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
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!)
- Thomas Kellers’ Brine for Chicken
- Coconut Pot Roasted Chicken
- 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
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…)
Liked the flavors here! I brined my chicken before roasting so it was for sure moist.
Sounds amazing Fin!
Hi Just wondering if I could cook 2 roast chicken 2kg in the same pan and the cooking times will be the same?
Hi Janelle, sure can – cook time will be the same!
This is SO GOOD. The way you presented the information was so user-friendly. Though I love cooking, I had somehow never tried roasting a bird before. This came out so well and I can’t wait to do it more. I love the flavour profile and the clarity with which you presented the steps. Thank you!
I’m so glad you loved it Kate, thanks so much for letting me know!
Awesome recipe Nagi! I don’t ever leave comments but this is the 2nd recipe I’ve tried from your collection and just wanted to say thank you! Didn’t change a thing, perfect!! Great flavor, so moist!
My whole family loves this recipe for roast chicken. So easy too make and so tasty and moist. My new go to!
And it’s so easy to make a broth with the carcass using your notes.
Thanks so much!
Wow, Thanks so much for this tasty, tasty recipe. Roast Chicken is not a good enough name. My wife calls this “Death Row Chicken”!
I absolutely love this recipe. Not only is it simple, using ingredients I had available, it was easy to assemble and tasted incredible. I added some veggies underneath the chook and they roasted gorgeously over the hour and a half in the oven. I also dashed a tiny bit of peri peri spice on the skin. Thank you for the recipe! This is my go-to from now on!
Sounds like you nailed it Mariana! I love the addition of the Peri Peri!
I just made this for dinner and I truly believe it is the best chicken I have ever cooked. So juicy and so tasty. This very simple recipe was easy to follow and following the instructions for roasting time it was cooked to perfection! Thank you so much, this recipe will be on heavy rotation in my family!
Woah what a great compliment Alison!!
I love the roast chicken. You knocked it out the park with this recipe! Could I add small potatoes around the chicken to roast, also?
Sure could Valerie!
My first time making a roast chicken and it was incredible! I didn’t have any sage, but the lemon and rosemary still made it so good. I left the temperature at 220C and cooked for 1 hour only and it was delicious. Definitely going to try making the gravy next time as well.
I’m so glad you loved it Alice you can definitely sub any herbs you have available – N x
This is so delicious thank you so much
Love this… thank you Nagi! God Bless you!:)
This looks so good! Can I add vegetables and cut up potatoes and put it underneath the chicken too? Thank you!
You’re so welcome Faith ❤️
This was sooo good. Commenting so I remember what I did next time.
Used fresh rosemary & oregano & powdered sage & upped garlic to 5 cloves! Whizzed & softened butter mix in TMX. For a 1.5kg chicken I would do 20mins at 220*C and 1 hour at 180*C in my oven. Added lemon juice & 2 tsp cornflour to make gravy in TMX. Soooo soooo good. Thank you!!!
Totally delish and so very easy to make. The sauce, OMG!
Wahoo, that’s great to hear Barb!
We had just picked up some free-range chooks from a local organic farmer, and then were facing an impromptu dinner party. Yikes! What would Nagi do? Ah, Roast Chicken with garlic and herbs, obv. This was a delicious treat, slathered with butter and stuffed with fresh sage, parsley, rosemary and chopped garlic scapes from the garden. Really delicious chook, thanks Nagi! We served with BBQ smashed potatoes (more herbs!), green salad, and Yorkshire puddings. Yorkies are really just vehicles for gravy, and I followed your fab notes, but left the onions and garlic in the mix. Everyone was really impressed. “Best chicken I’ve ever had” and such. Definite go-to, thanks again. Next time we’ll be trying your Succulent Roast Chicken – love a brined bird!
Wahoo Christopher, I’m so glad you loved it!!!
Hi Nagi just finished preparing Roast chicken ,looks great. Just had to tell you that each week I do 1-2 of your recipes, you are amazing the simple changes you make , make all the difference. Love getting your recipes each week, thanks so much Nagi. an poser.
I’ve cooked this twice now and both times I have have ended up with juicy and delicious chicken. The sauce is a real winner! This is definitely my go to roast chicken recipe!
That’s great Glenis, I’m so glad you’re enjoying all the recipes!
We made this for dinner tonight it was so delicious and garlicy! We did two small chickens because I couldn’t find one large one but it worked just as well. Lovely roast chicken recipe.
Hi Lucinda, thanks so much for letting me know! ❤️
Best roast chicken ever!!!! Been cooking roast chicken for years. Sauce is devine!!!!!! No need for gravy!!!!! Definately my go to recipe for roasting a chicken from now on 😋
You won’t ever buy store bought again!
Nagi,
I am a professional cook (not chef!) and have been cooking for 50 years.
Your roast chicken was the best thing that I have ever prepared and although it was only for two of us, I can see this being our go-to dinner party dish!
I shall be going through your recipes in detail and thanks again for such a fabulous recipe!
Woah that’s such a great compliment Ian!!
Simply delicious. Really enjoyed the amazing flavour. I I will definitely have it again.
I’m so glad you loved it Rosa!
We absolutely loved this. My boys aren’t big fans of rotisserie or roasted chicken, but this did them in :). I think they just like bold flavor in general, and meat that tastes like “nothing” turns them off, so this was a winner! There is scant meat remaining on the bones, but I’m going to cut and pull as much off as I can and give your Sun-dried Tomato Pasta Salad a go. You’re the best. I don’t have time in this season of life to experiment in the kitchen. That’ll come later. But now, I need to get in, feed myself and my people and move on. You are rock-solid every.single.time. Means so much to busy mamas, dads and families. Thank you. xo
Thanks so so much JL that’s so great to hear, I really appreciate the feedback! ❤️