at 165F or until juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh.
- Remove the chicken from the oven. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Butter: Feel free to use salted butter just make sure to adjust the salt.
- Paprika: I like using smoked paprika for a smoky flavor but regular paprika can be used instead.
- Leftovers: Store leftover chicken in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze for 3 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4-6 ounces meat only
- Calories: 521
- Sugar: 0.2 g
- Sodium: 165.2 mg
- Fat: 18.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 1 g
- Protein: 81.9 g
- Cholesterol: 289.2 mg
Hi! I'm Katya -- a former corporate paralegal turned full-time recipe developer and blogger behind Little Broken. Here you'll find family-friendly and seasonal recipes made from real ingredients.
Delicious!