My Best Roast Chicken Recipe
Slow Roasted Chicken slathered in garlic butter is a must for special occasions like Easter! This easy whole roast chicken recipe is absolutely fail-proof with my step-by-step instructions, and ready in 1-2 hours, depending on the size of your chicken. The whole family will love this juicy, tender roasted whole chicken recipe!
Servings: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
- 4-6 pound whole chicken
- 3-4 teaspoons kosher salt more if the chicken is on the larger side
- 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup salted butter softened to room temperature
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary chopped
- Aromatics for stuffing the chicken like a quartered onion, roughly chopped celery, garlic cloves, fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme, or a halved lemon
- 1 lemon sliced in half
- 1 head of garlic sliced in half
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Remove chicken giblets and rinse the chicken inside and out. Pat completely dry using paper towels. Gently slide your fingers between the skin and the breasts of the chicken, loosening it slightly.4-6 pound whole chicken
- Liberally salt and pepper the inside and outside of the chicken, rubbing the salt and pepper around the inside cavity. Stuff the cavity with aromatics. There are many options that work well, but my favorites are a few pieces of quartered onion, a lemon sliced in half, bunches of fresh herbs like thyme or rosemary, a handful of whole garlic cloves, and/or some celery sticks chopped small enough to fit.3-4 teaspoons kosher salt, 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, Aromatics for stuffing the chicken like a quartered onion, roughly chopped celery, garlic cloves, fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme, or a halved lemon
- In a bowl, combine the softened butter with the minced garlic and herbs, then rub this under the skin over the chicken breasts and around the outside of the bird. Tie the legs of the chicken together if you have kitchen twine on hand. If you don't have kitchen twine, don't worry about it! The chicken will still turn out delicious!1/4 cup salted butter, 4 garlic cloves, 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- Transfer the chicken to a roasting pan or large oven-safe skillet. You can even throw in some extra sprigs of rosemary, halved lemons, and whole heads of garlic with the tops sliced off around the chicken for even more aromatics.1 lemon, 1 head of garlic
- Roast in the oven for around 1 to 1 1/2 hours (roughly 20 minutes per pound) until the meat is 165 degrees F when tested with a digital meat thermometer. The juices should run clear when you slice into the chicken.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes before slicing to serve on a platter. Serve the chicken with the pan juices drizzled over the top.
Notes
- Flavor Variations: You could use other seasonings and just follow this same method. Using a cajun seasoning blend with the butter instead of rosemary and garlic is another favorite approach of ours.
- Slow Cooker Instructions: You could follow the steps above and just cook the chicken in the slow cooker on LOW for 6 to 8 hours. The skin won't crisp up like an oven roasted chicken, but the meat will still be delicious.
- This recipe is on page 152 of my cookbook, House of Nash Eats Everyday!
Nutrition
Calories: 584kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 194mg | Sodium: 1999mg | Potassium: 475mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 683IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 2mg
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