The Best Aga Roast Chicken
The best Aga roast chicken! Crispy skin, juicy meat & stuffed with garlic, lemon & herbs for ultimate flavour. Serve this as part of a roast dinner or for an easy mid week meal.
This is my thoroughly tested, fool proof method for cooking a perfect roast chicken in an Aga, with crispy golden skin and juicy, tender meat. The secret to roasting a whole chicken is to cook to temperature not time, so this method will work with any size chicken, big or small.
There’s 2 stages to this method of roasting a chicken. A longer, low temperature cook which keeps the meat juicy and dries the skin out slightly (which helps with crisping up the skin) then a quick blast of high heat at the very end, to make the skin super crispy. If you’re cooking on a two oven Aga, there’s instructions for this as well.
I live on a farm, which means that I test pretty much all of my recipes in an Aga as well as a regular convection oven. If you’re new to cooking on an Aga, this is the perfect recipe to start with. You can serve a roast chicken as part of a classic Sunday roast or as an easy midweek meal. Plus any leftovers can be used to make pies, salads, sandwiches and lots more.
For more dinner recipes, take a look at our ever growing collection of main courses. There’s lots to choose from here, from roasted meats, steaks, pasta dishes, pies and more.
What Type Of Chicken You’ll Need
For this recipe, you’ll need an untrussed chicken that weighs 1.5kg. Any giblets, neck, liver, etc. should be removed.
A chicken of this size will comfortably serve 4 people and using this method, can be cooked in an hour and a half, or less. If you’d prefer to cook a larger chicken, keep in mind that the cooking time will slightly longer. We’re cooking based on internal temperature so there’s no worry about overcooking the meat.
How To Know When Your Roast Chicken Is Cooked
The easiest and safest way to check that your roast chicken is cooked, is with a digital food probe. This is one of the best pieces of equipment to invest in for your kitchen & can be picked up relatively cheaply online.
The internal temperature of a fully cooked chicken is 75°c/165°f. But to avoid overcooking the meat, we take the chicken out of the oven at 73°c/163°f then let it rest for a good half an hour. During this time, the internal temperature will rise several degrees & will have gone past 75°c/165°f.
If you’re worried about undercooking meat, take the chicken to 75°c/165°f in the oven, it will still be pretty juicy! To check that your chicken is cooked, take a temperature reading in the thickest part of a breast & thigh.
How To Roast A Chicken In An Aga
Agas are the perfect oven for cooking roasted meats in, especially a whole chicken! I use the same process for most roasted meats; a slow roast to perfectly cook the meat followed by a high temperature sear to crisp up the skin.
1. Leave Chicken At Room Temperature For 30 Minutes
The first step is to take the chicken out of the fridge, remove any string/packaging then sit it in a roasting tray, on a rack. Next, dry the skin well with kitchen paper then leave the chicken at room temperature for 30 minutes. This is called tempering the meat and means that it will cook quicker and more evenly, without drying out.
2. Season and Stuff The Chicken
Before the chicken goes into the Aga, the cavity is stuffed with fresh herbs (rosemary & thyme), lemon slices abd a bulb of garlic, cut in half. Then the skin is coated in a good amount of vegetable oil, plus plenty of salt and pepper.
3. Slow Roast In The Baking Oven
The first section of cooking happens in the baking oven, on the bottom set of runners. A slower cook, keeps the meat moist whilst drying out the skin, so that it is ready to be crisped up.
You’ll need to cook the chicken in the baking oven until it reaches an internal temperature of 65°c/150°f, turning the tray around halfway through to ensure an even cook.
If you’re cooking in a two oven Aga, cook the chicken on the bottom set of runners in the roasting oven & place a cold plain shelf three runners above.
4. Crisp Up The Skin In The Roasting Oven
Next, transfer the slow roasted chicken to the centre of the roasting oven and cook for a further 10-15 minutes, at which point the skin will be golden brown & super crispy all over. At this point, the internal temperature of the chicken will be 73°c/163°f.
If you’re cooking in a two oven Aga, remove the cold plain shelf & move the chicken up 1 set of runners.
5. Resting
Once the chicken is cooked, it needs to rest for 30 minutes, loosely covered in foil. During this time, the internal temperature will rise a few degrees, taking it past 75°c/165°f & the meat will have had a chance to relax, redistributing the juices. This is the secret to super juicy chicken!
6. Carving
To carve your roast chicken, cut the legs off, through the thigh joint, remove the wings and cut off the breasts (either cut these off the bone as whole breasts or in thin slices). A sharp carving knife & a carving fork will make carving a lot easier!
