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Anyone who loves butter and garlic (and who doesn’t!?) will adore this Garlic Butter Roast Chicken recipe!
A whole chicken is smothered with an easy homemade garlic butter and stuffed with fresh herbs and onion. Then it’s roasted to juicy and tender perfection in the oven.
With just about 5 minutes prep, what could be more mouthwatering than a simple recipe like this one?
A Perfect Roast Chicken Recipe
There are lots of reasons we think this is the best chicken recipe.
- The preparation is so simple, but yields such fantastic results.
- It needs just a few ingredients but packs so much flavor.
- The chicken turns juicy with extra crispy skin, it’s a perfect meal.
- Roast chicken goes with almost any side dish.
- Leftover roasted chicken can be enjoyed hot or used for meal prep or even chicken salad. Save the carcass for Homemade Chicken Stock.
Ingredients
CHICKEN Use a whole chicken for this recipe, preferably between 3½-4 lbs for a quick roasting time. This recipe would work fine with other poultry like a small turkey, grouse, or cornish hen. Just adjust cooking time according to size.
HERBS & ONION No need to make a fancy stuffing. Just stuff the bird with half an onion and some fresh rosemary, thyme, or parsley. These are optional but do add extra flavor to the meat.
GARLIC & BUTTER Garlic and butter are mixed with a bit of olive oil before spreading on the chicken. Feel free to add lemon to the pan as well, or other herbs, plus extra garlic. Add in some kosher salt and a sprinkle of pepper to taste.
How to Make Garlic Butter Roast Chicken
This chicken recipe takes minutes to prep and the rest of the time is hands off.
- Season the chicken and stuff the cavity with herbs and onion.
- Prep the garlic mixture and spread over the chicken or under the skin if desired per the recipe notes below.
- Place the chicken, breast side up, in a roasting pan, put into the oven, and reduce the heat. Roast per recipe below.
Swap out the cast iron skillet for a large rimmed baking pan and add vegetables like potatoes and carrots.
The Drippings
We like to serve this chicken as is and use the pan drippings to drizzle over the meat, cooked rice or mashed potatoes.
Since it’s higher in fat, you can use drippings and browned bits in this recipe to make a roux for gravy with prepared chicken broth.
Tips for Juicy Chicken
- Pat chicken dry thoroughly with a paper towel, inside and out. A dried-off bird ends up juicier on the inside with crispy skin.
- Tie the legs with kitchen twine and tuck the wings under for even cooking.
- Preheat the oven to a 450°F to sear the outside of the chicken. Lowering temperature cooks a bit slower and the result is perfectly tender chicken with crispy skin.
- We love to cook this in a cast-iron dish but an oven safe sauce pan or a casserole dish will work too (no rack is required). Use a larger pan if you’d like to add veggies.
- Cook chicken until the juices run clear and it reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thigh (not touching the bone).
- Let the chicken rest 10-15 minutes before carving.
Got Leftovers?
Leftover roast chicken can be kept in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to four days and can be frozen. The frozen chicken will taste best if used within four months. Add it to Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole or make a tasty Chicken Gnocchi Soup for a whole new meal!
Savory Sides for Chicken
Did you make this Garlic Butter Roast Chicken? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Garlic Butter Roast Chicken
This roast chicken is perfectly tender & juicy on the inside with a garlic-butter crispy skin!
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Preheat oven to 450°F.
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Ensure the cavity of the chicken is empty by removing the bag of giblets and neck. (Not all chickens will have these.)
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Dab the chicken dry with a paper towel and season the inside and outside with salt and pepper.
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Cut the onion in half (so you have two quarters of an onion) and place the onion and thyme inside the cavity of the chicken. If the legs are not tied together, use kitchen twine to tie them.
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Combine butter, olive oil, and garlic in a small bowl with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves). Mix well.
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Spread the garlic butter mixture over the skin of the chicken *see note. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
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Place the chicken in a cast iron or ceramic baking dish. Herbs, onions, lemons, & garlic can be added to the pan if desired.
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Place the chicken in the oven and reduce the heat to 425°F. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until the juices run clear and the chicken reaches 165°F.
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Remove the chicken from the oven and let rest 10-15 minutes before serving.
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Serve with the melted garlic butter in the pan if desired.
- Garlic Butter Option: I prefer to spread the garlic butter mixture over the skin of the chicken. If you’d like, half of the garlic butter can be placed under the skin to infuse the butter into the meat. Use your fingers to gently separate the skin from the breast meat and add the butter mixture under the skin. Massage it around the chicken breast to spread it over the meat between the skin and the meat. Spread a thin layer of the remaining butter mixture over the skin.
- Pat chicken dry with a paper towel, inside and out.
- Tie the legs with kitchen twine and tuck the wings under for even cooking.
- Lemons, additional onion, or garlic can be added to the baking pan if desired.
- Preheat the oven to a 450°F to sear the outside of the chicken. Lowering temperature cooks a bit slower and the result is perfectly tender chicken with crispy skin.
- Cook chicken until the juices run clear and it reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thigh (not touching the bone).
- Nutrition information includes half of the butter mixture as not all of it is absorbed into the chicken.
Calories: 458, Carbohydrates: 2g, Protein: 36g, Fat: 33g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g, Monounsaturated Fat: 14g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 150mg, Sodium: 135mg, Potassium: 390mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 402IU, Vitamin C: 6mg, Calcium: 30mg, Iron: 2mg
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
Course Chicken, Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine American
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