Easy, simple, flavorful Perfect Roast Chicken. This is the best roast chicken recipe ever and is perfect for your Sunday roast.
THE BEST ROAST CHICKEN
There's nothing better than a good roast chicken on a Sunday evening. The delicious Sunday roast. This roasted chicken is one of my favorite meals to make. I can always count on it to turn out perfectly and the leftovers make for an amazing CHICKEN SALAD.
TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST ROASTED CHICKEN:
- It's all about the butter! Butter can cause a bit of smoke but it will give your chicken a golden color and make the skin crispy! This chicken is so juicy and the meat comes out so flavorful. The skin comes out crispy every time and is seasoned just right.
- You can use ghee to help with the smoking but I've tried it and I don't feel you get the same flavor.
- It's also all about seasoning the inside of the whole chicken so that the flavor penetrates the meat. Sometimes people like to put butter under the skin on the chicken. I find that method messy and often it tears the skin. Crispy skin is my favorite part. So, I go inside the bird! Season the whole inside with salt, pepper and then stuff it with fresh garlic and lemon. This produces juicy chicken with lots of flavor!
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, RANCH SMASHED POTATOES or 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!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
HOW TO MAKE THE PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN:
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. 
CRAVING MORE RECIPES? GIVE THESE A TRY!
CROCK POT CHICKEN POT PIE
CROCK POT CHICKEN & STUFFING
CHICKEN TACO RECIPE
CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS CASSEROLE
EASY CHICKEN NOODLE CASSEROLE
RITZ CHICKEN CASSEROLE
CHEESY BBQ BACON RANCH CHICKEN & POTATOES
THE BEST 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. Pat it 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. 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
- 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!
- You can use ghee to help with the smoking but I've tried it and I don't feel you get the same flavor.
Nutrition
Originally published: November 2011
Updated & republished: September 2020
The recipe says to put in a head of garlic in the chicken cavity. you have to cut that in half. how do you get all of the paper/skin off of the garlic?
You don't need to. Just stuff it in there without removing all of that. 🙂
I've not tried the recipe yet but have my chickens waiting.
I see that you are recommending potatoes and green beans as sides for the chicken Thank you for thinking of the rest of the meal. So often the decision of what to have for dinner is concentrated on the meat and the sides are an afterthought.
I am going with roasted acorn squash and blanched spinach with my chicken today and then will be open to ideas for ideas using the remaining meat. Ten pounds of chicken for two people should yield plenty.
Oh my blessed goodness. I’ve made a roast chicken two or three times before from different recipes and am not really a chicken fan. UNTIL NOW! This chicken was perfectly moist and tender with a beautiful golden crispy skin. I was worried it would be burnt when the kitchen started filling with smoke from scorched butter, but I kept my cool and just turned on a fan and opened all the windows like she said to do. My only changes were to use an orange (as I didn’t have a lemon), place some garlic slices under the skin, and put several celery ribs in with the orange. The beautifully caramelized pan drippings made a perfect base for the next day’s chicken pho. I will absolutely be using this recipe for the rest if my life.
This is a very simple recipe, which is a good thing. The chicken turned out as pretty as the picture but in my opinion, flavor was lacking. Also, you would be wise to put it in a deep roasting pan because, as I learned, the juices will splatter all over your oven and the smoke will set off every smoke detector in your house. Ha!
I made this Sunday (7th). Very easy. Good Will make again.
Made this earlier this month. So good and very easy to make. Its going into my recipe rotation