There’s nothing more satisfying than a whole roasted chicken – it feeds a crowd, looks impressive and tastes amazing. Serve your roast chicken with corn casserole and zucchini gratin for a complete meal. Roasted chicken is one of those comfort food classic chicken recipes 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.
Roast Chicken Ingredients
To make this recipe, you will need a whole chicken, chicken brine, rosemary, thyme, parsley, garlic, butter, lemon, onion, salt and pepper.
How Do You Make Roasted Chicken?
The first step in the process is to brine your chicken. This is an optional step, but highly recommended. Next, tuck the wings under the chicken breast, and stuff inside the cavity of your chicken with lemon, onion and herbs, then tie up the legs. Mix together butter, garlic and herbs, and cover the chicken with the butter mixture. 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. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes, then carve and serve with the pan juices.
Tips For The Perfect Dish
It is very important to use a thermometer when you are roasting chicken. You definitely don’t want an undercooked bird, and if you overcook your chicken, the meat can dry out. I use a instant read thermometer that stays in the chicken as it cooks so that I can monitor its progress. Be sure to spread the butter mixture quickly, as it will harden as the softened butter touches the cold chicken. I love to use any leftover chicken in dishes such as chicken vegetable soup, Chinese chicken salad or King Ranch chicken. Use your chicken carcass to make homemade chicken broth! Place the carcass in a large pot with 10 cups of water, 3 sliced carrots, 3 sliced celery stalks, one quartered onion, 2 teaspoons peppercorns, 2 bay leaves, 5 garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon salt and a small bunch of parsley. Simmer for 3-4 hours, then let cool slightly and strain. Refrigerate or freeze for later use. 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. If you decide not to brine your chicken, I’d recommend adding a few teaspoons of chicken seasoning to the butter mixture for even more flavor.
Flavor Variations
This recipe is delicious as written, but you can easily customize the flavors to suit your tastes.
Chicken: While this recipe is for a whole chicken, you can use a similar technique for bone-in skin-on chicken breasts or legs. Brine the chicken parts for 4 hours, and adjust the roasting time accordingly. Seasonings: Instead of using garlic and herbs to flavor the butter, you can stir in a tablespoon of some other type of seasoning. Some great options include Cajun Seasoning, Greek Seasoning, Italian Seasoning and Jamaican Jerk Seasoning. Vegetables: You can add some vegetables to your roasting dish to make this a one-pan meal! Some great options include potatoes, carrots, green beans or asparagus. Potatoes and carrots would go into the pan as soon as the chicken goes in the oven. For quicker cooking veggies such as asparagus and green beans, you’ll want to add them during the last 15 minutes of the roasting time. Coat the veggies in a little olive oil, salt and pepper before adding them to the pan.
Let me just tell you, this roasted chicken is the best chicken I’ve ever had. It’s worth it to take the extra step of brining the chicken first, because your meat will have perfect seasoning. 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!
Roasted Chicken Video
