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Recipes

Our Absolute Best Recipes For Cooking A Whole Chicken

For when you have a whole chicken and you have no idea where to even start

By SAVEUR Editors


Published on September 10, 2018

So you bought a whole chicken. Now what? Often, we make fantastic dishes from chicken thighs or stuff breasts with cheese or seasonings for flavor. But whether you're whipping up a chicken dish in less than 30 minutes, or making chicken recipes from around the world, cooking with an entire chicken doesn't have to be intimidating. From traditional southern fried chicken hailing from a North Carolina BBQ restaurant, to Chinese chicken baked in salt, we've rounded up our best whole chicken recipes so you can make use of the whole bird.

Pan-roasting—as opposed to slow-braising—renders the chicken skin golden and the meat tender and juicy for this dish with riesling cream sauce, chanterelles, and Swiss chard. Get the recipe for Pan-Seared Chicken with Riesling Cream Sauce, Chanterelles, and Chard »

chicken
Chicken with Cauliflower and Leeks in Red Wine Sauce

Cauliflower, leeks, and bay leaf infuse this chicken dish’s luscious, reduced red wine sauce with flavor. Get the recipe for Chicken with Cauliflower and Leeks in Red Wine Sauce »

Saveur Italian Cookbook, Chicken Cacciatore
Chicken Cacciatore

Chicken braised with wine and tomatoes is easy enough to put together on a weeknight (this recipe is ready in an hour), and you can adapt it for a whole chicken or your preferred mix of breasts, thighs, or drumsticks. Do go for bone-in meat for a richer and more flavorful sauce. Get the recipe for Chicken Cacciatore »

Roasted Chicken with Harissa
Roasted Chicken with Harissa

Roasted Chicken with Harissa

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Morel-Rubbed Roasted Chicken
Roasted Morel-Rubbed Chicken with Charred Lemon, Asparagus, and Potatoes

At chef John Fleer’s restaurant Rhubarb, in Asheville, North Carolina, dried morels are pulverized and rubbed onto the chicken before roasting to perfume the bird and help produce evenly browned skin. Fresh morels soak up the juices released from the chicken as it roasts. If fresh morels are not available, 1 oz. of dried and reconstituted morels will yield about 4 oz. of fresh. Get the recipe for Roasted Morel-Rubbed Chicken with Charred Lemon, Asparagus, and Potatoes »

Poulet Grillé au Gingembre
Poulet Grillé au Gingembre

Poulet Grillé au Gingembre

Lemon and Rosemary Chicken (Pollo Arrosto)
Lemon and Rosemary Chicken (Pollo Arrosto)

Garlic, lemon, and rosemary enhance simple, juicy roast chicken.

Chicken with Puebla-Style Mole Sauce (Pollo en Mole Poblana)
Chicken with Puebla-Style Mole Sauce (Pollo en Mole Poblana)

In Mexico’s most iconic molé, mulato, ancho, and pasilla chiles combine with warm spices to create a velvety smooth sauce that’s ideal for spooning over chicken.

Chicken With 40 Cloves of Garlic
Chicken With 40 Cloves of Garlic

Our version of this classic uses peeled garlic; after removing the chicken from the pan, keep cooking the garlic until the cloves have all but melted. Then, a quick spin with a whisk makes a smooth sauce well worth the effort of all that peeling. Get the recipe for Chicken With 40 Cloves of Garlic »

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