Roast Chicken slathered with a garlic-herb-lemon butter then oven roasted to golden crispy perfection.
Juicy on the inside, and served with liquid gold pan juices loaded with flavour, this is THE Roast Chicken recipe you’ll make over and over again!
The best Roast Chicken recipe is….
….. juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside with golden skin that’s buttery and herby and garlicky with just a subtle perfume of lemon to remind you it’s there without overwhelming.
It creates its own pan juices that’s used as the sauce for the chicken. This stuff is liquid gold!
This is the chicken version of the Herb and Garlic Butter Roasted Turkey Breast I shared for Christmas / Thanksgiving last year. I’ve lost count of how many messages there were asking for a chicken version – and I’m finally sharing it!
How to make the BEST roast chicken!
The best roast chicken has garlic herb butter under and on the skin, is stuffed with lemon and herbs, roasted until it’s crispy and deep golden on the outside, and juicy on the inside.
It’s really easy to prepare a whole chicken for roasting. The trick is to use an upside down dessert spoon to loosen the skin – the shape hugs the curves of the chicken and it doesn’t tear the skin.
Then simply spoon the garlic-herb-butter under the skin then spread it from the outside. OR hold it upright and drizzle in (see photos below) – whatever you find easier!
TIP: Use most of the butter under the skin, that’s where you get the most bang for your buck. Plus, garlic burns on the skin so you don’t want too much on the surface.
After the chicken is all buttered up, place it on a bed of garlic and onion. This serves two purposes:
Elevates the chicken off the base of the pan for more even cooking (otherwise the underside sits in the pan juices and will cook faster); and
Adds extra flavour into the pan juices used as the sauce for this recipe. OR used for gravy!
How to make the BEST roast chicken (cont’d)
I like to stuff the chicken with a wedges of lemon and a couple of sprigs of rosemary. Not so much for the flavour, because in truth, you can just barely taste it. It’s more for the perfume you get when you cut into the chicken so it seems like you can taste it.
And this is the reason why I do not put garlic inside oven roasted chicken. There’s no point – it doesn’t get hot enough to make any difference to flavour and just steams.
Flavour bomb set, now it’s time for the easy part – roasting.
How long does it take to roast a 2 kg chicken?
10 minutes at 220C/450F, then 1 hr 15 minutes at 180C/350F until the internal temperature is 75C/165F or until juices run clear.
The formula is: 10 minutes at 220C/450F, then 20 minutes for every 500g/1lb at 180C/350F until the internal temperature is 75C/165F or until juices run clear.
But….. I want gravy!!
OK OK, hold the tantrum! It’s all good! I have the gravy recipe in the notes.😇
But really, give the liquid gold a go one of these days…. It’s crazy good! I mean, it’s garlic butter. Infused with herb flavours and a hint of lemon. Mingling with roasted chicken juices.
Watch the video. It tastes even better than it looks! – Nagi x
More whole chicken recipes
- Slow Cooker Lemon Garlic Roast Chicken (set and forget!)
- Jamie Oliver’s Chicken in Milk (seriously delish!)
- Thomas Kellers’ Brine for Chicken
- Coconut Pot Roasted Chicken
- Chicken Noodle Soup – from scratch!
What to do with leftovers?
Use it to make epic Bread Bowl Sandwich, Chicken Pasta Salad, Chinese Chicken Salad or toss it into a Frittata or Omelette! salad
Best of Sunday Supper Roasts
Watch How To Make It
Sometimes it helps to have a visual – so watch me make this Roast Chicken recipe!
Roast Chicken recipe originally published May 2016, improved May 2018. Updated for housekeeping matters January 2019, no change to recipe. It’s perfect as is! 🙂
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Roast Chicken
Ingredients
- 1.75 – 2 kg / 3.5 – 4lb whole chicken , patted dry
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 lemon, quartered
- 3 rosemary sprigs
Butter:
- 100 g / 1 stick unsalted butter , melted
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 tbsp sage , finely chopped (Note 1)
- 2 tsp rosemary , finely chopped (Note 1)
- 1 tbsp parsley , finely chopped (Note 1)
- 1/2 tsp each salt and black pepper
Under Chook:
- 1 cup / 250 ml dry white wine , or low sodium chicken broth
- 1 onion , quartered (Note 2)
- 1 garlic bulb , halved horizontally (Note 2)
Instructions
- Take the chicken out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.
- Preheat oven to 220C/450F (standard) or 200C/430F (fan/convection). Put shelf in the middle.
