Want to wow your family, your guests, or just… yourself? Then look no further than this easy Maple Butter Roast Chicken! Whole roasted chicken with a sweet and buttery “glaze” is baked with a succulent medley of cold-weather veggies and tangy tomatoes. So good!
Easy Whole Roasted Chicken Dinner
I love cooking with chicken, don’t you? It’s so versatile! From bone-in thighs with crispy skin, to the perfect air-fried chicken tenders, chicken has a lot to offer.
But if you’ve tried my EASY Roast Chicken Recipe, then you know that one of my all-time, absolute favorite ways to prepare chicken is simply to roast one whole bird, with a blend of amazing flavors.
My irresistible Maple Butter Whole Roasted Chicken is a mouthwatering masterpiece that elevates the traditional roast chicken experience with its delectable blend of sweet and savory flavors. The star of this dish is the luxurious maple butter glaze, which infuses the succulent chicken with a rich, caramel-like sweetness while also creating a beautifully crispy skin.
This chicken is a memorable culinary delight that will have everyone coming back for seconds, perfect for special occasions, family dinners, or just an indulgent weekend treat. In the Fall especially, whole roasted chicken is just so homey and amazing to bring to the table – and this one with maple syrup, butter, and roast veggies is so seasonally on point!
How To Clean and Prepare a Whole Chicken
It’s actually very easy to clean and prep a whole chicken. First, if your chicken includes a package of giblets inside, remove that. You can toss them, or save them for another use. Then, place the chicken in your prepared baking dish, season it, and tie the legs together. It’s also a good idea to tuck the wings underneath the back of the bird to prevent scorching. Done!
Some folks wash their chicken with water before cooking, but I generally don’t recommend this. It’s not really necessary and it increases your risk of food poisoning because the water can splash on your counter, arms, clothing, etc.
Roast Chicken Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- A Whole Chicken: You’ll need a 3 to 3.5 pound whole broiler-fryer chicken.
- Butter: 1 stick of unsalted butter, softened.
- Pure Maple Syrup: You can substitute sugar-free or keto maple syrup.
- Fresh Garlic: Mince the garlic or put it through a garlic press.
- Fresh Thyme and Oregano Leaves: Remove any stems and chop the leaves lightly.
- Salt and Pepper
- Lemon: Cut the lemon into 4 wedges
- Fresh Thyme and Oregano Sprigs: No need to stem or chop, just rinse and pat dry.
For the Vegetables:
- Tomatoes: I like cherry tomatoes, but you can substitute whatever tomatoes are freshest and cut them into bite-sized pieces, if needed.
- Potatoes: Any waxy potato in bite-sized pieces will work, but I prefer baby potatoes.
- Onion: You can use any type of onion, cut into wedges.
- Broccoli and Cauliflower Florets: If you don’t have one or the other, you can use all broccoli, or all cauliflower.
- Olive Oil
How To Roast a Whole Chicken
This whole roasted chicken recipe couldn’t be easier to make. With just a bit of prep you can pop it into the oven and let your chicken cook. By the way, this makes your house smell amazing while roasting.
- Prep the Oven, Pan, and Chicken. Preheat oven to 450˚F. Remove any giblets from inside the cavity of the chicken and pat it dry with paper towels. Place the breast-side up on a rack set over a jelly roll pan, or inside a roasting pan.
- Make the Seasoning Mixture: In a mixing bowl combine softened butter, maple syrup, garlic, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Dress the Chicken: Using your fingers, or the handle of a wooden spoon, carefully loosen the skin on the chicken breasts and thighs. Rub half of the butter mixture under the skin, spreading it all around and to the thighs. Rub the rest of the butter mixture on top of the skin. Add a bit of salt and cracked black pepper inside the cavity; then fill the cavity with lemon wedges, thyme sprigs, and oregano sprigs.
- Truss and Roast the Chicken: Using kitchen twine, tie the legs together and tuck the wings under the body of the chicken. Roast the chicken, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
- Prep and Add the Veggies: In the meantime, combine all the veggies in a mixing bowl and add olive oil; toss to coat. Remove the chicken from the oven and add the vegetables to the pan.
