Roast Chicken slathered with a garlic-herb-lemon butter then oven roasted to golden crispy perfection.
Juicy on the inside, and served with liquid gold pan juices loaded with flavour, this is THE Roast Chicken recipe you’ll make over and over again!
The best Roast Chicken recipe is….
….. juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside with golden skin that’s buttery and herby and garlicky with just a subtle perfume of lemon to remind you it’s there without overwhelming.
It creates its own pan juices that’s used as the sauce for the chicken. This stuff is liquid gold!
This is the chicken version of the Herb and Garlic Butter Roasted Turkey Breast I shared for Christmas / Thanksgiving last year. I’ve lost count of how many messages there were asking for a chicken version – and I’m finally sharing it!
How to make the BEST roast chicken!
The best roast chicken has garlic herb butter under and on the skin, is stuffed with lemon and herbs, roasted until it’s crispy and deep golden on the outside, and juicy on the inside.
It’s really easy to prepare a whole chicken for roasting. The trick is to use an upside down dessert spoon to loosen the skin – the shape hugs the curves of the chicken and it doesn’t tear the skin.
Then simply spoon the garlic-herb-butter under the skin then spread it from the outside. OR hold it upright and drizzle in (see photos below) – whatever you find easier!
TIP: Use most of the butter under the skin, that’s where you get the most bang for your buck. Plus, garlic burns on the skin so you don’t want too much on the surface.
After the chicken is all buttered up, place it on a bed of garlic and onion. This serves two purposes:
-
Elevates the chicken off the base of the pan for more even cooking (otherwise the underside sits in the pan juices and will cook faster); and
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Adds extra flavour into the pan juices used as the sauce for this recipe. OR used for gravy!
How to make the BEST roast chicken (cont’d)
I like to stuff the chicken with a wedges of lemon and a couple of sprigs of rosemary. Not so much for the flavour, because in truth, you can just barely taste it. It’s more for the perfume you get when you cut into the chicken so it seems like you can taste it.
And this is the reason why I do not put garlic inside oven roasted chicken. There’s no point – it doesn’t get hot enough to make any difference to flavour and just steams.
Flavour bomb set, now it’s time for the easy part – roasting.
How long does it take to roast a 2 kg chicken?
10 minutes at 220C/450F, then 1 hr 15 minutes at 180C/350F until the internal temperature is 75C/165F or until juices run clear.
The formula is: 10 minutes at 220C/450F, then 20 minutes for every 500g/1lb at 180C/350F until the internal temperature is 75C/165F or until juices run clear.
But….. I want gravy!!
OK OK, hold the tantrum! It’s all good! I have the gravy recipe in the notes.😇
But really, give the liquid gold a go one of these days…. It’s crazy good! I mean, it’s garlic butter. Infused with herb flavours and a hint of lemon. Mingling with roasted chicken juices.
Watch the video. It tastes even better than it looks! – Nagi x
More whole chicken recipes
-
Slow Cooker Lemon Garlic Roast Chicken (set and forget!)
-
Jamie Oliver’s Chicken in Milk (seriously delish!)
-
Chicken Noodle Soup – from scratch!
What to do with leftovers?
Use it to make epic Bread Bowl Sandwich, Chicken Pasta Salad, Chinese Chicken Salad or toss it into a Frittata or Omelette! salad
Best of Sunday Supper Roasts
Roast Chicken recipe
Watch how to make it
Sometimes it helps to have a visual – so watch me make this Roast Chicken recipe!
Roast Chicken recipe originally published May 2016, improved May 2018. Updated for housekeeping matters January 2019, no change to recipe. It’s perfect as is! 🙂
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Roast Chicken
Ingredients
- 1.75 - 2 kg / 3.5 - 4lb whole chicken , patted dry
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 lemon, quartered
- 3 rosemary sprigs
Butter:
- 100 g / 1 stick unsalted butter , melted
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 tbsp sage , finely chopped (Note 1)
- 2 tsp rosemary , finely chopped (Note 1)
- 1 tbsp parsley , finely chopped (Note 1)
- 1/2 tsp each salt and black pepper
Under Chook:
- 1 cup / 250 ml dry white wine , or low sodium chicken broth
- 1 onion , quartered (Note 2)
- 1 garlic bulb , halved horizontally (Note 2)
Instructions
- Take the chicken out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.
