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.
Irina says
I have been looking for the best roasted chicken recipe since I tried it once at our friends. Unfortunately, they keep that recipe secret. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe! 🙂 I followed it word by word, and it turned out perfectly delicious!!!
Chrissy says
Fan-tab-ulous! Never used brine before.
The chicken was delicious..my kids loved it. Will make it again and recommend to others. I did have to cook it for an additional 30 minutes, but no big deal, it turned out perfect.
Molly Beluse says
I made this a few weeks ago and it was delicious, perfectly roasted and juicy. I want to do the same thing but with chicken thighs only, how long should I brine?
Sara says
I’d do 6-8 hours!
Biana says
Yum! This chicken looks amazing, so juicy and delicious. Will be using this recipe very soon.
Marian says
OMG!! After years of reading about brining turkeys and wondering what all the fuss is about, I am now a complete convert. Stumbled on your site and recipe, decided to give it a whirl on a scaled down bird. Fantastic. Ten stars. Will never roast another chicken without brining and next Thanksgiving’s turkey is in my sights.
Katie says
This looks delicious and I can’t wait to make it. Can I use a dutch oven instead of a roasting pan?
Sara says
Yes that should be fine!
Stephanie M says
I can’t wait to make this! I have dried herbs. Will those be ok? Also should I place the chicken breast down and on a rack in my roasting pan? Thanks.
Sara says
Dried herbs should work, use 1/3 of the amount of fresh. A rack is fine, but I’ve never cooked a chicken with the breast down so I can’t recommend that!
Kimi says
Have you ever used apple cider in your brine? I’ve heard great things.
Also what is your opinion on a spatchcocked chicken. I know it cuts down on time. But then idk if I can stuff it?
Thanks!!
Sara says
You can replace 1 cup of water with 1 cup of apple cider. A spatchcocked chicken cooks faster but you wouldn’t be able to stuff it. This roasted chicken recipe assumes that you’re cooking an unstuffed chicken so you’d need to adjust the time here too.
June says
AMAZING! I am so glad I stumbled upon this recipe. Will definitely be making this more often! 🙂
Erika says
My beautiful whole chicken bought fresh from the butcher’s shop is currently being brined! Was curious how much salt you’d recommend adding after the brine though? I have a 4 lb chicken. But I’m so excited to roast it tomorrow, thank so much for this recipe! 🙂
Sara says
I’d go with about 1/2 teaspoon on the outside of the chicken!
Sol says
If I wanted to use this recipe to roast a chicken in a roasting pan on top of vegetables, would that change how I should cook it or can I still just follow this recipe? Thank you!
Sara says
You can follow the recipe just cut your veggies on the larger side so they don’t overcook in the time it takes for the chicken to cook through!
Darlene Russell says
where is the brine part of the recipe?
Sara says
You can find my chicken brine here: https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/chicken-brine-recipe/
Jody says
Because I inject the breast with a seasoned butter mixture, I normally brine my chicken in butter milk, just so I dnt over salt the bird. Your recipe is almost identical to mine. My herb mixture changes depending on what I have on hand though. I’ll even stuff it with everything you used and an apple. I know this recipe is the bomb. Looks really good.
Brandon Palmero says
How do you get the butter to stick lol? I could not get it as thick as the picture, most just slid right off. I even tried patting the chicken dry.
Sara says
You want to make sure the butter is very soft, then quickly spread it onto the chicken. If it’s sticky you can coat the back of your spoon or spatula with nonstick cooking spray. Once the butter is in place it tends to solidify since the chicken is cold, you don’t want to touch it at that point or it will just crack and come off!
Brandon says
Thank you!
Ellen says
How much salt and pepper would you use for a chicken that has not been brined?
Sara says
Depending on the size of the bird, it likely needs 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
Jay says
I cooked this recipe this morning. It came out really well – after first brining it overnight. It is really juicy. The smell of it roasting in the oven was driving everyone crazy. I might have used a tad too much Rosemary as that flavor was pretty dominate. In a few minutes, I am going to debone what’s left and put it away for use this week. Hope I can find a Chicken & Rice Casserole type recipe(s) here!
Jennifer says
Do you use salted or unsalted butter? I am brining my chicken tonight
Sara says
I typically use salted butter but either will work!