Name: Whole Roasted Indian Chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 1540 min
Ingredients: 4-6 pound whole chicken; 2 cups halved mini red potatoes; 3 tablespoons ghee (melted); 2 tablespoons garam masala; 1 tablespoon ginger paste; 2 garlic cloves (minced); 1 tablespoon honey; 1/4 cup plain yogurt; 1 tablespoon salt

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This Whole Roasted Indian Chicken is made with rich and nutty ghee, sweet and savory garam masala, ginger and honey, all roasted to juicy, crispy perfection. It's the "best roast chicken recipe in the universe" according to the boyfriend.

close up of roasted chicken garnished with green onions

This Indian Roasted Chicken is DAMN good guys. I'm not going to beat around the bush.

The smoky sweetness of the garam masala paired with the spice of the fresh ginger and garlic and the sticky sweetness of the honey makes for the the most beautifully flavored spiced roast chicken - not unlike these ultra juicy Instant Pot Cornish hens.

Mixing all those delicious ingredients with yogurt and ghee, and slathering it all over your beautiful chicken to marinade overnight leaves you with deliciously tender and juicy (not to mention flavor packed) meat. You NEED to have this roasted chicken in your life.

You may also want to try these amazing whole chicken recipes:

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Ingredients
Step By Step Instructions
Expert Tips
More Indian Recipes
Recipe
💬 Comments

Ingredients

You should be able to get all these ingredients at your local grocery. A complete list of ingredients is included in the recipe card.

What is Garam Masala?

Garam masala is a mixture of ground spices such as coriander, cumin, cardamon, fennel, cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon and nutmeg (may also include others depending on the specific mixture). Make your own garam masala for the best flavor!

It is commonly used in Indian cooking and has quickly become one of my favorite spices to cook with. It has a sweet, smoky, savory flavor to it that is amazing on meats and vegetables, as well as sauces and marinades. Buy it HERE. (affiliate link)

What is Ghee?

Ghee is basically a type of clarified butter that originated in India. To make ghee, butter is cooked on low heat until the milk solids separate. These solids are then removed to leave the clarified butter. How to make ghee (it's so much better if you make your own!).

It has a slightly sweet and nutty flavor, as well as a high smoke point making it perfect for high heat cooking. Another one of my favorite ingredients to cook with. Buy it HERE. (affiliate link)

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Step By Step Instructions

The key to flavor with this masala roasted chicken is to marinade it overnight. Using the yogurt in the marinade is what helps the chicken become more tender and juicy. You don't want to skip this part!

First, remove all the innards from the chicken. Reserve in a freezer bag to use in chicken broth later. Guys, I'm serious here. You should totally be keeping all your chicken parts (including the carcass of this chicken) so you can make a homemade chicken bone broth.

Combine all the marinade ingredients together in a bowl to make a paste. Reserve a couple tablespoons of the marinade in the fridge for use on the potatoes.

Slather the paste all over the chicken, cover and let sit in the fridge overnight.

Remove the chicken from the fridge and let it come to room temperature (about 30 minutes). Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. You can use twine to truss the chicken legs, but this is optional. Some say it helps keep the chicken from drying out, nut I haven't really noticed a difference. Do as you wish.

Place the potatoes in a bowl with the reserved marinade and mix to coat and put them in the bottom of a roasting pan. Place the chicken on a roasting rack in the pan and cover loosely with foil - you don't want the skin to touch the foil to avoid it sticking.

Place in the oven and turn the temperature down to 400 degrees. Roast for a total of 60-90 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken. A good rule of thumb is 15 minutes per pound.

About halfway through, remove the foil from the chicken to allow the skin to crisp up. Once the skin is browned and crisped, and the internal temperature is 160 degrees, remove the chicken from the oven.

Now guys before we move on, if you're still using that old thermometer to check if your chicken is done, you're totally missing out. I recently got the Thermapen from ThermoWorks, and it is hands down the best thermometer I have ever used.

thermapen being used to test temperature on a spiced roasted chicken

***It gives a reading in about 3 seconds so you don't even have to take the chicken out of the oven. It is so quick and incredibly accurate. I'll never go back to the old thermometer. Now it's not cheap, but it's awesome and totally worth it in my opinion. Plus, not only does it work on meat, but you can use it for candy, bread, bathwater, or just general room temperature. It's awesome and it's my favorite new toy.***

If you're interested, pop on over and read a little more about them HERE.