- Preheat oven to 220C/450F (standard) or 200C/430F (fan/convection). Put shelf in the middle.
- Mix together Butter ingredients. Add juice from 2 wedges of lemon.
- Place chicken in a roasting pan. Use a dessert spoon to loosen skin from chicken (see video). Do the top (the breast) and the drumsticks – not the underside.
- Prop chicken upright, drizzle butter under skin, using most of the garlic/herb sludge, but saving a bit of butter for the skin (Note 3).
- Drizzle / smear remaining butter all over surface of the chicken. Squeeze over juice of 2 lemon wedges.
- Stuff used lemon wedges and rosemary inside chicken.
- Tie drumstick ends with string and tuck wing tips under the chicken.
- Sprinkle all over with salt and pepper.
- Place onion and garlic in the pan, place chicken on top. Pour wine around, drizzle chicken with oil.
- Transfer to oven. Roast for 10 minutes, then turn oven down to 180C/350F (all oven types). Roast for a further 1 hr 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 75C/165F or until juices run clear when pierced at the join between the drumstick and the body. Baste twice (30 min then at 1 hr), spooning pan juices over skin.
- Rest for 15 minutes – don’t cover, skin becomes wet.
- Serve with pan juices (see video for how to carve). I discard onion but use the garlic in the pan. See notes for side suggestions & how to use carcass for incredible homemade broth!
Recipe Notes:
50 g / 3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp / 40 g flour (any white)
2 cups / 500 ml liquid from pan topped up with low sodium chicken broth Melt butter over medium heat, add flour, stir for 1 minute. Add half the liquid while whisking. Once incorpoated and lump free, add remaining liquid. Continue cooking for 2 minutes, stirring regularly, until gravy thickens. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 5. COOK TIMES: 10 minutes at 220C/450F, then 20 minutes for every 500g/1lb at 180C/350F until the internal temperature is 75C/165F or until juices run clear. This assumes the chicken was taken out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking. If it’s fridge cold, add another 10 minutes to the cook time. 6. TYING DRUMSTICKS: I find it easiest to use one piece of string, wrap string around one leg, then yank the other leg closer and wrap string around that one to. Then once string is around both of them, it's much easier to handle to use the string to pull then together then wrap the string around both of them tightly so they are crossed over each other. 7. CARCASS and leftover bits/juices: Scrape it all into a pot or slow cooker, add water so water is about 2.5cm / 1" above chicken. Add 2 tsp Vegeta or chicken stock powder or 2 crumbled cubes, celery, carrot and a few garlic cloves (chunky pieces) and a few sprigs of fresh herbs like thyme/rosemary/parsley OR 1 tsp dried herbs. Simmer 1 hour / slow cooker 6 hours, strain. Pick out/off bits of chicken to use in soup. Use as incredible broth for Chicken Noodle Soup or Chicken Rice Soup. 8. SIDES: Roast potatoes (cut, toss in olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs, roast under chicken for 40 minutes), mashed potato or cauliflower, or garlic bread. Also try Potatoes au Gratin or Easy Cheesy Potato Bake - can make ahead then reheat in oven quickly. Pictured on the very edge of photo in post is this Kale Quinoa Salad (I often have it on hand as it lasts for days and days). Other great salads: Corn Salad with Avocado and Tomato, Roast Pumpkin Spinach Salad, a garden salad with Italian or French Dressing. 9. Nutrition assumes 1.2kg / 2.4lb of meat, remainder is bones discarded. Also assumes all pan juices are consumed which they probably won't be, also you lose some in the onion/garlic/discarded chicken.
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Like a mohawk – gone wrong. (Aftermath of a knee operation he had back in May 2018 when this recipe was first published…)
Hi, how much salt do you add to a 4lb chicken? If you use 1/2 tsp for the butter mixture, should I put about 3 1/2 tsps. of salt n the outside?
