Roast Chicken Recipe
This Roast Chicken is smothered with garlic herb butter and roasted on a bed of tender root vegetables for the most juicy, flavorful chicken with crisp, golden skin! The whole family will love this ridiculously easy one-pan roast chicken!
Servings: 6 servings
Cost: $15
Ingredients
- 1 4-5 pound chicken brought to room temperature with neck and giblets removed
- salt and pepper to season
- ½ cup butter divided (1 stick, 8 tbsp)
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 lemons (1 juiced, 1 quartered)
- 3 tablespoon fresh herbs minced (use a mix of oregano, rosemary, parsley, and thyme)
- 10-15 cloves garlic divided
- red chili flakes (optional)
- 2 large yellow onions peeled and quartered
- 5 large carrots peeled and chopped into 2-inch segments
- 4 cups butternut squash peeled, seeded, and chopped into approximately 1.5-inch cubes
- 3 large red potatoes chopped into 1-inch pieces
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: This recipe starts at 475°F (245°C) for 10 minutes, then drops to 375°F (190°C) for the remainder of the cooking time. See Notes
- Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and allow it to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes (time allowing). Remove the neck and giblets, pat the entire chicken dry with paper towels, then season generously with salt and black pepper.
- Melt four tablespoons of butter in a small bowl. Add the olive oil, juice from one lemon, three tablespoons of fresh minced herbs (any combination of oregano, rosemary, thyme, and rosemary), and three cloves of minced garlic. Mix well to combine.
- Chop the vegetables and add them to a large 7.5-quart Dutch oven, roasting pan, rimmed baking sheet, or cast iron skillet. Smash the remaining garlic gloves with a large chef’s knife and add them to the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with 1-2 tablespoons of garlic herb butter.
- Pour half of the remaining prepared garlic herb butter over the surface of the chicken. Use your hands to rub the butter and herbs over the entire surface and inside of the chicken. Note: The garlic herb butter will naturally solidify when poured over the chicken, especially if the chicken is cold.
- Stuff the chicken with a few carrots and the quartered lemon. Gently separate the skin from the breast meat and carefully stuff the remaining half stick of butter under the skin. Tie the legs together using kitchen twine.
- Place the chicken, breast-side-up, in the Dutch oven directly on top of the vegetables. Pour any remaining garlic herb butter over the vegetables and chicken.
- Roast uncovered for 10 minutes at 475°F (245°C), then reduce heat to 375°F (190°C) and continue to cook (tented with foil) for approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes (or approximately 20 minutes per pound), basting at least once or twice throughout cooking. Tip: Remove the foil in the last 15-20 minutes for golden brown crispy skin.
- The chicken is cooked when the internal temperature reaches 155 degrees Fahrenheit, as measured with a digital meat thermometer. Note: The chicken will continue to cook an additional 5-10°F after it is removed from the oven.
- Remove from the oven and tent with foil. Allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes. Serve drizzled with pan juices and garnished with fresh minced parsley, if desired.
Notes
- This roast chicken can be cooked in any oven-safe pan. I cooked this recipe in my favorite 7.5-quart Lodge Dutch Oven, but a large cast iron skillet, roasting pan, or rimmed baking sheet with (or without) the cooling rack will also work.
- Cooking Temperature: If you prefer to cook at just one oven temperature, set your oven temperature to 375°F (190°C) and skip the high-to-low heat cooking method.
- Insert a digital meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh, avoiding the bone to check for doneness.
Nutrition
Calories: 879.7kcal | Carbohydrates: 56.27g | Protein: 49.95g | Fat: 52.08g | Saturated Fat: 19.74g | Cholesterol: 210.77mg | Sodium: 348.11mg | Potassium: 1907.68mg | Fiber: 8.59g | Sugar: 9.14g | Vitamin A: 15273.32IU | Vitamin C: 69.89mg | Calcium: 157.8mg | Iron: 5.29mg
