How do you make the Best Roast Chicken
How do you season the meat in a roast chicken?
How do you get crispy chicken skin?
What do I serve with roasted chicken?
This would be delicious served with my Creamy Herbed Fingerling Potatoes! Or perhaps something more classic like my Crock Pot Million Dollar Mashed Potatoes. For a more fall-inspired dish, maybe some Honey-Glazed Sweet Potatoes! Craving something other than potatoes? How about Italian Green Beans or my Bacon Garlic Green Beans. You can’t go wrong!
How to make:
Preheat the oven to 425f degrees. Remove the chicken from plastic wrap and remove any giblets that are in the cavity. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any leftover pinfeathers that may still be hanging on and pat the outside dry. Place the chicken in a large roasting pan. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Cut lemon and garlic head in half.
Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken (this step is optional). Roast the chicken, uncovered, for about an hour and half or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. 
Cook’s Notes: The melted butter you slather on the chicken may smoke some in your oven. Butter has a low burning point and because you are cooking this at a higher temperature, you may see a bit of smoking. Do not worry. This is normal. Just make sure your oven fan is in good working condition. It is all worth it for the flavor it brings to this chicken! Have some chicken leftover? Try making roasted chicken salad sandwiches!
Perfect Roast Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 (5-6 pound) roasting chicken
- kosher salt & ground black pepper
- 1 lemon
- 1 whole head of garlic
- 2 tbsp salted butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425f degrees.
- Remove the chicken from plastic wrap and remove any giblets that are in the cavity.
- Rinse the chicken inside and out.
- Remove any leftover pinfeathers that may still be hanging on and pat the outside dry.
- Place the chicken in a large roasting pan.
- Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken.
- Cut lemon and garlic head in half.
- Stuff the cavity with lemon and garlic halves.
- You can squeeze a bit of the lemon juice into the chicken cavity before placing lemon halves inside. Brush the outside of the chicken with the melted butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper.
- Use all the butter, this is what is going to help make the skin crispy and give it a golden color.
- Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken (this step is optional).
- Roast the chicken, uncovered, for about an hour and half or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Craving more delicious chicken recipes? Give these a try!
Dina says
This was so delicious!! It was very easy to make and the flavor and tenderness of the chicken was amazing. Thank you Brandie for sharing this awesome recipe. This is a keeper!!! 😀
Anne M says
Oh my gosh – this was perfection! It really is absolutely perfect! Everyone was so impressed and it was SO easy! Thanks! Anne
Annie says
Made it. Loved it. Beautiful and juicy! I wouldn’t change a thing!
Sabrina says
This was definitely the best chicken I’ve made. I did a season with Sazon complete inside and out. Thank you for the recipe
Carolsue says
You mentioned the butter may make it smoke in the oven. What about using ghee in place of butter? Would that work the same only eliminate the smoke?
Liz says
Is it supposed to smoke a lot? It has me nervous. Fingers crossed.
Theresa says
I couldn’t find a roasting chicken at the store. I bought a whole chicken 5.56 lbs. Is that the same thing? I have never cooked a whole chicken before.
Amanda says
We use the leftover bones and such to make soup. You can always get more chicken off of it once you boil it down.
Sandy says
I made this last night. My son’s basketball game ran late and I was afraid the chicken would be dry when he got home. It was not. In fact it only made the outside a little more crispy and the inside was like butter. – perfect. Thanks for the recipe.
brit says
has anyone tried using Ghee? the chicken is awesome but the smokiness to get there is pretty unbearable in our small house, even with the oven fan running and a couple windows open. would it be just as good without the butter? I imagine this would make the skin less crispy, which is fine with me. 🙂 love your recipes Brandi
Stephanie Shott says
How would you make this using chicken pieces instead of a whole chicken?
Janice Clary says
This is a really great recipe for roast chicken! I make mine the same way with garlic and lemon stuffed inside the cavity, but I also mix up softened butter with a few tsps of thyme, parsley, salt and pepper and slather the butter mixture under the skin on top of the chicken breasts, it helps keep the breasts moist and juicy! So good!!
Alecia says
This recipie looks delicious! My chicken is in the oven right now and my fire alarm is going off every five seconds any suggestions ? I do have my oven fan on high …help lol😬
Julia says
Just made this wonderful and was chicken. Thanks for the recipe!
K toler says
Do you cook it the same amount of time with two chickens ???????????
Brandie @ The Country Cook says
Hi K! I haven’t tried it but I would imagine you would need to cook it a bit longer with two chickens. I’m just not sure how much longer since I haven’t tested it out. Let me know if you try it!