One of the problems with making oven roasted chicken is that it (sometimes) comes out super dry. And that’s always a huge disappointment. Thankfully my mom has come up with the ultimate solution. Marinating the chicken in mayonnaise or mustard helps keep it moist. It’s best to marinate it overnight or for at least 8 hours. I was hoping to marinate mine overnight but couldn’t because it hadn’t defrosted yet. Another thing about whole chickens – once they’re frozen – they want to stay that way. Think it took me 2 days of defrosting before the chicken was soft enough for me to take all that guk out that they put inside. You know what I’m talking about – all those extra body parts – the neck, heart, etc. Do they put the heart in there? I wouldn’t know – because that little pouch of guk goes straight from the chicken into the trash. I’m only interested in the wings, drumstick, and white meat. Oh and of course the skin – that’s the best – hot and crispy out of the oven – couldn’t get any better. But hey if you like all those extra parts feel free to roast them too. Whatever you do though make up your mind in the very beginning – roast them or throw them away – but by no means leave them inside the chicken (sometimes they’re in little plastic bags and you don’t want that roasting inside your chicken)!
Don’t be freaked out by the amount of mayonnaise in this recipe. Trust me, if you want your roasted chicken to be juicy and tender be sure to try marinating it in a mix of mustard and mayo. You will not regret it.
- 3.5 pound organic chicken, whole
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons mustard
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- salt, pepper to taste
- Defrost chicken, rinse it with cold water and remove pouch from inside. Optional – cut off some of the extra fat.
- Combine mustard, mayo and garlic in a small bowl. Rub salt and pepper into the chicken. Using a spoon spread the mayo mix all over the chicken, on all sides and inside as well. Marinate in the refrigerator overnight or at least 8 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350-375 degrees F. Place chicken on roasting pan and add 1-2 cups of water to the pan. Bake for 45 minutes then flip over and cook for another 45 minutes (or following directions on chicken package)
Welcome to Avocado Pesto! Long time foodie and travel enthusiast, I started this blog to share my curious culinary efforts and kitchen endeavors. Here you'll find a smorgasbord of ethnic cuisines and hopefully a few humorous tales too.
Julia Child’s Brandade á la Soissonaise (White Bean Dip) for #Sunday Supper #cookforjulia 
Vegan Zucchini Saute and My First Blog Giveaway! 
Raw Green Vegan Collard Wraps 
Blueberry Banana Smoothie for Secret Recipe Club 
Reeses Peanut Butter Cheesecake and my Travel Plans Revealed 
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
What would you do without mayo!
I would lead a very sad life indeed!
Came across your roast chicken from FG, your pic makes me hungry! Thanks for the recipe…
Valynn {vanillyn} recently posted..Sticky Toffee Pudding
Thanks! The mayo truly helps tenderize the chicken so much!
I will like to make it with chicken thighs. Do I still put 2 cups of the water in the roasting pan? Afraid the chicken thigh pieces will be swimming in water.
Omit the water entirely or just add a small amount. Let me know how it turns out! Hope you enjoy this!
This might sound like a stupid question….do you roast it breast side down first then flip it over to brown top? ….and roasting pan w/rack or just place chicken on bottom w/water?
Thanks!
Hi Maria,
No worries there are no stupid questions! I usually start roasting it breast side down, so that then when I flip it over it is breast side up and that is the part that gets browned and cripsy by the end of the roasting time. (If you do it the other way that’s fine too!). I usually just place the chicken on the roasting pan with the water, but feel free to try it on the rack instead if you want! Hope it turns out well!
{ 1 trackback }