Q&A for How to Cook a Whole Chicken in the Oven

It's not an absolute must, you could bake it in a shallow pan or baking dish. However, using a rack allows more even cooking and run-off of the grease and juices rather than them pooling around the bird. The juices can then be used to make a wonderful gravy.

Follow the same steps given in this article.

About 2 hours and 15 minutes; check with a meat thermometer to ensure the center of the breast is 165 degrees.

Don't do this. With the chicken stuffed, the heat cannot get inside. The heat has to travel all the way through the bird to heat the cold stuffing in the center. That will overcook the bird and totally dry it. My way is to put the bird in the oven while I prepare the stuffing. Even if prepared, I would strongly urge you to heat the stuffing to boiling temp. After the stuffing has cooked or is thoroughly heated through, pull the bird from the oven, tilt it up, and fill the cavity. Put the bird back in place in the pot and add the vegies (carrots, onions, and potatoes).

Cook at 425 degrees F for 10 minutes and then drop the temperature to 350 degrees F for 1.5 hours. One test for doneness is if the legs easily wiggle in the joint of the thigh. But always check that the temperature is 170 to 175 degrees F. This should ensure tender and juicy white meat. You can go to 180 degrees F to ensure "fall of the bone" dark meat but you may then gt a dry breast meat. One other way is to roast/bake at 400 degrees F for 1 hour for the first 4 pounds of the chicken and then 8 minutes per pound for the remainder (8 x 4 in this case, so total would be 1.32 hours).

To flavor and tenderize the meat. The veggies in the cavity flavor from the inside out. Celery, onion, lemon, herbs can be used.