Whole Roasted Chicken with Brie (Mediterranean-Style)

This Whole Roasted Chicken filled with creamy Brie is deliciously flavored with Rosemary, garlic, onions, Italian seasoning, and the sweet-tart juices of fresh oven-roasted grapes. It all goes into one oven-safe skillet—simple, easy, yet big in flavors.

For me, there is nothing easier than roasting a chicken in the oven for dinner. And this is a classic true and tried recipe that I love to make on repeat. The pan juices in this whole roasted chicken recipe are incredible.

Fresh Rosemary, roasted garlic, onions, and extra-virgin olive oil combined with Italian seasoning give this beautifully-browned roasted whole chicken lovely Mediterranean flavors. But it's the creamy Brie filling, and the sweet grapes tossed alongside the chicken that makes this an extra special dish.

Those grapes caramelize when roasted, adding lightly sweet undertones to the savory flavors, while the Brie adds a heavenly buttery consistency.

Best yet, everything is prepped in 10 minutes, and then you let the oven do its magic. Let's make it!

Steps and a few notes

Note: This recipe works best with either three to four and a half pounds of a whole chicken to get the best results with the suggested oven setting and cooking time.

• It's essential to pat-dry the whole chicken with paper towels before prepping. I even go inside the cavity and thoroughly dry it.
• It helps with browning the chicken, and to ensure that no extra liquid interferes with those flavorful caramelized pan juices.
• All you need is a oven-safe skillet. I love to use my cast iron skillet for this recipe.
• Rub a small amount of extra virgin olive oil onto the pan (one tablespoon or so should be enough) before transferring the chicken breast side up to the skillet.
• Now you can season every surface of the chicken generously with salt—yep, even inside the cavity, and in between the wings.
• I like to season the chicken directly in the pan, so that any extra sprinkles of salt that don't fall on the chicken will go into the skillet.
• Don't worry if some of that oil at the bottom of the skillet rubs of on the chicken as you turn it around to salt—it will just add extra flavor.

• Next, arrange the onion pieces and half of the garlic bulb around the chicken.
• Use the other half of the garlic and some of the onions to stuff inside the cavity.
• Then slice partly through the skin that connects the legs to the breast.
• Season the newly exposed meat also with a pinch of salt.
• Now fill these openings with some pieces of Brie.
• Arrange some Brie also between the wings, and a few pieces inside the cavity.
• Now its time to arrange the grapes around the chicken and some inside the cavity as well.

Note: Some whole chickens come with giblet parts. Season them with salt and pepper and place in the oven-save skillet next to the chicken. It's delicious!

• Season the onions, garlic, and grapes with some extra salt, then top everything evenly and generously with freshly ground black pepper and Italian seasoning.
• Then drizzle the extra-virgin olive oil evenly over the chicken.
• I like to bend the fresh Rosemary sprigs a bit and arrange on top and around the chicken in the pan (see pictures.)
• These Rosemary sprigs will become crispy and can be sprinkled on top of the chicken meat when served.
• Now its time to let the oven to the rest of the work.

Note: Italian seasoning is a blend of ground herbs that you can buy ready in the store and adds wonderful Mediterranean flavors. But you can also mix equal parts of all or some dried oregano, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, Basil and sage.

Check for doneness

The chicken should be beautifully browned on the outside and inside the legs, the meat should be done—no pinkish colors.

Normally 45 minutes should be enough with three to four-pound of chicken. But if unsure, let it roast for another 5 minutes.

I carefully remove the skillet from the oven and check in between the cut leg joints. Sometimes I lightly cut through the meat along the thigh bone to double-check—you shouldn't see any pink or rosy colors and only clear juices.

Serving suggestions

• Let it rest for a few minutes before carving and serving.
• If you use a cast-iron skillet, this can go directly from oven to table—just be careful because it will be super hot.
• You also want to top any carved meat with those delicious pan juices, some roasted garlic, onions, grapes, and Rosemary.
• Make sure to divide some of the cheesy and buttery pieces!

How to reheat leftovers

• My preferred way is to shred the meat into bite-sized pieced and cut through some of the boney parts (if any left.)
• Then I place everything in a large enough skillet on the stove over medium heat.
• I cook and stir until the pieces are deliciously crispy on the outside.
• Usually, no extra fat is needed, or add a tablespoon of olive oil at the bottom of the skillet.

