The Best Herb and Garlic Roasted Chicken

This is seriously the best Herb and Garlic Roasted Chicken out there. I have made this chicken multiple times, and it just gets better and better. I finally wrote down my method and what I do, and you will want to go and make this chicken asap.

Roasting a whole chicken does not need to be intimidating. I know I thought it was for a very long time. I was terrified of making a dry and chewy chicken, but this roasted chicken is not that. It’s loaded with herbs, garlic, and has crispy skin and the juiciest meat ever. Have I sold you yet?

Read below for all my tips and tricks to make this an easy chicken dinner!

For more chicken dinner ideas, check out this Creamy Garlic Chicken and Asparagus and this Cornflake Crusted Chicken Burgers with Garlic Aioli!

Can I make this Herb and Garlic Roasted Chicken dairy free?

I have not tried it, but instead of butter, you could use a plant based butter! That is the only dairy in this recipe! You could also use a high heat oil like avocado oil. Just make sure to cover the whole chicken before roasting it.

Do I need a special roasting pan for this Easy Roasted Chicken recipe?

No, you don’t need a special roasting pan for this easy roasted chicken recipe. What you will need is some sort of pan that is a few inches deep and can go in the oven. I have made this in my dutch oven as well as a large cast iron frying pan! I do not recommend baking sheets at the juices with overflow and also spread too thin and burn. My Le Creuset dutch oven and my Lodge cast iron skillet is what I used.

Ingredients needed for The Best Herb and Garlic Roasted Chicken!

• Whole chicken– A 3-4lbs whole organic chicken is what I used here. Make sure the cavity is empty.
• Butter – 1/4 cup of salted butter is needed for this chicken recipe. We use it to make the herb butter. If you don’t have salted butter, mix in 1/4 tsp of salt in with the herb butter mixture.
• Fresh Herbs – I used a combination of thyme, rosemary and sage.
• Salt & Pepper – I used pink salt on this chicken. You can use finely ground pepper here too.
• Garlic – I used four large cloved and minced them. If you use smaller cloves, I say use 6-8 of them. Plus you will also need more to stuff inside the chicken.
• Smoked Paprika – I love the addition of smoked paprika to this recipe. If you don’t have smoked paprika, use regular paprika.
• Chicken Stock – added to the bottom of the pan to baste the chicken with. Use at the end to make delicious gravy!

How to make this Whole Roasted Chicken with Herb Butter!

It may seem daunting, to cook a whole chicken, but I promise, it won’t be that hard.

1. Bring the chicken out out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you are going to pop it into the over. This brings the temperature of the chicken up and cuts down on cooking time, and also gives a juicier meat.
2. Preheat the oven to 425°. You’ll want to use the middle or bottom rack for the chicken.
3. 3.Melt the butter in a small pot over medium heat. (you can also just used softened butter, but I always forget to take it out in time). Melt it just until it’s mostly melted. Pour it into a small bowl and let it cool a bit while you prepare the herbs and garlic.

Finely dice the herbs until you have about two tablespoons of fresh herbs. Mix the herbs and the minced garlic in with the butter.

4. Mix together the salt, pepper and smoked paprika.

5. Spread the herb and garlic butter all over the chicken and under the skin on the chicken breast. This makes for a super flavourful white meat and make sure you use up all the herb butter and cover every inch of the chicken.

6. Sprinkle on the smoked paprika spice mixture all over the top of the chicken and go heavy on the seasoning. Some of it will drip down when you baste the chicken.

7. Take a few sprigs of fresh herbs, and 4 garlic cloves and place them inside the cavity of the chicken.

8. Pour 1.5 cups of chicken broth in the bottom of the roaster, as this helps with keeping the chicken moist and creates a tasty gravy!

9. Once the oven is preheated, place the chicken in and cook for about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Baste the chicken twice during cooking. The meat should come to 180° when it’s fully cooked.

10. Once the chicken is cooked, removed from the oven. Cover and let it rest for 20-30 minutes. This is VERY important. If you cut into the chicken right away, all the juices will run out and it will be dry. No one likes dry chicken! Now is the time to make gravy if you like.

Gravy (Optional)!

11. To make gravy, heat the drippings over medium heat. If there weren’t many drippings, add some chicken stock to the roasting pan and scrape up all the flavourful bits. Once the liquid is hot, mix a tbsp of cornstarch with a tbsp of cold water. Slowly add the cornstarch mixture to the gravy and let it simmer until thickened.

Whole Roasted Chicken tips!

I have made this chicken many many times. Here are a few tips to help you along the way!

Using a smaller pan with result in more drippings. They don’t cook off at fast.

If you place the chicken directly in the pan, the bottom skin won’t be crispy at all. This is fine by me, I just scrape it off and throw it away before making gravy. If you want the skin to be crispier on the bottom, place a steel rack under the chicken, like you would with a traditional roasting pan.

You can tie the legs together using culinary string. I usually can’t be bothered because that would involve actually finding my string. It does look prettier, but it isn’t necessary.