A great alternative to turkey during the holidays is Two Whole Roasted Chickens. Spoil and impress your guests with a quick and easy but tasty recipe.
Two whole roasted chickens take a lot less time to prepare, and also a lot less space in the oven than a roasted turkey and they taste absolutely amazing. Roasting a chicken is an easy thing. Roasting two is the exact same.
A lot of people feel intimidated when it comes to roasting a whole chicken when in fact it is easy peasy! I’m not saying that with my chef’s hat on but as my former self who found out after roasting a whole chicken for the first time how easy it really is. I was totally amazed and to be honest, I felt a bit silly for having been scared.
For a holiday dinner with friends and family over, one whole roasted chicken is not enough food of course. I did wonder if roasting two chickens would take longer than roasting one. I ran some tests and here you have all the info you need to succeed in the process :)
First of all, I wanted to make it festive and add some cranberries to the dish. Since cranberries are suuuper sour though I needed to counteract the sourness with some sweetness and apples and maple syrup seemed to be the best combo for that.
I really liked how the “side dish” of potatoes, apples and cranberries turned out. If you don’t like cranberries or if you want to keep the dish completely savory because you have a big and sweet dessert up your sleeve I suggest you exchange the fruits for other root vegetables such as cut up carrots and celery.
If you have decided on a different side-dish altogether already, you may want to check out this differently seasoned whole chicken recipe. It has a few more spices that would not have gone well will the cranberries but certainly with other vegetables you are considering making as a side :)
How long to roast two whole chickens
Two whole roasted chickens take the exact same amount of time in the oven as one whole roasted chicken.
Now after testing and reflecting, of course, this makes total sense. Duh! The amount of time a whole chicken takes to roast depends on its weight alone. The weight basically tells how deep the heat has to go from it’s surface to the center. If you roast two chickens at the same time, the thickness from surface to center doesn’t change.
That being said, here is the magical formula for juicy and tender but cooked through chicken:
20 mins / lbs + 20 minutes
In words: twenty minutes per pound (450g) plus twenty extra minutes.
I used a 1850 g and a 1900g chicken which are each just a tiny little bit over 4 lbs. Four times 20 minutes equals 1:20 hours plus the additional 20 minutes equals 1:40.
Do NOT combine the weight of both chickens to do your calculation. As I mentioned above, two chickens need the same amount of time in the oven as one single one. One 4 lbs chicken takes 1:40 and two 4 lbs chicken also need 1:40 in the oven. (<- very important point for success).
Roasting a turkey takes longer than two chickens because the meat, surface to center, is much much thicker. The heat coming from the outside has to go a longer way.
Things to consider when making two whole roasted chickens
Firstly, and most importantly, both chickens have to be the same weight! It is best if their weights are within 3.5oz (100g) of each other. If you have different size chickens, either the smaller one will be totally dry or the bigger one undercooked.
Secondly, never, ever, ever, remove the skin when you roast a whole chicken. The skin protects the flesh from drying out during the roasting process. You don’t have to eat that delicious crunchy, crusty skin at the end :P but by all means leave it on for the roasting process.
Thirdly, don’t be shy when seasoning the chicken. Be generous. Remember, all salt and pepper will only be on the surface but you will eat a lot of meat that wasn’t exposed to seasoning. Season generously to the sauce that forms at the bottom of the pan and which will end up on your slice of meat ends up well seasoned.
Lastly, never cut into a roasted chicken right out of the oven. Let the juices redistribute first. Leave it untouched for 10 minutes, then cut into it.
If you haven’t made up your mind yet about what kind of main dish you want to make for the holiday get togethers and need more inspiration, make sure you scan this Roast Lamb Shoulder and this Instant Pot Pot Roast.
If you want an additional side dish for these two whole roasted chickens, I recommend you check out Green Healthy Cooking’s most popular side dish: Bacon-Wrapped Green Beans. YUUUUUM!!!
Two Whole Roasted Chickens
Ingredients
- 2 whole fridge-cold chickens
- 1.5 lbs baby red potatoes
- 2-3 large sweet apples
- 2 medium onions
- 1/2-1 cup fresh cranberries
- 1/4 cup butter
- 3 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1/4-1/3 cup maple syrup - (amount will depend on sweetness of apples and how much you like cranberries)
- sea salt
- pepper
- fresh thyme
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 F.
- Wash and dry potatoes and apples, no need to peel either. Peel onions.
- Cut potatoes and apples and onions into 2" squares (remove apples' cores).
- Add all fruits and vegetables to the bottom of the roasting pan making sure they cover the whole bottom but only in one layer (as shown in photo above).
- Add salt, pepper, 1 Tbsp of olive oil and maple syrup to fruits and vegetables and mix well with your hands to make sure all are covered in marinade. Then redistribute again to form an even layer. Spread thinly cut up butter all over the place and place roast rack on top.
- Paper-towel dry chickens, hold over roasting pan, and use your hands to cover each chicken with 1 Tbsp of avocado oil while excess drips into roasting pan.
- Salt and pepper chickens generously all around and place on roasting rack, then add thyme all over the place.
- Place roasting pan with both chickens on the middle shelf in the oven, immediately reduce heat to 400F (<- VERY IMPORTANT!!) and roast for 20 minutes per pound (450g) plus an additional 20 minutes. (*see notes)
- Once out of the oven, let rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting into it.
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Erika says
Question
Can one cook the roasted chicken this way without the veggies? And, if no, what degrees and time do you recommend dor roasted xhicken alone in oven?
Lorena Grater says
Yes, absolutely. You can simply just add the chicken on the roasting rack without the veggies at the bottom. Nothing changes in the cooking time or temperature.
