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Discover the secrets to making a succulent whole roasted chicken that’s bronzed, crispy, and bursting with flavor! I’m sharing my foolproof method for the best roast chicken recipe with butter, garlic, and herbs—perfect for both weeknight dinners and special weekend meals. Once you try it, you’ll see why this recipe is truly the best!
When it comes to cozy Sunday dinners, I love roasting chicken. Served with a side of veggies and mash, a whole roasted chicken is like Thanksgiving Lite. If you’ve never cooked a whole chicken before, though, the prospect can be intimidating. But never fear, folks. With just a handful of ingredients, you can make the best roast chicken recipe—bronzed, crisp, seasoned, and succulent perfection—all in your oven. My secret? Butter. Lots of it, with garlic and a few simple herbs. You’ll be blown away by your own culinary skills! For a complete meal, I usually serve it with my oven roasted vegetables and a Mediterranean salad for a fresh, balanced dinner, and it’s SO GOOD!
Why This Is The Best Roast Chicken Recipe
- Fancy without trying. Sure, we love everyday recipes like oven baked chicken breasts. But a whole baked chicken, smothered in herbs and drenched in drippings? Total comfort food. And the best part is how little effort it takes.
- Perfect for any occasion. Serve this juicy roasted chicken for your next family dinner, or carve it up as an alternative to your holiday turkey. The best side dish is a pile of mashed potatoes, IMO. For a low-carb option, try creamy mashed cauliflower.
- Great for leftovers. A whole roast chicken is one of the most versatile recipes there is. You can use leftovers in soups, salads, sandwiches, etc…
What You’ll Need
Here’s a short overview of what you’ll need to make THE BEST roast chicken recipe. These are basic ingredients you likely already have, with a few easy swaps if needed! Be sure to scroll to the recipe card below the post for exact measurements and substitution ideas.
- Whole Chicken – I usually grab a 3-4 pound chicken. You can opt for a larger or smaller bird, but you may need to adjust the cooking time.
- Butter – Helps create a rich, golden, and flavorful skin. You can swap it for olive oil or ghee if you prefer.
- Garlic – You’ll rub freshly minced garlic over the chicken with melted butter. Save a handful of whole garlic cloves to stuff inside the chicken cavity.
- Salt – Essential for seasoning and enhancing the natural flavors of the chicken. I like to use Kosher salt.
- Dried Basil – You can swap it for dried oregano or Italian seasoning. Don’t use fresh herbs here.
- Dried Thyme – Brings a subtle earthiness that pairs perfectly with roasted chicken.
- Lemon Pepper Seasoning – I love the zesty flavor that comes with lemon pepper, but you can also use plain old black pepper.
- Lemon Slices and Fresh Rosemary – For stuffing the chicken, I like to use fresh lemon and rosemary along with peeled garlic cloves.
How to Cook a Whole Chicken
So, what’s the secret to making the best roast chicken recipe? Low and slow is the way to go. Let’s walk through how to prep and roast a chicken that cooks up browned, juicy, and flavorful with a crispy crust.
- Prep the chicken. Take the giblets out of the chicken’s cavity and pat the outside of the chicken dry with a paper towel.
- Season the chicken. Place the chicken onto a roasting pan with a rack. Rub the bird all over with melted butter and minced garlic. Follow this up with a seasoning blend of salt, basil, thyme, and lemon pepper. Make sure that you rub the seasoning into all the nooks and crannies.
- Fill the cavity. Next, stuff the chicken cavity with lemon quarters, fresh rosemary sprigs, and garlic cloves. Don’t overfill the chicken, as this can lead to uneven cooking.
- Truss the chicken. Use kitchen twine to tie the legs of the chicken together, and tuck the chicken wings under the body. Your whole chicken is set for roasting!
- Roast. Place the prepared chicken into the oven at 450ºF. After 10 minutes, lower the temperature to 350ºF. Roast the chicken for another hour or so, until cooked through. Take the chicken out and baste in the leftover drippings before letting it rest for a bit, then carve and serve!
How Long to Roast a Chicken
The exact roasting time will depend on the size of your chicken as well as your oven. In general, a 3 to 4 pound chicken should roast for about 1 to 1 ½ hours at 350ºF. I recommend checking your chicken for doneness at the 1-hour mark. Chicken is done when the internal temperature reaches 165ºF on an instant-read thermometer. You’ll notice that the skin will also be crisp and golden, and the juices will run clear.
Recipe Tips
- Take the chicken out of the fridge ahead of time. To ensure that your chicken cooks evenly, I recommend taking the bird out of the fridge about 30 minutes ahead of roasting.
- Save the giblets. Most whole chickens that you find in stores have a small packet of giblets tucked inside the chicken’s cavity. These are the “extras”: the heart, gizzard, liver, and another organ or two. You won’t need them for this recipe, but giblets are edible. You can use them to flavor recipes like soups and homemade chicken stock.
- Get the chicken coated with butter. Fat equals flavor, people! The look we’re going for is “bronzed goddess”. So, make sure that you slather the chicken well with melted butter so that it cooks up juicy and golden. You can even get under the skin.
- If you’re pressed for time, you can skip stuffing the chicken with aromatics (lemon, rosemary, garlic). This lets the hot air circulate inside the chicken so that it roasts more quickly.
- Check the temperature. I’ve found that the best way to avoid overcooking a roast chicken is to check the internal temperature. Use a thermometer stuck into the thickest part of the meat, in this case, the breast, to check that the temperature is 165ºF.
- Let the chicken rest after roasting. Make sure to baste the chicken and leave it to rest for about 15 minutes once it’s out of the oven. This allows all the juices inside the chicken to be redistributed.