Make it a festive dinner for the Holidays

This whole roasted chicken recipe is always a hit with my family—it's a favorite for sure.

And if you are celebrating the Holidays with a smaller group of people than this festive chicken dinner can easily replace Turkey without getting any complaints—or think Christmas or New Years' table.

So, here is a lovely entertaining dinner idea—just a suggestion—for when you have company over or want to make something extraordinary without feeling rushed or stressed.

• Make this easy delicious coffee chocolate mousse a day in advance. It takes only 15 minutes and then let it chill overnight—dessert is done!
• This whole roasted Chicken with Brie and grapes is prepped in 10 minutes.
• So while it's in the oven, you can prepare your table and a healthy vegetable side dish while sipping on your favorite drink.
• And if you really want to impress, you can make either my red Kuri squash soup or healthy butternut squash-zucchini soup in advance and simply reheat as an appetizer.
• Don't forget to check out my simple cranberry-clementine sauce that you can make two week in advance if you really want to offer it as an extra side—but not necessary.

Continue to Content

Whole Roasted Chicken with Brie & Grapes

Yield: 4 Servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

A deliciously and beautifully-browned whole roast chicken with garlicky, oily grape pan juices, and stuffed with creamy Brie—perfect for dinner and festive enough for the Holidays.

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Ingredients

• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to grease the oven-safe skillet
• 1 (3 ½ to 4 pounds) whole chicken
• Sea or Kosher salt
• 1 head of garlic
• ½ cup cubed Brie
• 1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 cups whole dark grapes (about 30 grapes)
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 large rosemary sprigs

Instructions

1. Arrange a rack in the center of your oven, and preheat to 425 °F/ 220 °C
2. Take a large oven-safe skillet (I use a cast-iron skillet) and rub a small amount of oil onto the pan (one tablespoon or so should be enough); set aside.
3. Thoroughly pat-dry the whole chicken with paper towels. Get the chicken as dry as possible, as it will help with browning.
4. Transfer the chicken breast side up to the reserved oven-safe skillet.
5. Season every surface of the chicken generously with salt, including inside the wings. Also, rub some salt inside the cavity. It will be about 2 to 3 teaspoons of salt. As you season the chicken in the skillet, some of the oil used to grease it will rub off the chicken, and that is okay.
6. Cut the head of garlic crosswise in half. Arrange one half cut side down in skillet (I always use the bottom part). Take the garlic pieces out of the other (top) half, and arrange inside the cavity of the chicken.
7. Arrange the onion pieces around the chicken in the oven-safe skillet. Stuff some inside the cavity.
8. With the chicken breast facing up, slice partly through the skin that connects the legs to the breast (see picture). Season the meat inside also with some salt. You will use these openings for the Brie filling.
9. Take the pieces of Brie and arrange between the chicken legs, wings, and a few pieces inside the cavity.
10. Now arrange the grapes around the chicken and on top of the onions and garlic in the oven-safe skillet. Stuff some pieces inside the cavity.
11. Season the onions and grapes with a few extra pinches of salt.
12. Then season the chicken evenly with Italian seasoning, and generously with black pepper.
13. Drizzle ¼ cup of extra-virgin olive oil over the chicken.
14. Arrange the fresh Rosemary sprigs in the pan around the chicken (see pictures.)
15. Transfer to the oven and roast until the chicken is beautifully browned and done.
16. To check for doneness, I carefully remove the skillet from the oven and check in between the cut leg joints. It needs more time if you see any pinkish colors. If unsure, I sometimes lightly shred the meat along the thigh bone to double-check—you shouldn't see any pink or rosy colors in the chicken.
17. Let it rest for a few minutes before carving and serving.
18. Serve with olive oil and grape juices on top of the meat, some roasted garlic on the side, and divide some of the more buttery Brie pieces.

Notes

• Some whole chickens are sold with giblet parts. Season them with salt and pepper and place in the oven-save skillet next to the chicken.
• Left-overs: I usually cut and shred the meat and bone pieces, then simply reheat over medium-high heat on the stove in a skillet. It makes the chicken pieces super crispy—no extra fat needed.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 306Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 6gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 278mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 2gSugar: 13gProtein: 10g

Disclaimer: This nutritional data is calculated using third party tools and is only intended as a reference.

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