Julie Warren says
Hi, I’m going to try this recipe tonight with the two chickens. But wondering why I add an additional 20 minutes?
Lorena Grater says
Let’s say, any chicken(s) need 20 minutes to get to a temperature where it “starts” to cook. And then from there you need 20 minutes per pound for it/them to cook through.
Martha Douds says
I would like to make this but only have an electric roaster oven available at the moment. I know I can fit two chickens in there, but wondered if you have done that way and if temperature and times change.
Lorena Grater says
I’m sorry Martha, I’ve never worked with an electric roaster before.
Terry (Ted) Muse says
Hi Lorena,
Just want to say that I LOVE all your recipes!!!!
Ted
Lorena says
Thank you so much for your wonderful comment Ted! I really appreciate it :)
Alexa says
Do you need to tie the chicken legs and tuck the wings under like other chicken recipes?
Lorena says
You can if you want to but it’ll work without, too.
Lisa says
Hello! I made this tonight and it was a hit. However, much to our disappointment, the veggies were completely soaked and swimming in the grease from the chicken. How can I avoid this from happening? Thanks for a great recipe despite my poor veggies.
Lisa
Lorena says
Hi Lisa, I like it when my veggies cook in the juices and grease of the chicken but if you prefer not, I recommend adding only onions and maybe 1 carrot and 1 stalk celery to the bottom of your roasting pan and roasting the other vegetables with just a little bit of oil in a separate pan. Then when you pull out the chicken to let it rest for a bit, add the chicken juices to a “fat separator”. It’s a jug with a spout that comes out of the jug at the bottom. You can immediately separate fat from your gravy without having to wait for it to cool down completely and the fat hardening. You can add the fat-free gravy to a saucepan, add a corn-starch slurry and make a thick gravy out of it for your chicken.
Amy says
I had the same issue – I liked it but my husband didn’t – perhaps next time I’ll try adding some sort of stuff to absorb some liquid??
Lorena Grater says
I’m sorry to read that. What part did he not like? The greasiness of the juices or that it’s too liquid? If it’s too greasy I recommend cooking the vegetables aside and let the juices and grease drop only on onion and then use a fat separator to make it less greasy. If it’s just the texture of the sauce, add a corn starch slurry to the sauce to make it thicker.
Mercedes says
Hi Lorena,
never mind you reduce it to 400 degrees.
Thanks,
Mercedes
Lorena says
Correct :)
Mercedes says
Hi Lorena,
Do you cook the chicken at 450 degrees for the entire time?
Sincerely,
Mercedes
Tracy L Nevels says
I don’t understand your math or time conversion. You state that your chickens are just over 4lbs and instruct to cook 20 mintues per pound plus an extra 20 mintues.
But then you write this: Four times 20 minutes equals 1:20 hours plus the additional 20 minutes equals 1:40. What exactly is 1:20 hours- 1:40 hours?
To me, 20 minutes per pound would be 80 minutes +20= 100 minutes which means (60 minutes in an hour) your total cook time should be 1 hour and 40 minutes.
Yet in the recipe you write total cook time is 1 hour and 15 minutes. Why the discrepancy? There is a big 25 minute difference.
I have 2 chickens each at 5.5 pounds so I’m assuming that with the added 20 minutes the total time should be 120 minutes, right? Which is 2 hours. Is this correct?
Lorena says
Hi Tracy, I am so sorry! A while ago I changed recipe plugin and had to move all my recipes from one card to another, that’s where I must have messed up. The timing in the blog post text is the correct one. 20 minutes per lbs + an additional 20 mins. Your math and my match is the same. (4×20 = 80 minutes or 1:20 hours and 100 minutes is the same as 1:40 hours). In your case. 5.5 lbs birds need to be cooked 5.5×20 = 110 minutes which is 1:50 hours (1 hour and 50 minutes) + 20 minutes = 2:10 hours (2 hours and 10 minutes).
Kathrin says
We had this for dinner tonight — with chicken-meat-pealing party after for left over chicken for the week… (hmmm – where did I get THAT idea from). Super yummy. Veggies perfectly cooked. I didn’t do the cranberry – but added veggies I had in the fridge (including red beets). Now the bones and left over skin, etc. is on the stove for amazing chicken broth !!!
Lorena says
Wheeeee!!! The chicken shredding party is the best part!
PJ says
I happened to buy 2 chickens and had no idea what I planned to do.. so glad I can roast both at the same time… trying it tonight.. AND, I will be hosting Thanksgiving for the first time and I am super excited to try the bacon wrapped green beans! Thank you!!
Lorena says
I’m glad you found my recipe helpful. I love making two chickens at the same time and then shred whatever is left over for salads and sandwiches. Those green beans are going to get a video and new set of photos next week. Can’t wait to share the revamped version of the same recipe :)
Kim Raus says
Hello!! Looks yummy & trying this tonight!!! 1 hour, 40 minutes seems like a long time to cook the veggies?? They don’t get “overdone”??
Thank you!
Kim
Lorena says
Hi Kim, no, actually not because they are protected by the big chickens on top from the heat. Basically the heat has to get all the way through the chicken to the veggies. They basically get cooked only from the bottom heat.
Lena B says
Trying this now, in my roaster oven. Excited to see how it comes out!!
Lorena says
Hi Lena, I’m so exited for YOU! Please come back and let me know how you liked it :D
Paul says
Your roast chicken recipe tasted lovely. Even though it was the first time I tried this. Thanks Lorena!
Lorena says
Hi Paul! Thanks for coming back and commenting :) I’m glad you liked it!
Dol says
Lorena, this is an amazing recipe! Saved my Thanksgiving! Thanks for sharing.
Lorena says
Thank you Dol! You have no idea how happy this makes me. We spent Thanksgiving together in a sense :)