This roasted chicken is coated in a garlic and herb butter, then cooked to golden brown perfection. My roast chicken is tender and juicy and it comes out perfect every time!
There’s nothing more satisfying than a whole roasted chicken – it feeds a crowd, looks impressive and tastes amazing. Serve your roast chicken with loaded corn casserole and zucchini gratin for a complete meal.
Roasted chicken is one of those comfort food classics that no one can resist. That being said, it’s so easy to either under cook or over cook a whole chicken. No one wants a chicken that’s super dry, or raw in the middle! This roast chicken is a foolproof way to have a delicious dinner on the table that will earn you rave reviews.
How do you make roasted chicken?
This recipe starts with an herb and garlic butter, which gets slathered all over a whole chicken. Be sure to loosen the skin of the chicken so that you can rub some of the butter in between the skin and the meat. The chicken goes into a pan and is roasted in the oven until golden brown.
How long do you roast a chicken?
Generally speaking, a whole chicken needs to cook at 350 degrees for 20 minutes per pound. I cook my chicken at a higher temperature to get that deep golden brown skin, so it should take more like 15-17 minutes per pound.
How do you prepare a chicken for roasting?
To prepare a chicken for roasting, you’ll want to remove the giblet bag if there’s one stuffed into the chicken cavity. The next step is to tuck the wings underneath the breast to prevent the wing tips from burning. Finally, fill your chicken cavity with aromatics like onion, lemon and herbs, then tie the legs together with kitchen twine.
Do you have to brine a roasted chicken?
You do not have to brine a chicken, that being said, I highly recommend taking the time to do it. Chicken is a naturally lean type of meat which mean it’s prone to drying out. When a chicken is placed into brine, it absorbs some of the brine which helps to both keep it moist and also to season it all the way through.
When you’re working with a brined chicken, even if you overcook it a bit, it should still come out tender and juicy. I’ve included my favorite chicken brine in the recipe card below. If you choose to brine your chicken, be sure to add minimal salt to your seasoned butter so that your final product is not overly salted.
How do you know when a roasted chicken is done?
The easiest way to tell when your roasted chicken is done is to use a thermometer. A chicken is safe to eat when a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken thigh reads 165 degrees F. I use an electronic probe thermometer which I insert into the chicken at the beginning of the cook time, and I monitor the progress throughout so that I know when to pull my chicken out of the oven.
Let me just tell you, this roasted chicken is the best chicken I’ve ever had. It’s so worth it to take the extra step of brining the chicken first, because it means that your meat will be perfectly seasoned through and through. I make this roasted chicken almost every week, and the leftovers are great for sandwiches, soups, pasta dishes and more. Your family is sure to love this roast chicken as much as my family does!
More delicious chicken dishes
- Mexican Chicken Soup
- Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells
- Cajun Chicken Pasta
- Bacon Wrapped Chicken
- Honey Mustard Chicken
Roasted Chicken Video
Roasted Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 recipe chicken brine optional but highly recommended
- 5 lb whole chicken
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 onion peeled and quartered
- 1 lemon quartered
- 6 tablespoons butter softened
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley leaves minced
- salt and pepper to taste go easy on the salt if you've brined your chicken
Instructions
- Brine the chicken according to recipe directions. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels after it's done brining.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Tuck the chicken wings underneath the breast. Stuff the chicken cavity with the rosemary and thyme sprigs, onion and lemon.
- Tie the chicken legs together with kitchen twine.
- Place the butter, garlic, minced thyme, rosemary and parsley, and salt and pepper in a bowl. Stir to combine.
- Loosen the skin of the chicken breast. Rub the butter mixture all over the chicken, both on the outside of the chicken and underneath the skin.
- Place the chicken in a roasting pan. Cook for approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F.
- Check on your chicken every 20 minutes - if the skin is getting overly dark, cover the chicken with foil.
- Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving. Serve with pan drippings.
Kay says
Super easy and absolutely delicious
Meghan Dunbar says
This recipe is absolutely delicious!! The best roast chicken I’ve ever had!
Pete says
Everything here looks about right and delicious! But isn’t the thickest part of the breast supposed to be at about 160-165F and the thickest part of the thigh supposed to be at about 175-180F? Or am i just in the wrong? 🙂
Pete
Sara says
Chicken should be cooked to 165 degrees F regardless of the cut!
Cynthia says
This is the best recipe for roasted chicken! My family loved it so much. Thank you for sharing.
Sho Shinsha says
The soft butter mixture would not adhere to the chicken skin. I ended up just putting the butter under the skin and sprinkling herbs and salt on the chicken. Was I supposed to melt the butter?
Sara says
The butter should be very soft, if the chicken is really cold the butter can harden on the skin which makes it harder to spread sometimes.
Monica says
Can I use dry herbs for the rub?
Sara says
Yes that’s fine, use 1/3 of the amount of fresh.
Alina Melnyk says
That was absolutely amazing and delicious chicken I eve ever make it. Omg was delicious and very Juicy..Definitely I will make it again.. Thank you
Sandy says
The chicken came out so moist and flavorful! I will be making this again.
Marcella says
Hands down this was the best chicken I have ever had. Thank you for sharing this recipe! The brining is a necessity.
Amanda Fink says
I made this last week and it was SO good. I will definitely make it again. However, the skin of my chicken shriveled right off the chicken and I pulled a bare breasted chicken out of the oven. It still tasted SO good. How do I prevent this skin shrinking and sliding off next time?
Sara says
You can use toothpicks to secure the skin in place before you put it in the oven!
Stori says
Fantastic! My family devoured it and I can’t wait to make it again. Delicious!!!
Renee says
Fantastic! I used the brine recipe first. Probably the best roasted chicken recipe I’ve made! Thanks Sarah!
Sonja says
Working on the brine now and will cook tomorrow. I do have one question.. someone suggested just rubbing the butter underneath the skin the rubbing butter all over further into the cooking process so it doesn’t burn. What are your thoughts?
Sara says
I’ve never had an issue with the butter burning, but you could try it that way! I just can’t advise as to how it would come out because I haven’t tested it myself.
Gretchen says
Excellent‼️Keeper‼️
Krystin says
Would the drippings from this chicken work to make a gravy? Have you ever tried stuffing it?
Sara says
You could stuff it but it will take longer to cook! The drippings could work as gravy, just don’t add any salt as it will be salty enough from the brine.
Katherine Dwan says
This was incredible! My chicken took longer to cook. My husband and I think it was because the chicken might’ve been a little larger and I put too much in the cavity. I absolutely loved this will be making it over and over again.
Carolyn says
This was the BEST chicken I’ve ever made. I made it a couple of weeks ago and didn’t have time to do the brine. This time I brined it for 12 hours. The brine makes all the difference. It is so delicious!!