Juicy Whole Roast Chicken With Herb Stuffing and Gravy (2024)

  • Southern Dinner Recipes
  • Dinner
  • Chicken Mains
  • American Food
  • Southern Food

By

Diana Rattray

Juicy Whole Roast Chicken With Herb Stuffing and Gravy (1)

Diana Rattray

Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.

Learn about The Spruce Eats'Editorial Process

Updated on 02/20/24

Tested by

Noah Velush-Rogers

Juicy Whole Roast Chicken With Herb Stuffing and Gravy (2)

Tested byNoah Velush-Rogers

Noah Velush-Rogers works on food prep for several area caterers.He has worked with a team of prep chefs for a private school group.He was an assistant cooking teacher for children and teen group cooking classes.Noah was hired as an intern and was then trained as a recipe tester for Fine Cooking Magazine.

Learn about The Spruce Eats'Editorial Process

A well-seasoned stuffing and a simple pan gravy makeour whole roasted chicken a great holiday meal. It's also not to be overlooked for celebratory dinners for smaller gatherings, or for those who want an alternative to the traditional turkey. Coated with butter and stuffed with bread, fresh veggies, and herbs, this chicken comes out moist every time. Roasted to perfection, the skin is crispy enough, and the meat is tender and juicy. Serve it with mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce for a spectacular and easy-to-make family feast.

Your Frequently Asked Holiday Questions, Answered

The base of the stuffing is breadcrumbs, but other ingredients can fit too as stuffing is a great way of adding favorite flavors and textures into the dish. Use your favorite herbs, additional vegetables, or different types of non-dairy milk if needed.

Leftovers of this lovely meal are amazing to make sandwiches, casseroles, soups, or salads.

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What You'll Need to Make This Stuffed Chicken Recipe

A Sturdy Roasting Pan
A Handy Basting Brush
An Accurate Meat Thermometer

“This recipe is an easy dinner slam dunk. It’s pretty much impossible to go wrong with gravy and poultry but the stuffing just completes the whole flavor profile. Just throw together an easy green salad and mashed potatoes, and you’ve got a full meal .” —Noah Velush-Rogers

Juicy Whole Roast Chicken With Herb Stuffing and Gravy (8)

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

For the Chicken:

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

  • 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

  • 1 (5-pound) whole chicken

  • Fresh thyme, rosemary, and sage, optional

  • Kosher salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the Stuffing:

  • 2 ounces (1/4 cup) unsalted butter

  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion

  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped celery

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, or poultry seasoning, or to taste

  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley, or 2 teaspoons dried parsley

  • 2 cups soft breadcrumbs

  • 2/3 cup milk, divided

  • Kosher salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • 1 large egg, beaten

For the Pan Gravy:

  • Drippings from the chicken

  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

  • 1 1/2 to 2 cups chicken stock

  • Salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Steps to Make It

Prepare the Chicken

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Juicy Whole Roast Chicken With Herb Stuffing and Gravy (9)

  2. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to375 F. Line a roasting pan with foil and set a rack in the pan.

    Juicy Whole Roast Chicken With Herb Stuffing and Gravy (10)

  3. Using your fingers or a brush, rub the skin of the chicken with themelted butter. Tuck the pieces of cold butter under the chicken's skin along with the optional fresh herbs. Sprinkle the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Set aside while making the stuffing.

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Prepare the Stuffing

  1. Gather the ingredients.

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  2. Melt thebutter in a large skillet orsautépan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and celery. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent and the celery is crisp-tender.

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  3. Add the dried thyme, parsley, and breadcrumbs. Add about 1/3 cup of milk and stir to blend. Taste and season the stuffing with salt and pepper.

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  4. Stir in the beaten egg and enough of the remaining 1/3 cup milk, if needed, one tablespoon at a time to make a moist mixture.Remove from heat.

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Stuff and Roast the Chicken

  1. Loosely spoon the stuffinginto the cavity of the chicken. Close the cavity by securing loose skin together with toothpicks, or twine. Alternatively, cover the cavity with a piece of foil or a slice of bread.

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  2. Place the chicken, breast-side up, on the prepared rack in the roasting pan.

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  3. Roast, about 1 hour and 30 minutes to 1 hour and 45 minutes, basting several times with the pan juices. The chicken is done when the internal temperature in the thickest part of the thigh, away from the bone reads 165 F. The stuffing needs to have the same temperature reading. Once cooked thoroughly, remove from the oven and let rest for about 15 minutes.

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Make the Pan Gravy

  1. Gather the ingredients.

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  2. Skim off the fat from the pan drippings, or use a fat separator. Reserve the fat.

    Juicy Whole Roast Chicken With Herb Stuffing and Gravy (20)

  3. Add three tablespoons of fat back in the roasting pan, reserving the remaining drippings. Add the flour and stir to make a roux. Cook on the stove, stirring, for two minutes.

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  4. Put the reserved drippings in a 2-cup measure and addenoughchicken stock until you have 2 full cups of liquid.

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  5. Gradually stir the chicken stock mixture into the roux mixture. Continue cooking the gravy until thickened, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

    Juicy Whole Roast Chicken With Herb Stuffing and Gravy (23)

How to Store Leftover Chicken

To safely store cooked poultry:

  • Place the stuffing and carved chicken in separate containers.
  • Remove cooled leftovers to airtight containers within 2 hours of cooking.
  • Store inthe refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Is it Safe to Eat the Stuffing?