HI Jen! For a chicken that size use the ingredients per the recipe 🙂
Nagi – have you got a video somewhere on how to cut & serve a whole roast chicken?
It is cooking now. My home smells like heaven. When done I am transporting it in the cookpot to another place for dinner. I already know the smell in the car will drive me mad! Won’t be doing gravy but the juices will be very well used. But oh, my, goodness, it smells so divine in here.
Ba ha ha I can relate! driving with freshly made delicious food is TORTURE! 😂
Hi Nagi, thanks for the recipe! Can I substitute butter with olive oil?
You sure can!! 🙂
Best Sunday night roast chicken ever! Gravy using herb butter and pan juices was “drop the fork” delicious.
Love hearing that Bar! Thanks for letting me know! N x
My go-to chicken recipe. Big hit with the family!
I have this in the oven now, except I have 2 birds in one roasting pan. If you see this in time, will this alter the times by a huge amount? Do I count the two birds together? Or is it basically the same because the birds are 2 small ones?
I really should have asked this prior to starting lol
I’m gonna go ahead and give you 5 stars because this smells AMAAAAZING cooking, I’ll just check the temps with a thermometer as I go 😉
Sorry I missed this message while they were in the oven! 🙂 If you have 2 birds, roast for the time of the larger bird PLUS about 20% extra time. That’s my rule of thumb as a starting point! N x
Did not disappoint. It was delicious. Putting the butter mixture under the skin made it so tender. And the juice. Don’t get me started. Well done.
That’s so great to hear Greg!! So glad you enjoyed this, thanks for taking the time to let me know – N x
I’ve gotten bored with simple salt and pepper roast chicken and was happy to stumble upon this recipe. It was super yummy! I cheated and used storebought garlic butter and the results were scrumptious.
That’s so great to hear Kayla!! So glad you enjoyed this, thanks for taking the time to let me know – N x
Can I roast it with a dove inside for addad flavor?
I would LOVE to know how that goes!!
Love that chicken you roasted. The ingredients are all In your kitchen and the best part is preparation is easy. I will be making that for dinner. Thanks so much for sharing your recipe.
Hope you enjoy it Joann! N x
Delicious! From the moment it went into the oven I became extremely hungry, haha.
I misread a few instructions so it had burnt a tiny tiny tiny bit but it was still delicious.
Thank you for sharing.
Glad you loved this Montrealgal!! Thanks for sharing your feedback! N x
Loved this recipe! So easy and really tasty!
Love hearing that Kathleen! Thanks for sharing your feedback! N x ❤️
Do you think it would be possible to prepare the chicken, freeze it then defrost and roast? I live in South America and friends are coming. I’d really like to have stuff frozen and ready to go.
Yes. I’ve done that before.
Tried recepie smells great. Only thing didn’t brown like yours had to turn oven to 400.
Winner winner! Made this tonight and it was so succulent and tasty. I have been looking for a go- to roast chicken recipe for years and I’ve finally found it!
Hi Nagi
Can you suggest some dairy free options to butter? Thanks a lot.
Love your recipes!
Mona x
Hi Mona! Extra virgin olive oil will be a terrific sub! 🙂
Made this yesterday. Boneheaded me, I forgot to baste it so it didn’t have that gorgeous crispy skin. But I gotta tell ya, that meat was moist and juicy like i’ve never seen before. Your process using a spoon to loosen skin and just pouring the MELTED butter goo under the skin is ingenious! Gone are the days of up to my wrist inside a chicken to baste! Ugh. Thanks, N for another great recipe and a new technique!
This is the best roast chicken I ever made following not 100% to your recipe in term of herbs but my whole family loves it. I used 2 chickens in about 1.3kg each so that we can get lot of crispy tasty skins. Love your method drizzle the melted garlic butter herbs under the skin. Brilliant!
Thank you so much for the recipe.
Once I season it like the directions above, Can i marinate In the refrigerator for 24 hours before cooking it?
Hi Denise! You can if you like, and that will essentially dry brine it, making it even juicier! However, just note that it does affect how the skin comes out, it is crispy but if kind of comes out thinner. Hard to describe. Still very tasty! And the flesh will be noticeably juicier! N x