What To Serve With Roast Chicken
A roasted chicken is one of those meats that can be served with a whole load of things! Classically, it would be served as part of a roast dinner but you could also serve your roast chicken in a sandwich, with chips, in pasta or even as part of a pie. The possibilities are almost endless! I’d recommend my roast chicken, mushroom and bacon pies or my roast chicken cobb salad with tarragon dressing.
If you’ve got a leftover chicken recipe that you’d like to see on the blog, let us know in the comments below!
Tips & Tricks For Cooking Roast Chicken In An Aga
- Let the raw chicken sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking. This is called tempering the meat and it helps it cook more evenly.
- Roast the chicken untrussed. This way you won’t end up with any patches of pale skin that’s not crisped up properly.
- Take the chicken out of the oven just before it is fully cooked, for the juiciest meat. The internal temperature will continue to rise as the meat rests, ensuring that the meat is perfectly cooked. This is called carry over cooking.
- Use a digital food probe to accurately check how the meat is cooked.
- Let the chicken rest for 30 minutes before carving. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, meaning you won’t end up with dry chicken!
Frequently Asked Questions
Leftover roast chicken needs to be stored in the fridge and is best eaten within 3 days.
To freeze, cut the chicken away from the bones then either shred or slice the meat or leave the joints whole (breasts, legs, thighs and wings). Let the meat cool then chill in the fridge until completely cold. Transfer the roast chicken to an airtight container or food safe bag then store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost fully in the fridge before using.
To roast a chicken in a 2 oven Aga, cook on the bottom set of runners of the roasting oven, placing a cold plain shelf 3 runners above. Once the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 65°c/150°f, remove the cold plain shelf, move the chicken up 1 set of runners then continue cooking for another 10-15 minute until the skin is crisp and the meat is cooked through.
The secret to getting crispy chicken skin, is to oil and season the skin well before cooking then roasting at a high temperature towards the end of the cook.
Although you can cook a roast chicken with using a food probe, the most accurate way to check if the meat is cooked is to check the internal temperature with a probe.
More Aga Recipes To Try
- Overnight Aga Pulled Pork
- Honey Roast Ham, Egg & Chips
- Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder (With Crackling!)
- Slow Roasted Sirloin Of Beef (Reverse Seared)
- Goose Fat Yorkshire Puddings
- Honey Roasted Carrots & Parsnips
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The Best Aga Roast Chicken
Equipment
- Aga Roasting Tin (With Rack)
- Digital Food Probe
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg Whole Chicken Giblets Removed
- 1 Bulb Garlic
- 1 Lemon
- 10 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary
- 10 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
- 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- Maldon Salt
- Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
Instructions
- Untie your chicken if it's trussed then place in a roasting tin (on a rack).
- Dry the chicken's skin with kitchen paper then leave to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Next, cut the bulb of garlic in half & the lemon into thick slices. Stuff into the chicken's cavity along with the fresh herbs.
- Drizzle the veg oil over the chicken then use your hands (or a pastry brush) to massage into the skin.
- Generously season the chicken all over with Maldon salt & freshly cracked black pepper then slide the roasting tin onto the bottom set of runners in the baking oven.If you're using a two oven Aga, slide the tray onto the bottom set of runners in the roasting oven & place a cold plain shelf 3 runners above.
- Cook the chicken for 30 minutes then turn the tin around & cook for another 30-35 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 65°c/150°f.
- Transfer the chicken to the roasting oven (on the second from bottom set of runners) & cook for 10-15 minutes. Once cooked, the chicken will be golden brown, crispy & will have an internal temperature of 73°c/163°f.If you're cooking in a two oven Aga, remove the cold plain shelf & move the roasting tin up 1 set of runners.Take the internal temperature of the thickest part of the thighs & breasts.To be fully cooked, chicken needs to reach an internal temperature of 75°c/165°f. The chicken's temperature will continue rising after it is removed from the oven which is why we take it out at 73°c.
- Loosely cover the chicken with foil & leave to rest for 30 minutes before carving.
- To carve, cut the legs off at the thigh joint, remove the wings & cut the breast meat off the bone (either in slices or as whole breasts).
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Thank you Ben for this great recipe. I made it last night and the chicken was beautifully moist and flavourful. It’s great to have such specific instructions for the Aga too as I am fairly new to Aga cooking and have always done chicken in the roasting oven but this is much better. My chicken was slightly larger so I adjusted the timing – your guide to the temperatures was invaluable.
I’m looking forward to trying many of your other recipes soon!
Glad you liked it!
You don’t mention time it takes in Steo 3, yet in Step 4 you do mention how long to cook it for.
The chicken will take around an hour to cook to 65°c/150°f in the baking oven (this will depend on the size of your chicken though).