- Finish Roasting: Lower the oven temperature to 350˚F. Continue to roast the chicken for 1 more hour, or until internal temperature reaches 165˚F. Stir veggies halfway through cooking. Remove chicken from oven and let rest 10 minutes.
How To Roast Vegetables
It really doesn’t get much simpler than roasting veggies! Just choose your veggies, cut them up, and toss them with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Then roast until they’re tender and browned — so simple! I’ve already written a whole post on it if you’d like more specifics! Roasted vegetables really are an easy, super-delicious side dish, so go all out!
What To Serve With Whole Roast Chicken
- Appetizer Ideas: I love to start off a meal like this with something a bit luxurious as an appetizer. These scrumptious Caprese Stuffed Mushrooms are absolutely perfect! It’s almost like a luscious, decadent, low-carb bruschetta. Yum!
- Bet on Bread: I find that whole roast chickens often create a lovely pan sauce all their own, so it’s nice to serve up a homemade quick bread to soak up that yumminess. Try my Soda Bread in a Skillet, or Light Skillet Cornbread, for the perfect rustic touch. An easy flatbread would also be amazing on the side.
- Chocolate? Check! A nice dessert is always appropriate, right? Try this wonderful Chocolate Pumpkin Bread! It’s such an easy and rewarding bake for cold weather!
How To Store and Reheat Chicken
- To refrigerate, simply cover the leftovers tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours.
- To freeze, remove the chicken meat from the bones and discard the bones, or save them for broth. Wrap the meat tightly in plastic wrap, or store in freezer bags, pushing out as much air as possible before sealing. Freeze for up to 3 months. Freeze roasted vegetables separately, in airtight containers or freezer bags, for up to 3 months.
- To reheat, first thaw the chicken and/or veggies separately in the refrigerator (if frozen). Reheat in the oven, covered, at 350˚F until just heated through. Do not overcook.
More Whole Chicken Recipes
ENJOY!
Maple Butter Roast Chicken with Vegetables
Ingredients
- 1 whole broiler-fryer chicken, 3 to 3.5 pounds
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ tablespoon fresh oregano leaves, chopped
- ½ tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 small lemon, cut into 4 wedges
- 4 fresh thyme sprigs
- 4 fresh oregano sprigs
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 1 pound baby potatoes, quartered
- 1 large yellow onion, cut into 8 wedges
- ½ pound broccoli florets
- ½ pound cauliflower florets
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450˚F.
- Remove giblets from inside the cavity of the chicken. Thoroughly pat dry chicken with paper towels.
- Place the chicken breast-side UP on a rack set over a jelly roll pan or inside a roasting pan. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl combine softened butter, maple syrup, garlic, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Using your fingers, or the handle of a wooden spoon, carefully loosen the skin on the chicken breasts and thighs.
- Rub HALF of the butter mixture under the skin, spreading it all around and to the thighs.
- Rub the rest of the butter mixture on top of the skin.
- Add a bit of salt and cracked black pepper inside the cavity; fill the cavity with lemon wedges, 4 thyme sprigs, and 4 oregano sprigs.
- Using kitchen twine, tie the legs together.
- Tuck the wings under the body of the chicken.
- Roast the chicken, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, combine all the veggies in a mixing bowl and add olive oil, salt, and pepper; toss to coat.
- Remove chicken from oven and add the vegetables to the pan.
- Lower oven temperature to 350˚F.
- Continue to roast the chicken for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165˚F. Use an Instant Read Thermometer to check for doneness. Start checking at the 55-minute mark.Stir veggies halfway through cooking.
- Remove chicken from oven and let rest 10 to 12 minutes before cutting.
- Cut and serve.
Notes
- To reduce carbs, remove the potatoes and use Sugar-Free Maple Syrup.
- Leaving out the potatoes and onions, and using sugar-free maple syrup, will amount to 10 carbs per serving.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
