Name: Thanksgiving Roasted Chicken
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 70 min
Total time: 130 min
Ingredients: 1 whole chicken (about 4 ½ pounds); 4 celery ribs, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise; 4 carrots, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 tablespoon dijon mustard; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 teaspoon onion powder; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; ½ teaspoon black pepper; 2 sprigs fresh rosemary; 2 small bunches fresh sage; A small handful fresh thyme; 1 ½ cups apple cider or apple juice; 2 apples, cut into eighths (I like to use honeycrisp, granny smith, or gala apples)

Smaller crowd for Thanksgiving this year? Not a fan of turkey? Don't have all day to roast a turkey? Looking for something different? No problem!

This Thanksgiving Roasted Chicken is the answer you need. It's perfect for smaller Thanksgiving gatherings, as a juicy substitute to the notoriously dried-out turkey, and as a flavorful addition to your holiday spread.

Made with simple pantry ingredients, plus apple cider, fresh sage, and thyme, this roasted chicken is a real fall-inspired crowd pleaser that cooks up in a fraction of the time as your traditional Thanksgiving turkey.

Whole roasted Thanksgiving chicken on a bed of cooked carrots, celery, and apples with a golden brown skin.

If you're opting for this apple cider roasted chicken this year, instead of the classic Thanksgiving turkey, it doesn't mean you have to sacrifice flavor or festivity. This roasted chicken captures all the cozy, fragrant fall flavors of the Thanksgiving season, but in a simpler, faster way.

A 4 to 4 ½ pound whole chicken is way easier to manage than a heavy turkey, it's less prone to drying out, and gives you way more oven flexibility - in both size (taking up space) and cook time (needing the oven empty for other dishes). It's a smart choice for smaller gatherings, as an easy holiday main dish, or to supplement your turkey when one just isn't enough to feed everyone.

The vegetables and apples added to the bottom of the roasting pan act as a "rack" for the chicken to sit on, while also flavoring the drippings to use as a simple gravy. Then, the carrots can be served as a simple side dish too.

With apples, fresh herbs (rosemary, sage, and thyme), and a light, savory mustard-cider glaze to tie it all together, this chicken pairs perfectly with the classic Thanksgiving side dishes, like mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, squash, stuffing, and cranberry sauce.

Ingredients

Instructions

Step 1: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Prepare a roasting pan by spraying it with nonstick spray.
Step 2: Remove all packaging and gizzards from chicken. Use paper towels to pat completely dry.

Carrots, celery, and raw whole chicken in a roasting pan.

Step 3: Add carrots and celery in a single layer at the bottom of the prepared roasting pan. Place chicken on top.

Oil, seasoning, and mustard mixture whisked in a bowl.

Step 4: In a small bowl, add oil, mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Whisk to combine.

Seasoned whole chicken in a pan with carrots and celery.

Step 5: Rub oil and mustard mixture all around the chicken. Carefully rub it under the skin, in the cavity, and between the wings and legs.

Fresh herbs, apples, and cider added to the pan with the chicken.

Step 6: Add rosemary, sage, and thyme to the cavity. Pour apple cider/juice on top. Add apples to the baking pan around the chicken.

Chicken browned on top halfway through cooking.

Step 7: Roast chicken for 20 minutes, or until the skin begins to turn golden brown.

Roasted Thanksgiving Chicken in a large roasting pan with a cider gravy, baked apples, and cooked carrots.

Step 8: Lower oven temperature to 350 F. Cover with foil and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the breasts and thighs reads at least 160 F.

⭐️ Quick Tip! For a simple gravy, use a mesh sieve to strain juices remaining in the pan into a large glass measuring cup. Use these drippings as is for a gravy or pour them into a skillet with a flour slurry (1 tablespoon flour whisked in 3 tablespoons water) to simmer and thicken to your desired consistency on the stove.

Step 9: Let chicken rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Serve with sliced carrots, baked apples, and the cider gravy on the side.

Sliced Thanksgiving chicken on a blue serving platter.

My Top Tips!

⭐️ Using a meat thermometer is the best way to ensure your meat doesn't dry out! Instead of just cooking this roasted chicken for the listed amount of time, start checking its temperature, every 10 minutes, about 45 minutes into cooking. Once the breasts and thighs register about 160 degrees F, remove the chicken from the oven.

⭐️ The celery and apples become a bit mushy after cooking so I usually discard them, but the carrots become perfectly tender. Cut the carrots into bite-sized pieces to serve with the sliced chicken.