- Mix together Butter ingredients. Add juice from 2 wedges of lemon.
- Place chicken in a roasting pan. Use a dessert spoon to loosen skin from chicken (see video). Do the top (the breast) and the drumsticks – not the underside.
- Prop chicken upright, drizzle butter under skin, using most of the garlic/herb sludge, but saving a bit of butter for the skin (Note 3).
- Drizzle / smear remaining butter all over surface of the chicken. Squeeze over juice of 2 lemon wedges.
- Stuff used lemon wedges and rosemary inside chicken.
- Tie drumstick ends with string and tuck wing tips under the chicken.
- Sprinkle all over with salt and pepper.
- Place onion and garlic in the pan, place chicken on top. Pour wine around, drizzle chicken with oil.
- Transfer to oven. Roast for 10 minutes, then turn oven down to 180C/350F (all oven types). Roast for a further 1 hr 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 75C/165F or until juices run clear when pierced at the join between the drumstick and the body. Baste twice (30 min then at 1 hr), spooning pan juices over skin.
- Rest for 15 minutes – don’t cover, skin becomes wet.
- Serve with pan juices (see video for how to carve). I discard onion but use the garlic in the pan. See notes for side suggestions & how to use carcass for incredible homemade broth!
Recipe Notes:
50 g / 3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp / 40 g flour (any white)
2 cups / 500 ml liquid from pan topped up with low sodium chicken broth Melt butter over medium heat, add flour, stir for 1 minute. Add half the liquid while whisking. Once incorpoated and lump free, add remaining liquid. Continue cooking for 2 minutes, stirring regularly, until gravy thickens. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 5. COOK TIMES: 10 minutes at 220C/450F, then 20 minutes for every 500g/1lb at 180C/350F until the internal temperature is 75C/165F or until juices run clear. This assumes the chicken was taken out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking. If it’s fridge cold, add another 10 minutes to the cook time. 6. TYING DRUMSTICKS: I find it easiest to use one piece of string, wrap string around one leg, then yank the other leg closer and wrap string around that one to. Then once string is around both of them, it’s much easier to handle to use the string to pull then together then wrap the string around both of them tightly so they are crossed over each other. 7. CARCASS and leftover bits/juices: Scrape it all into a pot or slow cooker, add water so water is about 2.5cm / 1″ above chicken. Add 2 tsp Vegeta or chicken stock powder or 2 crumbled cubes, celery, carrot and a few garlic cloves (chunky pieces) and a few sprigs of fresh herbs like thyme/rosemary/parsley OR 1 tsp dried herbs. Simmer 1 hour / slow cooker 6 hours, strain. Pick out/off bits of chicken to use in soup. Use as incredible broth for Chicken Noodle Soup or Chicken Rice Soup. 8. SIDES: Roast potatoes (cut, toss in olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs, roast under chicken for 40 minutes), mashed potato or cauliflower, or garlic bread. Also try Potatoes au Gratin or Easy Cheesy Potato Bake – can make ahead then reheat in oven quickly. Pictured on the very edge of photo in post is this Kale Quinoa Salad (I often have it on hand as it lasts for days and days). Other great salads: Corn Salad with Avocado and Tomato, Roast Pumpkin Spinach Salad, a garden salad with Italian or French Dressing. 9. Nutrition assumes 1.2kg / 2.4lb of meat, remainder is bones discarded. Also assumes all pan juices are consumed which they probably won’t be, also you lose some in the onion/garlic/discarded chicken.
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Like a mohawk – gone wrong. (Aftermath of a knee operation he had back in May 2018 when this recipe was first published…)
I didn’t have any fresh herbs so I used dried herbes du Provence. Otherwise I stuck to the chicken recipe. It was amazing! Instead of using broth for the gravy made with juices, I blended in roasted garlic cloves from under the bird. Also super GOOD! Nagi’s recipes are wonderful. My fav recipe site!
I am so happy you liked it Allison! N x
Excellent! I love the idea of using the carcass for soup.
Fantastic!! Followed the recipe exactly. I did however brine it in salt water first, not sure needed it with the butter mixture under the skin. Thank you also for the Chinese all purpose stir fry sauce, perfect as well.
So good! Easy to follow and perfect
This was excellent; will certainly do it this way again and again.
The best roast chicken but must have the gravy..
last week it was Pea & Ham Soup
Oven Risotto
Rissoles
Your hamburgers are the best.. so simple
Nagi you are the best
Can I marinate ahead of time? If so, for how long?
