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A whole roasted chicken is easy to make and perfect for any occasion. Stuffed with lemon and fresh herbs and rubbed in herb and garlic butter. Get the most tender and juicy chicken with this delicious recipe.
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Whole roasted chicken is one of my favorite things to cook, whether it’s for a small family meal or a celebration, this method delivers every single time!
The chicken meat is so perfectly flavorful, with hints of lemon, herbs, and garlic, and it’s super succulent. The skin gets perfectly crispy and it’s perfect to serve with all of your favorite side dishes.
Be sure to check out my Spatchcock Chicken and Instant Pot Whole Chicken recipes too!
Why You Will Love This Whole Roasted Chicken Recipe
- Easy: This recipes requires very minimal prep before it gets roasted in the oven. While the chicken is cooking, you are freed up to do other things!
- Simple ingredients: A perfect roasted chicken doesn’t require a long list of ingredients. Just a good chicken, fresh herbs and you are good to go.
- Great for meal prep: I always cook a chicken larger than I need and use the leftovers in other weeknight meals throughout the week.
Ingredients
For a full ingredients list with measurements, check the recipe card below.
- Chicken: Personally, I prefer to get an organic or free-range chicken. Make sure you remove the giblets.
- Fresh Herbs: Fresh rosemary, thyme, and parsley.
- Onion and lemon: To stuff the chicken to add more flavor to the meat.
- Butter: You can use either salted or unsalted butter, just adjust the amount of added salt accordingly. The butter helps to keep the chicken nice and juicy and helps you get that delicious crispy skin.
- Garlic: Use freshly minced garlic for the best flavor.
- Kosher salt and black pepper: Added to taste.
How To Make Whole Roasted Chicken
- Brine the chicken the day before according to recipe directions for brining. Pat it dry well on the outside and inside.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. Pat the chicken with paper towel. Tuck the chicken wing tips underneath the breast. Stuff chicken cavity with the rosemary and thyme sprigs, and the quartered onion and halved lemon. Tie the chicken legs together with kitchen twine, also called trussing the chicken.
- In a small bowl, mash together the ingredients for the herb butter mixture (softened butter, minced garlic, thyme, rosemary and parsley leaves, as well as salt & pepper.
- Loosen the skin of the chicken breast using the back of a spoon. Rub the herb garlic butter mixture all over the chicken, both on the outside of the chicken and underneath the skin.
- Place chicken in a roasting pan and cook approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers at least 160 F. (Carryover cooking will increase the temperature to 165 F.
- After the chicken is done, remove from the oven and cover it with foil. Let the chicken rest for 10 – 15 minutes before removing the kitchen string and carving.
TIPS FROM NELI’S KITCHEN
Recipe Notes and Tips For The Best Roasted Chicken
- For the most juiciest, tender and flavorful chicken, make sure you brine the chicken for a few hours or overnight. This extra step is so worth it.
- Allow the chicken to come up to room temperature before placing it in the oven, about 30 minutes. This will help it to keep tender. Baking cold chicken can cause the outside to dry out before the inside is fully cooked.
- For the crispiest skin, make sure to thoroughly dry the inside and outside of the chicken with paper towels before rubbing it with butter and stuffing it.
- Use a spoon to nestle the butter under the skin, then use your fingers on the outside to press it evenly into place.
- Go easy on the salt if you brined the chicken.
- Cook the chicken for about 15 minutes per lb. Adjust the cooking time according to the size of the chicken you have.
- If the chicken skin is getting very dark, cover the chicken breasts loosely with foil so they don’t burn and overcook.
- An instant read thermometer is essential to cooking your chicken perfectly. Overcooked chicken can become quite dry and less flavorful. Take the temperature from the thickest part of the thigh, not touching bone. It should register at 160F.
- Let your whole roasted chicken rest for at least 15 minutes before carving it. This allows the juices to redistribute.
- Be sure to wash your hands well every time you handle the chicken otherwise you risk spreading germs and bacteria on everything you touch.
Serving Suggestions
This whole roasted chicken is perfect to serve with potatoes, veggies, and gravy for a wonderful family feast. Try it with:
Storing and Reheating Tips
Roasted chicken is best served as soon as you’ve cooked it, but you can easily keep the leftovers for up to 4 days covered in the fridge. Remove all of the meat from the bones and store it in an airtight container. You can keep the chicken bones to make your own chicken stock.
