20 Whole Chicken Recipes That Waste Nothing and Feed a Crowd (2024)

Sure, you can grill chicken thighs or bake some chicken wings for a quick and easy meal, but if you’re looking for something a little more elaborate that will feed multiple people, consider cooking an entire chicken. The whole bird can be roasted, grilled, or spatchco*cked, to name a few cooking methods, or you can cut a chicken into pieces and use it in a stew or tagine. When served with sides, such as mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, or rice, a whole chicken (or two) can be the perfect centerpiece of a meal fit for a crowd.

In this collection of whole chicken recipes, you’ll find something for everyone and every occasion. While there are plenty of classic roast chicken recipes to choose from, you’ll also find recipes such as Spatchco*cked Buffalo Chicken and Moroccan Chicken and Apricot Tagine. In addition to feeding a group, these dishes ensure you will use every part of the chicken, thus cutting back on unnecessary food waste. Three cheers to that!

6 Easiest Ways to Cook Chicken Thighs—Including Grilled, Pan-Seared, and More

Two Lemon-Coriander Roast Chickens

Why roast just one chicken when you can roast two? Here, both chickens are thoroughly rubbed with a flavorful lemon-coriander oil that comes together within minutes. Then, for even more flavor you’ll stuff lemon and onion into the birds’ cavities to perfume the chickens as they roast. If you happen to have leftovers, rest assured that there are plenty of ways to use them for additional meals.

Lemon-Coriander Roasted Chicken With Leeks and Squash

A roast chicken is delicious, but a chicken you can roast alongside multiple vegetables is even better. In this recipe, you’ll slather a bird in butter that’s been spiked with fresh cilantro, ginger, lemon zest, and ground coriander, and then you’ll roast it atop a bed of acorn squash and leeks, which are infused with flavor from all of the juicy chicken drippings.

Spatchco*cked Buffalo Chicken

Spatchco*cking is a method of flattening a chicken by cutting out the backbone and then opening the bird like a book. This allows the meat to cook more evenly, which means every bite is incredibly tender. In this recipe, the spatchco*cked bird is marinated with a combination of hot sauce, paprika, and buttermilk, and served alongside a bean and celery salad for a complete meal.

Greek Chicken and Potatoes

This sheet pan dinner calls for a whole chicken, but you’ll cut it into several pieces before the cooking even starts. Then, all the pieces will be marinated in an oregano-spiced lemon marinade, which helps to flavor and tenderize the meat. As a final step, the chicken is baked in the oven alongside small red potatoes and broccolini before being served.

Slow-Roasted Lemon & Herb Chicken

There’s roasting and then there’s slow-roasting. Since the recipe calls for you to cook the chicken for a long time at a low temperature, you don’t risk overcooking it. The bird is also roasted with fresh rosemary, fresh oregano, lemon zest, salt, and pepper, which adds plenty of flavor.

Whole Roasted Chicken on a Bed of Cauliflower

We love this recipe because the chicken and cauliflower cook at the same time. Not only does that make this dish very efficient, but it also manages to avoid some common cooking pitfalls. Since the chicken roasts directly over the cauliflower, the vegetable soaks up flavor from the chicken and gets crispy and caramelized around the edges. At the same time, the chicken roasts to perfection and doesn’t get soggy on the bottom.

Roast Chicken With Sweet Potatoes and Chickpeas

This balanced meal calls for just 20 minutes of hands-on work and is perfect for a family of four. The chicken, potatoes, and chickpeas all roast on the same baking sheet, and once everything comes out of the oven you’ll serve it with an herby pesto. If you’re short on time go ahead and use the store-bought stuff, but homemade pesto works beautifully too.

Moroccan Chicken and Apricot Tagine

For this classic Moroccan recipe, you’ll need to cut your chicken into four or eight pieces before cooking. Then, the chicken is stewed until tender with onions, saffron, ginger, ​and pepper, and the dish is topped with apricots and a honey-cinnamon syrup. If you’d like even more texture, feel free to add fried almonds or sesame seeds. Serve over rice and enjoy!