What Temperature Should Roast Chicken Be Cooked To?

Chicken should be served at an internal temperature of 165F. Remove it from the oven once it hits 160F, and the internal temperature will rise to 165F while it rests.

The temperature will continue to rise to 165F as the chicken rests. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes, then serve the spiced roasted chicken with potatoes drizzled in pan drippings.

Learn how to carve a chicken.

Serving Options

These curry Roasted Winter Vegetables are a wonderful accompaniment;
Try this Homemade Naan Bread;
Drizzle the chicken with some fresh lemon or lime juice for an extra boost of fresh flavor;
This Indian Cucumber Salad would be so refreshing;
This Tomato Chutney would be delicious with the chicken.

Expert Tips

I highly recommend letting the chicken marinade overnight for maximum flavor and juiciness;
Chicken should be served at an internal temperature of 165F. Remove it from the oven once it hits 160 degrees, and the internal temperature will rise to 165 degrees while it rests.
A rule of thumb for cooking a whole chicken is to roast it 15 minutes per pound. So if you have a 4 pound chicken, you would roast it for 60 minutes. Note this is just a rule of thumb. Be sure your chicken reaches the temperature above before serving.
Save the carcass and innards of the chicken to make this Chicken Bone Broth.

How to Freeze Chicken

Once you cook and cool your chicken, remove it from the bones and place it in an airtight freezer safe container or bag. Store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Don't forget to save the carcass to make chicken bone broth!

Tools Used

- Thermapen MK4: This tool is my new favorite toy. I absolutely love how quick and accurate it is! (affiliate link)
- Roasting pan: A roasting pan is always a good thing to have in your kitchen. You can also use a large ceramic roasting dish like this one. (affiliate link)
- Roasting rack: I like to roast on a rack so the bottom of the chicken gets crispy as well. (affiliate link)

More Indian Recipes

Did you make this whole roasted Indian chicken? Rate the recipe and leave a comment to let me know what you think!

Recipe

Whole Roasted Indian Chicken

This Whole Roasted Indian Chicken is made with rich and nutty ghee, sweet and savory garam masala, ginger and honey, all roasted to juicy, crispy perfection.

4.89 from 18 votes

Print Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 1 30

Marinade: 1

Total Time: 1 1 40

Servings: servings

Calories: 110kcal

Author: Danielle Wolter

Ingredients

▢ 4-6 pound whole chicken
▢ 2 cups halved mini red potatoes

Instructions

Remove all the innards from the chicken. Reserve in a freezer bag to use in chicken broth later.
Combine all the marinade ingredients together in a bowl to make a paste.
Slather the paste all over the chicken, cover and let sit in the fridge overnight (uncovered). Reserve 3 tablespoons of the marinade in the fridge for use on the potatoes.
Remove the chicken from the fridge and let it come to room temperature (about 30 minutes). Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Place the potatoes in a bowl with the reserved marinade and mix to coat and put them in the bottom of a roasting pan.
Place the chicken on a roasting rack in the pan and cover loosely with foil.
Place in the oven and turn the temperature down to 400 degrees. Roast for 60-90 minutes total.
Remove the foil half way through the cook time and continue to roast until the skin is browned and crisped, and the internal temperature is 160 degrees. Remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes.

Expert Tips:

I highly recommend letting the chicken marinade overnight for maximum flavor and juiciness;
Chicken should be served at an internal temperature of 165F. Remove it from the oven once it hits 160 degrees, and the internal temperature will rise to 165 degrees while it rests.
A rule of thumb for cooking a whole chicken is to roast it 15 minutes per pound. So if you have a 4 pound chicken, you would roast it for 60 minutes. Note this is just a rule of thumb. Be sure your chicken reaches the temperature above before serving.
Be sure to save the carcass and innards of the chicken to make this Chicken Bone Broth.
To freeze the chicken - Once you cook and cool your chicken, remove it from the bones and place it in an airtight freezer safe container or bag. Store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw the chicken overnight in the fridge. Heat in a 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, until warmed throughout.
Chicken can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days, or frozen in accordance with the instructions above. To reheat, heat in a 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, until warmed throughout.