Yes. Eating the stuffing is safe as long as you carefully comply with these instructions:

  • Never stuff your chicken the night before. Harmful bacteria in uncooked chicken can leak into the stuffing and cause a variety of health issues.
  • Never remove the stuffing from the chicken before it has reached a safe temperature of165 F. The chicken must remain in the oven until the stuffing reaches that temperature even if the chickenitself has passedthe 165 F reading. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the center of the stuffing to ensure it has reached the safe temperature.
  • Reheat stuffing leftovers to at least165 F.

32 Ways to Turn Leftover Chicken Into Delicious New Meals

Recipe Tags:

  • Gravy
  • entree
  • american
  • birthdays

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Juicy Whole Roast Chicken With Herb Stuffing and Gravy (2024)

FAQs

Does stuffing a chicken keep it moist? ›

Coated with butter and stuffed with bread, fresh veggies, and herbs, this chicken comes out moist every time. Roasted to perfection, the skin is crispy enough, and the meat is tender and juicy.

Should I roast my chicken covered or uncovered? ›

If you want your chicken to be truly roasted with crisp, golden-brown skin, it needs to spend time in the oven uncovered.

Do you cook stuffing before putting it in the chicken? ›

Many cooks prefer to cook the stuffing separately from the chicken. The stuffing is placed in a buttered baking dish and cooked during the last 45 minutes to an hour of the roasting time.

Does stuffing a chicken make it taste better? ›

Cooking chicken is one thing, but cooking chicken with stuffing takes flavor to a whole new level. Stuffing adds a delicious layer of flavour to chicken by steaming it from the inside and soaking up the juices that may have been otherwise lost.

How can I make my chicken more moist? ›

A marinade adds both moisture and intense flavor to chicken breast. The longer you marinate, the better. Seal the chicken in your marinade for two to three hours minimum. However, overnight is ideal.

What adds moisture to chicken? ›

Because chicken isn't a very fatty cut of meat, you'll want to add some fat to keep the meat hydrated. Most recipes use butter or oil for cooking chicken, but mayo is the better fat option when it comes to producing juicy chicken.

What not to do when roasting a chicken? ›

The 5 mistakes to avoid with roast chicken
  1. Skipping the de-pluming step. ...
  2. Not cutting off the ends of the wings (the thinnest part) ...
  3. Skipping prep before roasting. ...
  4. Roasting the chicken in too much seasoning. ...
  5. Cooking the meat for too long or too little.
Oct 2, 2020

How to stop roast chicken from drying out? ›

Watch carefully in the last 30 minutes and lay foil over the top of the chicken if necessary. Another method is to completely cover the roasting pan with foil in the beginning, which retains much of the moisture. Uncover in the last 20 minutes of cooking and baste frequently to brown the skin.

What is the best temperature for roast chicken? ›

You can roast or bake anywhere between 325 and 450 degrees F. When roasting a whole chicken, a nice rule of them is to start at 400 to 425 degrees F and then turn the oven down to 350 after 15 minutes and cook until the internal temp of the chicken is 165 – 175 degrees F on an instant read thermometer.

How do you keep stuffing moist when cooking? ›

Typically, baking the stuffing inside the bird helps keep the mixture moist. “I prefer stuffing (in the bird) to dressing (outside of the bird) because all those delicious drippings that come off the turkey gets absorbed right into the stuffing,” Bamford says.

Is chicken broth or chicken stock better for stuffing? ›

You can use either stock or broth for keeping dressing moist or as a basis for gravy, but a strong flavor will give you better results.

Why put stuffing in a chicken? ›

If you've never done it before, roasting a whole chicken can be intimidating. But stuffing a chicken is an easy way to add tremendous flavour to the whole bird. Roasting a stuffed whole chicken is also an economical way to make dinner for a crowd, plus you can use leftovers for a chicken broth.

Does stuffing keep chicken moist? ›

The secret to this chicken comes from the delicious stuffing! Not only does it help keep the meat moist and juicy, but it also perfumes the chicken with flavour from the inside while it cooks.

What is the most flavorful way to cook chicken? ›

Getting a good sear through medium high heat, then reducing the heat to LOW and COVERING the chicken while it cooks. The butter, oil, and chicken juices create a super flavorful liquid that acts as a way to steam the chicken at a low temperature, ensuring that it is moist & tender on the inside.

Can you put stuffing in a raw chicken? ›

Cooking stuffed poultry, pork chops, and other meat can be somewhat riskier than cooking them unstuffed. Bacteria can survive in stuffing that has not reached the safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F, possibly resulting in foodborne illness.

What is the purpose of stuffing a chicken? ›

If you've never done it before, roasting a whole chicken can be intimidating. But stuffing a chicken is an easy way to add tremendous flavour to the whole bird. Roasting a stuffed whole chicken is also an economical way to make dinner for a crowd, plus you can use leftovers for a chicken broth.

Does covering chicken keep it moist? ›

When chicken is covered while baking, it traps steam and moisture within the dish, resulting in juicier results. The covering helps prevent excessive evaporation and keeps the chicken moist throughout the cooking process. Preventing dryness. Chicken tends to dry out more quickly when exposed to direct heat.

How do caterers keep chicken moist? ›

Brining helps to tenderize the meat and keep it moist during cooking. Buttermilk marinade: Another popular technique is to marinate the chicken in buttermilk for several hours or overnight.

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