Whole Oven-Roasted Chicken in Foil with Crispy Skin
Tasty, beautiful, and affordable for everyday meals and celebrations. Whole chicken baked in foil with crispy skin is always a winning festive dish. Thanks to a soy sauce marinade with spices, the meat turns tender and juicy, and sugar makes the skin golden and crunchy!
Updated : 06 January, 2026
Easy
About 20 min.
Ingredients
1
Chicken
2 tablespoon
Soy sauce
2 tablespoon
Vegetable oil
0.75 teaspoon
Dried rosemary
1 teaspoon
Red pepper, ground
0.75 teaspoon
Dry spices
1 teaspoon
Sugar
0.75 teaspoon
Ground black pepper
2
Garlic
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
How to bake a whole chicken in foil in the oven? First, prepare the chicken. The recipe used a 1,200 g (about 2.6 lb) bird. If your chicken is frozen, take it out ahead of time and thaw slowly in the refrigerator; if you’re short on time, leave it at room temperature until fully thawed. A farm-raised chicken may take a bit longer to roast than stated.
Step 2
Prepare the remaining ingredients. Use any dry spices you usually like for marinating poultry. Rosemary can be omitted - it has a distinctive aroma that not everyone enjoys. If you like, replace the sugar with honey; it also gives the skin an appetizing color.
Step 3
In a small deep bowl, mix soy sauce and vegetable oil. Add sugar, garlic pressed through a garlic press, pepper, and spices.
Step 4
Mix well. The sugar should dissolve.
Step 5
Rinse the chicken under cold running water and pat dry thoroughly inside and out with paper towels. The chicken should be almost dry. Apply the marinade to the bird.
Step 6
Rub it evenly all over, including the inside. Place the chicken in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and leave in a cool place to marinate for at least 1 hour. Ideally, refrigerate overnight. Alternatively, you can marinate the chicken in a plastic bag instead of a bowl.
Step 7
Place the marinated chicken on foil. Tie the legs with thick kitchen twine - this makes the roasted bird look more appetizing. Remove any remaining bits of garlic, rosemary, and spices from the top of the breast and legs. They’ve already flavored the meat and may burn during roasting, spoiling the look.
Step 8
Wrap the chicken completely in foil. Place it in a baking dish and put into a preheated oven for 40-50 minutes. I baked it on top-and-bottom heat at 200°C / 392°F.
Step 9
Then open the foil on top (unwrap or cut with scissors) carefully so you don’t burn yourself. If desired, wrap the wing tips in foil so they don’t burn.
Step 10
Using a silicone brush, baste the breast and legs with the fat and juices released during roasting.
Step 11
Switch the oven to convection or grill/broil and cook until the skin turns a beautiful golden color. Check the chicken periodically; it will take 5-15 minutes, depending on your oven.
Step 12
Done! Serve with fresh vegetables, potatoes, salads, and more.
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