This was the juiciest chicken ever and it was full of flavour! Thank-you for a great recipe. I will definitely be making this again.
I loved the recipe insofar as to flavour (ingredients/measurements) and technique, but something must be seriously off in terms of timing. I had a ca. one pound bird (980g), and it took more than 2h to get it up to temperature in the oven. No, I did not cook it fridge cold. Not to mention that potatoes in general need a lot more than 40 min in 180 wet heat to cook, but I spotted that immediately and made adjustments.
You must have some crazy ovens in Australia, that’s all I can say.
Still love your blog though. (Have tried/been inspired by lots of recipes, with great outcome.) And at least I know I’ll make a spectacular chicken noodle soup from the leftovers tomorrow.
Hi Allie, It seems you may have tried to cook your bird at 180C (CELCIUS) rather than 350F (FARENHEIT). The recipe gives the temps for both so we can choose what to use depending on where we live. Easy to mix them up if not overly familiar with cooking and not paying attention. Hope this helps.
180 C = 350 F
Cooked this tonight with 1.75 kg chicken
10 minutes 200c
1 hour 15 minutes 180c
Rest 15 … Perfect
Exactly as the recipe states
Not one pound bird but two pounds. Sorry.
Sorry, 2 pound bird of course.
This is THE best roast chicken i have ever made.
love love love this recipe and my friends asked for it when they saw the pic of my roasted chicken done last weekend (my 2nd time to try). Hubby and I finished the whole chicken (1.5kg) in one seating and I cooked chicken soup the next day using the carcass. I added sage, thyme and oregano in my garlic-herb-butter. This might be my “specialty” dish from now on. Thanks Nagi for sharing!
Hi Nagi, can I check if dried herbs can be used for this? Would u suggest dividing the amt by 3 if I used dried herbs? What abt the Rosemary that is supposed to be in the carcass? Sorry for these questions! Am new to cooking and your recipes work wonders!
Hi Irin – see Note 1 under the recipe for dried herb subs! N x
This looks so tasty Nagi. How long would I cook 2 or even 3 chickens for. We have a big family.xx
Hi Sara – as long as they are the correct size chickens as per the recipe then 2 or 3 would cook in the same amount of time as 1. N x
This looks amazing and I really want to cook it when I have my family for dinner. How long would you cook 2 or even 3 chickens for? Any help would be gratefully received.x
Roast chicken reprice is amazing 5 stars
Hi Nagi
Thanks for this amazing recipe. First time prepping to make a full roasted chicken. Could the chicken be seasoned and kept in the fridge overnight?
Thanks
I absolutely love all your recipes. I have tried multiple and have not been disappointed.
This roast chicken recipe looks amazing 🤩 I was just wondering if this recipe can be cooked ahead of time and if so, how do I go about reheating. I am wanting to do roast chicken for Christmas but will have to be the day before. Thank you.
Hi! I’m going to be trying this recipe for Xmas dinner and looks delicious! Is it in the oven for a total of 1 and 15 mins or longer ? Also is it covered at all?
Hi Angie – roast chicken is best eaten just after roasting as you will lose some of the crispiness of the skin after refrigerating, plus it can dry out a bit in the fridge. N x
Made this a couple of times, love it!! I used olive oil instead of butter as I’m dairy intolerant & this time I added a chopped carrot & small halved lemon inside. Put bacon on the outside with a little Paprika. Cooked 1st 15min at 220 then reduced to 180 and cooked for another 1h20 until done and bacon was crispy. It was lovely, I really love following your recipes they are so delicious. Thanks
I follow you on Instagram but honestly had NO IDEA this was your receipe until I saw Dozer 😂😂!! This chicken was absolutely incredible ! The white wine gave it such a unique flavour !! I cooked it with yams and potatoes and the wine just gave them the most beautiful flavour! I’ll definitely make this again! WOW
I’m looking forward to using this recipe for Xmas day – I’ve never cooked an entire roast chook – but like all Nagi’s recipes, this looks tasty and is fuss free! 😝
When putting butter and herbs etc. under the skin of chicken and turkey I use a funnel. After skin is loosen put your funnel in opening and lift poultry., so it will run down the poultry. As it goes in if herbs etc. get stuck just take anything pointy that will fit and poke though the funnel. Once filled , spread around on outside of skin.with your hands. Just don’t push back towards where you put it in.! because it will come out. Every bit goes in and there is no mess to clean, just wash your hands from smoothing out.
Great tip Sandra! N x