Roasted Half Chicken

Delicious and moist roast chicken with crispy skin. One half generously serves one to two people depending on the size of the chicken. Precise half roast chicken calories per person depend on the size of the serving. Below noted for half of a 3.5 lb bird.

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

About This Roasted Half Chicken Recipe

Half roasted chicken is easily one of our favorite dinners. It is such a beer friendly dish too, so tasty, so filling, yet doesn't leave one feeling stuffed.

We often enjoy it at home and love to order it when out and about craft beering, especially if visiting in Germany or Austria and especially when it is spit-roasted. Yum! But at home we usually prepare it in the oven (no rotisserie oven/attachment in the Perrine household as of yet and not really missing one).

How to Roast Half Chicken?

The easiest way to roast a half chicken at home is to roast a whole chicken first and halve it once it is done.

Do not fall for the luster of the idea to cut a chicken in half and roast it. You will actually do more work and the bird will not be as juicy.

We are really speaking of baking here as by definition roasting implies temperatures higher than 400°F and the ideal temperature for chicken is just underneath, between 375°F  and 400°F. (Unless your oven is super reliable and you are 100% confident that if you roast a chicken at 425°F it will not burn).

I will stick to the generally accepted word usage of half roast chicken because like everyone else I am accustomed to it. Besides, saying 'half baked chicken' sort of has the negative 'half-baked' connotation. We don't want to be showing anyone how to half bake a chicken...

Step-by-Step Workflow

For a juicy half roasted chicken you first need to brine it. You must brine it, don't even think about skipping this step. The recipe card below includes Chris' preferred brine for roast chicken.

Once it has bathed in brine for a while, rinse and pat chicken dry.

Round up your ingredients for stuffing the cavity (to infuse it with flavors) and for brushing the entire outside to impart delicious flavors as the skin crisps. Stuff the chicken with herbs, garlic and lemon and brush it with a mixture of melted butter, olive oil, kosher salt and spices like black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, thyme or oregano. Butter for color, olive oil so that the butter doesn't burn.

Place back down in a roasting pan with a rack and cook in a 350°F oven until done, occasionally brushing with more of the spiced butter/oil mixture.

Once the internal temperature has reached 165°F and the skin is crispy and to your liking (consider broiling for a few minutes at the end) take it out and let rest for a few minutes.

How to cut the chicken in half: Place the chicken breast side up. Cut with a heavy, large sharp knife (such as a butcher knife) right across the middle of the bird in one firm, measured, decisive motion, breaking the rib cage and driving the knife all the way down through the collar bone. Support with one hand as shown above.

Remove the stuffed ingredients and serve the half chickens.

TIP: be sure to place the cooked bird on a cutting board with a lip or a cutting board placed inside a baking sheet to contain the juices.

How Long to Roast a Chicken?

I used to often ask Chris about how long to cook something and he would always reply the exact same thing - "until it is done". So in keeping with his friendly chef manner of answering me I'd say that

The time you need to roast a whole chicken depends on the bird's size. At 400 F degrees this can take from 40 minutes to over an hour if the chicken is really large.

The one Chris made for this post was nearly a 6 pounder so required a bit longer and about 4 minutes of broiling to get the skin crispy as I like it.

A few extra minutes in consideration that this is a half baked chicken bone in are to be expected.

So be prepared to have a bit of patience, use your meat thermometer and broiler.

Why not enjoy a beer while the chicken is sizzling in the oven and those divine aromas waft out every time you take a look at how it is doing or brush it with butter/oil/spices.

Oktoberfest Chicken & the Beer Garden Connection

Half roast chicken is a classic beer garden menu item across Biergärten in Germany (especially in Bavaria) and Austria and it is one of the most recognizable specialties during Oktoberfest.

In Munich chickens are spit-roasted until the skin is golden brown and crispy. Thousands of Oktoberfest Brathendl (Brathendl means roast chicken in Bavarian dialect; it is also called Wiesnhendl).

When you order a half chicken in the big beer tents on the Wiesn they split a chicken and that is all you get on a plate. Typically people will buy a soft Bavarian pretzel to go with.

