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This easy roast chicken recipe makes a juicy chicken that is full of buttery garlicky herbed flavor thats perfect for a Sunday dinner, or a small dinner party.

You don’t need a fancy roasting pan, just a casserole dish that is slightly larger than the chicken and a bunch of vegetables. You can even add extra potatoes and extra carrots to the bottom for a one pot meal.

What you will need

A medium to large casserole dish or deep sided pan..
Turkey baster
Meat thermometer
Piece of foil or parchment paper
kitchen twine (if tying the legs)

Ingredients

4-5 lb whole chicken
Salt & pepper
1/2 stick unsalted butter
2 whole heads of garlic (5 cloves reserved for the herb rub.)
Dried thyme, rosemary, and parsley.
5 large onions sliced into 1/2 inch slices
3 large carrots chopped into thirds
3 celery sticks chopped into thirds (preferably with the leaves)
Handful of rosemary & thyme sprigs
1 sliced lemon

How to make this roast chicken recipe

The hardest part of roasting a chicken is the prep work, breaking the process into steps will help to simplify it.

Step 1. Begin by taking the chicken and butter out of the refrigerator to bring them to room temperature. Once the butter is very soft, add the minced garlic, herbs, and salt and pepper to it, mix it well and set it aside.

Step 2. Prepare the pan by placing the sliced produce and herbs sprigs on the bottom of the casserole dish or pan, Place the chicken on top, stuff with a sliced lemon, rub the herbed butter all over the chicken and under the breast skin, and tie the legs and tuck the winds. Pour 1 cup of water, white wine, or chicken broth into the bottom of the pan.

Step 3. Place the pan in the oven and bake for about 1 hr 30 minutes or until the breast reads 165 degrees F, and 175 degrees F in the thigh. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15-20 minutes to rest, slice and serve.

Recipe tips.

Bring the chicken to room temperature before cooking. If the chicken was frozen, thaw the chicken ahead of time. Then, take the thawed out chicken out of the refrigerator about an hour before you are ready to prep it for the oven. This will help the chicken cook evenly.
Dry the chicken dry before preparing it. Pat the raw chicken dry with paper towels before seasoning and the chicken will brown better in the oven and the skin will be crispy.
Layer lots of the vegetables underneath the chicken. Propping the chicken up on top of the onions, garlic, and vegetables will allow the heat to evenly cook all around the chicken.
Bast the chicken while it cooks. This will make a juicy chicken with flavorful skin.
Cover the breasts with foil. Once the top of the chicken breasts begin to brown, cover gently with a piece of aluminum foil, parchment paper, or cheesecloth, to prevent the breasts from overcooking while the rest of the chicken continues to cook..

Easy roast chicken recipe substitutions

Dried or fresh herbs 1 tablespoon freshly chops herbs = 1 teaspoon dried herbs
Swapping out chicken broth or white wine for the water in the bottom of the casserole dish (or pan) will make a delicious gravy.
You can infuse olive oil instead of butter using the same method.
Stuff the chicken with orange in place of the lemon. Some recipes stuff the chicken with herbs, onion, and garlic as well. I only use lemon since the vegetables will infuse from under the chicken.
A cheesecloth, parchment paper, or foil can be used to cover the chicken breast once it is browned.
Loosely cover and let the chicken rest for at least 15 minutes before serving to allow the juices to absorb back into the meat.

Fresh herbs vs. dried are they interchangeable?

Yes, Swap ratio: 3:1 | 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs = 1 tsp dry herbs

Dried herbs are great for ease and convenience, fresh herbs give nice flavor especially for infusing the liquid for the gravy, and to place around the chicken for more infused flavor and aroma. If you can get your hands on a few sprigs of fresh thyme and rosemary it is worth it.

For the butter rub, fresh or dry will work. If all you have is dry herbs they will work just fine by sprinkling some on the bed of vegetables and in the rub.

What to serve with roasted chicken?

This roasted chicken recipe is versatile and you can serve almost anything such as rice, quinoa, or any vegetables you like. Mashed potatoes would pair well especially if you make gravy with the juices.

Here are some sides that go great with this easy roast chicken recipe, buttermilk biscuits, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, and honey lemon basil coleslaw.

How to make a quick gravy.

While the chicken is resting, collect the liquid from the bottom of the pan. In a medium saucepan, place 3 tbsp of butter on medium low heat. Once the butter starts melting, add 1/4 cup of flour. Whisk them together constantly as it turns into a thick paste, or a roux, continue to cook it for a few minutes. Add 1 cup of the chicken juices and about 1/4 cup of heavy cream or whole milk and it whisk well. Once the mixture is thickened, taste it and add additional salt and pepper if needed.

You will need

Cooking Twine

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Waterproof Food Thermometer

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Covered Casserole Dish

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Easy Roast Chicken Recipe

pin Recipe

Easy roast chicken recipe that uses a simple method to cook up a perfectly roasted chicken.

Prep Time:1

Cook Time:1 30

INGREDIENTS

For the butter rub

1/2 stick unsalted butter (room temperature)
5 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp dried thyme ( or 1 tbsp of freshly minced)
1 tsp dried rosemary (or 1 tbsp freshly minced)
1 tsp dried parsley

For the chicken

1 , 4-5 lb Whole chicken
5 large onions
3 heads garlic sliced lengthwise (minus the 5 cloves)
3 celery stalks with leaves, chopped into thirds
3 carrots chopped chopped into thirds
5 thyme sprigs
5 rosemary sprigs
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 cup water

Instructions

Prep

Remove the thawed chicken and butter from the refrigerator about an hour before cooking to bring them to room temp.
Once the butter is very soft, place it in a small bowl and add 5 cloves of minced garlic, dried herbs, salt, and pepper, and mix it well. Set it aside until ready to spread on chicken.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Prep the pan. Gather all of the vegetables and herbs, slicing everything to prep for the pan. Spread the sliced vegetables, garlic, and onions on the bottom of the pan, place the herbs over top and add about a cup of water, white wine or chicken stock to the bottom.
Make sure the chicken is dry by patting it with paper towels, then place a sliced lemon inside the cavity.
Begin to season the chicken by rubbing the butter mixture all over the chicken making sure to get under the skin.
Place the chicken on top off the vegetables on the pan, tuck the wings under the neck and tie the legs together.
Now the chicken is ready for the oven, make sure the oven rack is in the lower position so that the chicken is in the center of the oven.
Let the chicken cook at 425℉. for at least 1 hour and a half depending on size. Check the chicken every thirty minutes or so to check the temperature and baste is desired.
Towards the lat 30 minutes of cooking, if the chicken breast are browning, cover them with foil or parchment paper to prevent burning. This will allow the rest of the chicken to continue to cook.
Once the chicken has reached 165℉ in the breast, and 175℉ in the thigh, remove the chicken from the oven. Cover and let it sit for about 15-20 minutes. You can make the gravy while it rests. See steps above in post.
Once the chicken has rested, Slice, and serve.

Notes

Cooking the chicken on the vegetables props it up to help it cook evenly. They will also add flavor the juices for a tasty gravy.

To have roasted vegetables to serve alongside the chicken, add extra chopped carrots and potatoes on top of the vegetables and around the chicken while it roasts. This will roast them and keep them out of the juices.

Servings: 4 people