Best Roast Chicken Recipe
Make succulent whole roasted chicken that's golden brown, crispy, and full of flavor! This is a simple method for perfect roasted chicken with butter, garlic, and herbs.
Servings: 4
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
Calories: 443kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 627mg | Potassium: 367mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 490IU | Vitamin C: 18.6mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 2.1mg