To reheat your leftover chicken in the oven, preheat the oven to 350F and add the meat to a baking dish with a couple of tablespoons of water or stock. Place in the oven until the chicken is heated through.
How To Use Leftover Roasted Chicken
You can use leftover chicken to add to soups, salads for a fuller meal, to make sandwiches, wraps, tacos, or grain bowls for extra protein. Some of my favorite recipes for using up leftover chicken are:
- Mains: Chicken Pesto Pasta, Chicken Fried Rice, BBQ Chicken, Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Sandwiches: Chicken Salad Sandwiches
- Soups: Chicken Noodle Soup, White Chicken Chili, Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Soup
- Salads: Chicken Caesar Salad, Cobb Salad, Chicken Waldorf Salad
Helpful Kitchen Tools
Recipe FAQs
The cooking time for roasting a whole chicken in the oven depends on the size of your chicken. Make sure you weigh your bird before stuffing it and cook it for 15 – 17 minutes per lb. For a 4 – 5 lb chicken, it would take about 1 hour to 1 and 20 minutes. Always use an instant-read meat thermometer to check when the temperature at the thigh has reached about 165 F.
Yes, you can. After all of the meat has been removed from the bones, add all the bones and carcass to a stockpot, fill it up with water, add chopped onion, carrot, garlic, celery, parsley, and any other aromatics you have on hand, and simmer for several hours. I sometimes freeze vegetable scraps and add them to the pot instead of using new vegetables. You can also make chicken stock/chicken broth in your Instant Pot, it’s much faster, and the broth is really rich.
Try These Next
If you loved this roast chicken recipe, be sure to check out some of my other chicken recipes:
If you enjoyed this Whole Roasted Chicken recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
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Whole Roasted Chicken
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Ingredients
- 4 – 5 lbs whole chicken, brined or not brined, and giblets removed
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 onion peeled and quartered
- 1 lemon quartered
Herb Butter Mixture
- 6 tablespoons butter, softened
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves finely chopped
- 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley leaves finely chopped
- salt and pepper, to taste (go easy on the salt if you’ve brined your chicken)
Instructions
- Brine the chicken the day before according to recipe directions for brining.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Tuck the chicken wings underneath the breast. Stuff chicken cavity with the rosemary and thyme sprigs, and the quartered onion and lemon. Tie the chicken legs together with kitchen twine.
- In a small bowl, mash together the ingredients for the herb butter mixture (softened butter, minced garlic, thyme, rosemary and parsley leaves, as well as salt & pepper.
- Loosen the skin of the chicken breast using the back of a spoon.Rub the herb butter mixture all over the chicken, both on the outside of the chicken and underneath the skin.
- Place chicken in a roasting pan and cook approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 160 F. (Carryover cooking will increase the temperature to 165 F.(Check on the chicken after 30 minutes – if the skin is getting very dark, cover the chicken breasts with foil)
- After the chicken is done, remove from the oven and cover it with foil. Let the chicken rest for 10 – 15 minutes before carving. Serve with the pan drippings or making a delicious gravy.
Video
Notes
- For the most juiciest, tender and flavorful chicken, make sure you brine the chicken for a few hours or overnight. This extra step is so worth it.
- Allow the chicken to come up to room temperature before placing it in the oven, about 30 minutes. This will help it to keep tender.
- For the crispiest skin, make sure to thoroughly dry the inside and outside of the chicken with paper towels before rubbing it with butter and stuffing it.
- Use a spoon to nestle the butter under the skin, then use your fingers on the outside to press it evenly into place.
- Go easy on the salt if you brined the chicken.
- Cook the chicken for about 15 minutes per lb. Adjust the cooking time according to the size of the chicken you have.
- If the chicken skin is getting very dark, cover the chicken breasts loosely with foil so they don’t burn and overcook.
- An instant read thermometer is essential to cooking your chicken perfectly. Overcooked chicken can become quite dry and less flavorful. Take the temperature from the thickest part of the thigh, not touching bone. It should register at 160F.
- Let your whole roasted chicken rest for at least 15 minutes before carving it. This allows the juices to redistribute.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer: Nutritional values are estimates and may vary with ingredients, brands, and portion sizes. For accuracy, use your preferred nutrition calculator.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this recipe is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical or nutritional advice. I am not a doctor or a dietitian. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalized guidance regarding your diet or health. For more details, please read my full disclosure page.