Grilled Spatchco*ck Chicken With Dijon and Rosemary

Nothing goes to waste in this spatchco*cked chicken recipe. The bird is smeared with butter and seasoned with chunky sea salt before being placed on a platform of bread to absorb those delicious juices. Once the chicken is done cooking, be sure to scatter fresh herbs over it and squeeze on some lemon juice for a quick and fresh sauce that really brings the flavor.

Dry-Brined Roast Chicken

Believe it or not, this picture-perfect chicken only needs 5 minutes of prep time and can serve up to six people. While the bird does cook for over an hour, the result is a succulent, juicy chicken with crispy, golden skin. It doesn’t get much better than that!

Indian-Style Stuffed Roast Chicken

If you’ve ever stuffed a turkey, stuffing a chicken should be a cinch. This particular chicken is packed with cumin seeds, onion, ground beef, tomatoes, and more. And while the interior is understandably scrumptious, the exterior is delicious too, thanks to a bold yogurt marinade.

Pan-Roasted Chicken With Vegetables and Dijon Jus

This roasted chicken is cooked in a cast-iron skillet, which gives the skin a crisp, deep brown sear, while high temperature cooking (and a thermometer) ensures meat that cooks quickly and stays juicy. The bird is served with par-cooked root vegetables, such as carrots, Brussels sprouts, and potatoes, for a balanced meal that’s ready in a little over an hour.

Chicken in a Pot With Lemon Orzo

This one-pot meal is as comforting and delicious as it gets. Here, a whole chicken is seared in a Dutch oven and cooked with vegetables and lemon zest before being transferred to the oven. Once the chicken is out of the oven, you’ll continue cooking it on the stove, adding orzo to the pot. Lastly, you’ll top the whole thing with parsley and gently pull the chicken apart. Serve the chicken on a bed of orzo and sprinkle some fresh Parmesan on top, and dig in!

Peruvian-Style Roast Chicken With Potatoes

This Peruvian chicken is especially flavorful because it features both a fragrant spice rub and a creamy, piquant green sauce. The spice rub includes cumin, oregano, and sweet paprika, while the green sauce is made with cilantro, jalapeño, garlic, lime juice, and mayonnaise. To complete the meal, serve the juicy chicken alongside crispy roast potatoes.

Feta-Brined Roast Chicken

This chicken is soaked in feta cheese brine, which understandably yields a scrumptious main dish with a juicy interior and delightfully crispy skin. Serve the bird with roasted vegetables or a Greek salad and enjoy.

Iron Skillet Roast Chicken

For a roast chicken that’s ready in under an hour, this is the one. This bird is seasoned with olive oil, onion powder, dried thyme, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, and then cooked in a cast-iron skillet. For the best results, be sure to preheat your cast-iron skillet in the oven before placing the chicken inside.

Zuni Chicken (Roast Chicken with Bread Salad)

This chicken, which is named after a San Francisco restaurant, serves four and is ready in about an hour. While you do need to salt the chicken a day or two before you want to eat it, we promise this dry-brining technique is well worth it. The bread salad, which you can nestle directly under the chicken, is made with rustic bread, dried currants, Champagne vinegar, pine nuts, greens, and more. It’s the perfect accompaniment to the savory meat.

Roast Chicken With Vegetables and Potatoes

It doesn’t get more classic than this one-pan dinner with juicy chicken, earthy vegetables, and crispy potatoes. For the best results, salt the chicken a day ahead of time, but if you’re pressed for time you can season the chicken the day of and let it stand at room temperature for an hour. To ensure the chicken isn’t dry, let it rest for about 15 minutes before you cut into it.

Smoked Spatchco*cked Harissa Chicken With Carrots

Harissa—a hot chili pepper paste from North Africa—is a great way to add bold flavor to chicken. In this recipe, a spatchco*cked bird is slathered in homemade harissa paste and marinated before being smoked on the grill for that extra depth of flavor. For the best results, marinade the chicken for at least 24 hours.

Whole Stuffed Chicken With Gravy

This Thanksgiving-esque recipe is ideal for those who don’t like turkey or want a slightly different take on a celebratory meal. Here, the chicken is coated with butter and stuffed with bread, fresh veggies, and herbs, which makes it ridiculously moist. Serve it with mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce for a full family feast.