Sure—Rotisserie Chicken is great in a pinch. But this easy to make and even easier to prepare Garlic Herb Butter Roast Chicken is so much better! It’s juicy on the inside with golden, crispy, buttery skin on the outside. Garlic butter, parsley, herbs, and a hint of dry white wine deliver a medley of flavors. A drizzle of pan juices takes everything up a notch [or, use them to make your own chicken gravy.]
Add even more flavor to your chicken by seasoning under and on the skin. Place a sliced lemon with more butter and herbs inside the cavity. Roast until it’s crispy and deep golden on the outside, and juicy on the inside.
Serve along with salad and rice or creamy mashed potatoes for an impressive yet easy to make dinner. And when you’re done, use the chicken carcass to make homemade, gut-friendly bone broth.
Why We Love Roasted Chicken
While roasted chicken takes longer to cook, it’s a much healthier option than fried chicken. Fried chicken has a crispy, greasy flavor, as it is cooked in hot oil. Meanwhile, roasted chicken is cooked in its own fat and juices, which results in a moist, tender chicken with an intense and rich flavor. It’s also lower in calories and saturated fat than the fried variety.
And talk about the health benefits! Chicken is packed with protein, which is essential for building your tissues, supporting bone health and maintaining muscle mass. The protein in chicken also helps you feel fuller faster, which makes it a BFF when it comes to managing your weight.
Chicken is also a good source of niacin, Vitamins B6 and B12, and selenium. so it supports immune function, energy production, thyroid health and even promotes fertility.
Pro Tips To Get You Started
It’s really easy to prepare a whole chicken for roasting. Rinse the chicken inside and out, then pat dry with paper towel. You want to generously season the outside with salt, pepper, herbs and garlic butter.
However, save a lot of that butter to use under the skin. Just loosen the skin with an upside-down dessert spoon. The shape hugs the curves of the chicken, and it doesn’t tear the skin. Place the garlic butter under the breast and on the thighs and legs. You can also gently loosen the skin with your fingers. However, you may want to wear some latex gloves while doing this. It’s a messy job and prevents cross-contamination.
After the chicken is all buttered up, place it on a bed of garlic and onion in your roasting pan. The veggies act as a rack, elevating the chicken for more even cooking. It also adds extra flavor to the pan juices used as the sauce for this recipe. You can also use the pan juices to make your own gravy [see recipe below].
COOK TIMES: Take the chicken out of the fridge for 30 minutes before cooking. Roast the chicken for 10 minutes at 450F. Then, lower the temperature to 350 until the internal temperature is 165F or until juices run clear.
Garlic Herb Butter Roast Chicken
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 4
INGREDIENTS
- 4 pound whole chicken, at room temperature giblets and neck removed from cavity*
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 3 TBSP olive oil
- 1/4 cup white wine, (OPTIONAL)
- 1 lemon, halved
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 2 TBSP fresh chopped parsley
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 TBSP poultry seasoning or Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a roasting pan with foil, or lightly grease a roasting pan. Add minced garlic to the melted butter.
- Discard neck, giblets, and liver. Rinse and pat chicken dry with paper towels.
- Pour the olive oil, melted butter, wine (if using) and the juice of half a lemon over the chicken, under the skin and inside the cavity.
- Season chicken liberally on the outside and inside the cavity with poultry seasoning, parsley, salt, and pepper. Tie legs together with kitchen string.
- Place breast-side up into baking tray or roasting pan. Roast for 1 hour and 15-20 minutes, basting halfway through cooking time, until juices run clear when chicken thigh is pierced with a skewer.
- Remove from the oven, cover with foil, and allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serve, drizzled with pan juices [or chicken gravy]. Bon Appetit!
Quick Gravy
Take a jar of your favorite chicken gravy and stir in the pan juices. Heat the gravy, stirring occasionally until the gravy thickens and is heated through.
Traditional Gravy
Melt 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Then add 3 tablespoons of all purpose flower and whisk for about a minute. Add half the pan juices and continue whisking until its incorporated and free of lumps. Then, add the remaining pan juices [add chicken stock if you don’t have enough liquid. Continue cooking for 2 minutes, stirring regularly, until gravy thickens. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Recipe sources
START HERE
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