What to Serve with Roasted Half Chicken

The short answer is obvious - whatever you are in the mood for. Crispy roasted potatoes, roasted or grilled vegetables, boiled potatoes with butter and parsley, German coleslaw, German fries, German potato salad etc, are all good options.

In true beer garden fashion we chose fries garnished with parsley and simple German cucumber salad - Gurkensalat, to go with our festive roasted half chickens. Absolutely delightful combo. And the cucumber salad is soo simple to make.

QUICK Gurkensalat: Thinly slice cucumbers, make a quick dressing of vinegar, sugar, salt and oil. Sunflower oil is traditional and I advise mixing the ingredients per your individual taste. Very finely chop dill, chives, green onions. Mix all in a bowl, let cool in the fridge for 10 minutes and serve.

How to Serve It Low Key

When serving a roasted half chicken a low key presentation is very well suited to the anticipated casual style of eating it. Use your fingers with confidence!

Consider individual platters with the half chicken presented along the sides. A simple sheet pan will do - it will contain the juices and has has ample room for the extras.

You Might Like

Traditional Oktoberfest Food Recipes
Beer Marinades for Chicken
Cast Iron Skillet Chicken Thighs
Baked Chicken Legs

WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?

Enter your e-mail below and we will send it right to your inbox!

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Email *

Name

Occasionally we might send you our best rated seasonal recipes. We respect your privacy and you can opt out at anytime.

SEND IT TO ME

Recipe

Roasted Half Chicken

Delicious and moist roast chicken with crispy skin. One half generously serves one to two people depending on the size of the chicken. Precise half roast chicken calories per person depend on the size of the serving. Below noted for half of a 3.5 lb bird.

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 2

Calories: 613kcal

Author: Milena Perrine

Start Cooking

Ingredients

• ½ cup kosher salt for brine
• 1 cup brown sugar for brine
• 4 bay leaves for brine
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds for brine
• 1 teaspoon peppercorns for brine
• 4 cloves whole, for brine
• 6 sprigs thyme to stuff chicken
• 6 sprigs parsley to stuff chicken
• 3 cloves garlic to stuff chicken
• ½ stick butter to brush over chicken
• ¼ cup olive oil to brush over chicken
• 1 teaspoon each of paprika oregano, garlic powder, salt (coarse), to brush over chicken

Instructions

• First brine the whole chicken. Combine 2 cups water with the salt and sugar and bring to simmer, stir until they dissolve. In cheese cloth tie the bay leaves, cloves, mustard seeds and peppercorns. Submerge in the brine liquid. Add 2 cups of cold water and 4 cups of ice to cool down the solution. When cold add the chicken. Cover with plastic and brine refrigerated for 12-24 hours, depending on the size of the bird.
• Preheat oven to 375-400 F.
• Remove the chicken from the brine. Pat dry with paper towel. Stuff the cavity with the thyme, parsley, garlic and lemons.
• Melt the butter, mix in the olive oil and the spices. Place the chicken breast side up onto the rack of a roasting pan. Brush it with the spiced butter/olive oil.
• Place in the oven and brush with spiced butter/olive oil again in about 20 minutes. (If the chicken is browning too quickly, tent it with aluminum oil.)
• In 40 minutes check the temperature with a meat thermometer. Brush with more spiced butter/olive oil.
• Continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 165 F. If you want crisper skin, turn the heat up or broil for the final few minutes (keep an eye on it).
• Place the cooked chicken onto a cutting board with a lip of a cutting board inside a baking sheet (to contain the juices). Allow to rest 5-10 minutes. Cut across lengthwise with a heavy knife, pressing down firmly.
• Remove the herbs and lemon and serve.

Notes

Cooking time depends on the size of the chicken and the calibration of your oven.

Bigger birds will take longer to cook.

Your best guide to a fully cooked chicken is internal temperature of 165 F and crispy, golden brown skin.

Nutrition

Serving: 2Servings | Calories: 613kcal | Carbohydrates: 2.8g | Protein: 42g | Cholesterol: 122mg | Sodium: 395mg | Fiber: 1.2g | Sugar: 0.6g