We love whole chicken recipes from Instant Pot Whole Chicken to our popular Spatchcock Chicken. If you are a fan of rotisserie chicken with that crispy salty skin and juicy center, this recipe is a must-try! This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
Whole Roasted Chickens Recipe
We often buy the 2 whole organic chickens at Costco and roast them together. It doesn’t take much more effort or time for double roasted Chickens. P.S. Keep this in mind also for the holidays because Roasted Chickens look glorious on a Thanksgiving table. Be sure to save those pan drippings for making the best chicken gravy. It’s the same concept we use for making turkey gravy and you’ll be amazed how easy it is to make a super flavorful pan dripping gravy. When Buying Chickens: select ones that are fairly equal in size for even cooking so they are done at the same time. If you only have one in-oven temperature probe, put it into the larger chicken to ensure they are both fully cooked through to a safe temperature.
How to Roast 2 Whole Chickens
Pro Seasoning Tip: Butter chickens one at a time and season immediately after adding melted butter. The seasonings will stick better before the butter firms up on the cold chicken. Juicy Chicken Tip: Once the chicken is out of the oven, let it rest for 15 minutes before slicing into it. This allows the chicken to relax and re-absorb some juices.
How Long to Roast 2 Whole Chickens?
You should always check your chickens for doneness with a thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the thigh and make sure it reaches at least 165˚F and you should see the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and thigh. To be extra safe, we let the chicken go 5 degrees higher. Use this chart to estimate roasting times when baking two chickens at 425˚F:
2 Chickens (4 lbs each): Bake 1 hour 15 min to 1 hr 30 min2 Chickens (4.5 lbs each): Bake 1 hr 30 min to 1 hr 45 min2 Chickens (5 lbs each): Bake 1 hr 45 min to 2 hrs
How to Make Pan Dripping Gravy:
Just like with our Turkey Gravy, making a Chicken Gravy from pan drippings is so easy and will create the most flavorful gravy that is better than any powdered or pre-made gravy mix. We had just a little over 1 cup of pan drippings (after fat was removed), but the amount can vary..
Common Questions:
Serve With
We love to serve this as a main course with simple fresh salads and vegetable sides:
Marinated TomatoesInstant Pot Mashed PotatoesBoiled Corn on the CobCaesar SaladAvocado Corn SaladPanzanella Salad
Make-Ahead
You can completely assemble your whole chickens: stuff, butter, and season your chickens then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Leave it at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.
Use Leftover Chicken for:
Roast 2 chickens at the same time to save time, money on your energy bill and dishes. You can also use leftover chicken to make these tasty chicken dinners for the week (and none of these dishes will taste like leftovers).
Chicken Pot Pie or Pot Pie SoupChicken Tortilla SoupChicken Noodle SoupEasy Chicken PattiesClassic Chicken Cobb Salad