Common Questions
Not for this recipe. Roasting a whole chicken uncovered allows the skin to crisp up to a gorgeous golden brown. If you notice that your chicken is browning too fast, however, you can tent the pan with foil.
I like to start off with a hot, quick roast at 450ºF, and then turn the oven down to 350ºF after 10 minutes to continue cooking until the chicken is done.
The key to succulent roasted chicken is salt! After patting the chicken dry, coating the outside and inside of the chicken with a generous seasoning of salt helps to keep the meat moist and full of flavor while crisping up the chicken skin.
Serving Suggestions
Name a better centerpiece for a meal than a golden whole roast chicken. So comforting! While the oven is hot for roasting, cook up a side of oven roasted brussel sprouts or oven roasted asparagus. You can even roast vegetables in the same pan as the chicken, just keep an eye so that they don’t overcook. Or make steamed lemon butter green beans.
Serve chicken with a side of flavorful one-pot mushroom rice or garlic butter cauliflower rice. Add some color to the plate with a side of heirloom tomato salad or this Brussels sprouts salad with apples and walnuts.
Also! Why wait until Thanksgiving to indulge in a side of traditional homemade stuffing? I also love chicken with the flavors of this easy apple stuffing. Make a variation of my turkey gravy recipe using the pan drippings from this roasted chicken instead.
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Best Roast Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 pound whole broiler-fryer chicken
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ¾ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning, or you can also use fresh ground black pepper
- 1 lemon, quartered
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
Instructions
- Prep the oven. Preheat oven to 450˚F.
- Prep the chicken. Remove the giblets from inside of the chicken's cavity. Thoroughly dry the chicken with paper towels, then place it breast side UP on a rack set over a shallow roasting pan or jelly roll pan.
- Add melted butter and garlic. Brush the chicken with the melted butter. Sprinkle or rub the minced garlic all over the chicken.
- Make the seasoning. In a small bowl, combine the salt, basil, thyme, and lemon pepper.
- Season the chicken. Rub the prepared seasoning onto the chicken. Add some salt to the inside of the cavity and fill the cavity with lemon slices, rosemary, and garlic cloves.
- Roast. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine and tuck the wings under the body of the chicken. Roast, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
- Reduce the temperature. Reduce the oven temperature to 350˚F and continue to cook until done, about 1 more hour and 10 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165˚F.
- Finish and serve. Remove the roasted chicken from the oven and baste it with the juices. Let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting and serving.
Notes
- Cooking Temperature: You can roast a chicken at any temperature; however, in my opinion, it’s best to preheat the oven to 450˚F, roast the chicken for ten minutes at that temperature, and then reduce the oven temperature to 350˚F. In all my testing, I found this was the best method for crispy skin but tender and juicy meat.
- Instant Read Meat Thermometer: To avoid dry chicken, use this critical tool. Chicken is done cooking when the internal temperature registers at 165˚F.
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.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Fridge. Carve the chicken and transfer the meat to an airtight container. Refrigerate leftover chicken for up to 4 days. To reheat, warm the chicken in the microwave or in the oven at 350ºF until hot throughout. Leftover chicken is wonderful in chicken noodle soup or creamy crack chicken soup. Chop up roasted chicken to toss over your favorite greens. Use it in a homemade Cobb salad or add it to a lemon kale Caesar salad. You can also shred leftover chicken to make a classic chicken salad.
- Freezer. Roasted chicken freezes well. After the chicken is carved and completely cool, store the pieces airtight and freeze the chicken for up to 3-4 months. Defrost the chicken in the fridge overnight before reheating.
More Easy Chicken Recipes
So you roast it at 450ยฐ for 10 mins then reduce heat to 350ยฐ and cook for another hour and ten to fifteen mins
Yes. That initial high heat will help to brown the chicken on the outside.
All I can say is DELICIOUS!!!
Thank YOU! I’m very glad you enjoyed it! ๐
Hi making this delicious recipe it says in the recipe cook uncovered for first 10 minutes does this mean cover till cooked or leave uncovered for remaining time pls thanks j
Hi!
Yeah, don’t cover it at all. ๐
I have never commented on a food blog but this is delicious. Whole family loves and easy to prepare.
Thank you SO much, Amanda!! I am very glad you enjoyed it! ๐
Yummy !!! Thank you for the recipe !!
Thank YOU! I am very glad you enjoyed it! ๐
Can’t wait to use this recipe. Don’t forget to keep the bones and extra to use to make for your own homemade chicken broth for other future meals too! That way you are using up the entire chicken, bones and all ๐
I rarely comment on food blogs, but this recipe has been my go to fave for my chicken for the last 3 times. My husband offered to make the chicken this last time and I told him donโt touch it, my recipe is better than his!!!
I am very happy you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! ๐
Yum yum yum! Super quick to prepare for a week night! Itโs in the oven and my whole house smells delicious! Thanks for sharing!!
Delicious looking roast chicken and so juicy too.
Iโve never made a whole chicken before so I was nervous. This was so delicious! The kids have already asked me to make it again. Bonus: whole house smells great while itโs cooking!
I am very happy you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! ๐
Perfect recipe.. I have a great herb garden , so I love recipes calling for rosemary, parsley, thyme etc.. I also added a bunch sprig of oregano inside the chicken. My 5 year old asked for seconds. Yay..
That’s wonderful! I am very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! ๐
Such a fabulous weeknight dinner! Definitely making this, so tasty and flavorful!
I love how much flavor is packed into this roasted chicken! It’s also so easy that this would work any night of the week.