The BEST Roast Chicken recipe is simple, budget friendly, and gives you a tender, mouth-watering chicken full of flavor! Served with roasted vegetables, this recipe is simple enough for any cook!
If your chicken is frozen, be sure to thaw it 1-2 days in advance. When ready to prepare, preheat oven to 450 degrees F and adjust your oven rack so the chicken will sit in the center of the oven.
Remove neck and giblets from inside the cavity of the chicken and pat dry all over with paper towels.
In a bowl, combine softened butter, zest of the lemon, and chopped rosemary. Season the outside of the chicken and inside the cavity with salt and pepper. Cut the lemon in half and place inside the cavity of the bird.
Use your fingers to loosen and lift the skin above the breasts (on the top of the chicken) and smooth a few tablespoons of the herb butter underneath.
Microwave the remaining herb butter mixture for 10 seconds (it doesn’t need to be melted, just softened). Smear the remaining herb butter all over the outside of the chicken, legs and wings.
Add the onion, carrot and potato to the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Drizzle a little olive oil over the veggies, season them with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Place the chicken on top, and tie the legs together with kitchen twine if you want (not required).
Roast the chicken, uncovered, at 450 degrees F for 10-15 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F and roast for 20 minutes per pound, or until internal temperature (inserted on middle of thigh and breast) reaches about 165 degrees. Skin should be golden brown and the juices should run clear.
*Check the chicken about halfway through cooking and if the skin is getting overly brown you can cover it with a piece of tinfoil to protect the breast meat from overcooking.
Remove chicken from the oven and cover with tinfoil. Allow it to rest for 10 minutes before carving. Serve with the cooked vegetables at the bottom of the pan.
Optional: reserve the drippings in the roasting pan to make chicken gravy.
Video
Notes
Pro Tips:
Thaw the Chicken completely before using. If you bought it frozen, allow it to thaw in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
Don't Wash the Chicken, because that will only contaminate your sink. Any bacteria will be killed in the hot oven while it bakes, so just dry it off with paper towels.
Calculate How Long to Cook: After you decrease the temperature, you will bake it for 20 minutes per pound. So, if your chicken weighs 4 pounds, cook it for roughly 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Use a Thermometer to test for doneness. Chicken is cooked when it reaches 165°F (or just shy of that, as it will continue to cook as it rests under the aluminum foil). If it tastes dry, it was overcooked.
Rest: Allowing the chicken to rest after it has baked allows the juices to soak back into the meat, making it more moist and tender.
Don't Baste the Chicken: Basting the chicken is unnecessary to get a crispy skin and can actually cause the chicken to be dryer since you are constantly opening the oven and letting the heat out, which will cause it to take longer to cook.
Slow Cooker Roast Chicken: Prepare the chicken the same way and cook it on low for 4-6 hours. Keep in mind you wot get the same crispy skin as you do with the oven method. Air Fryer Whole Chicken Recipe