Thanks so much. The nice folks at Whole Foods suggested splitting them to get a better result and I dropped it down to three that way I'll have three halves each on two shelves.

In addition, I have three pounds of ground lamb in my ragu, so no one is going hungry at our house.

You can also roast chicken in crockpot, but it's getting close to try that without a test run!

I already already did a test run for my lamb ragu and a new salad. My friends are great sports at being my tasters.

Keep an eye on the halved chickens as they bake. I think they'll cook faster than whole birds. There were threads on here a few years ago about "spatchcocking" turkeys, or splitting them before baking them, and one of the advantages was that they'd cook faster that way. Spatchcock Chicken

Sounds like you might have to roll your guests out the door. :-) Enjoy!

I have baked multiple chickens I had 3 in one pan once. I like to use bake in bags they cook beautifully and moist. You certainly can do it as you suggested. I go by a meat thermometer in the leg for doneness.

Thanks for the help. I am going to help our guests break every diet they've been on.

Tonight I made pickled eggplant, the marinade for the chickens (roasted garlic, grape seed oil, olive oil, rice vinegar sliced lemons and herbs), chopped the beginning of the lamb ragu base vegetables and prepped the green beans. We don't do much dessert because I always cook too much.

Final menu is:

cheese, salami and olives for snacks

pickled eggplant

Salad with arugula, fennel, green apple, watercress, almonds and raisins dressed with lemon and olive oil

lamb ragu with oriecchette

chicken with said marinaide

green beans dressed with olive oil, salt and pepper

All of it (other than the green beans) is out of this cookbook that I bought on a whim at Home Goods a few years ago (that's the lamb ragu on the cover)

I think it sounds wonderful! Have a wonderful night!