There isn’t anything better than slicing your knife into a tender, juicy whole roasted chicken that’s been stuffed, seasoned & basted with citrus, fresh herbs, garlic & butter.

Making a whole chicken can feel a little intimidating but I PROMISE it’s so easy! And a bonus is the fact that you can save the bones to make Chicken Stock after you’ve picked all the good stuff off!

I love to serve this chicken with Pocket Potatoes or Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes and Green Bean Gremolata with a Twist.

Recipe by: The Culinary Nest

MAKES

1 whole chicken (2-4 servings)

Prep Time: 40 minutes (30 minutes is resting the chicken in room temperature)

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

5-6lbs. whole roasting chicken, washed and set out in room temperature for 30-45 minutes

6 garlic cloves, minced

4 tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon Italian herbs

2 sprigs rosemary

2 sprigs parsley

2 sprigs thyme

1 quarter of a medium onion

1 quarter of a lemon

1/2 teaspoon paprika

Salt & Pepper

2-3 cups chicken stock

METHOD

Prepare the chicken: If there are any reserved insides in the chicken (usually these are packaged for you already), remove and either save for a stock later or discard. In a clean sink, throughly wash the chicken under cool water, including in the cavity and under the arms and wings. Place the chicken on a large plate and pat the inside and outside of the chicken completely dry with a paper towel (this steps provides the crispiest skin when roasted).
Preheat the oven to 400˚F.
In a small bowl, mix together the softened butter, minced garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper & 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning.
Prepare a roasting pan or large casserole dish with a rack to keep the chicken lifted above the juices during roasted. Place the chicken on the rack breast side up. Turn the bird cavity side up, and generously season the cavity with salt and pepper. Lay the chicken back down, breast side up, and place the rosemary, parsley, thyme, onion and lemon inside the cavity.
Next, taking your fingers carefully separate the skin from the breasts of the chicken. Move your hand back on forth over each breast separately, until a pocket is opened over the each breast of the chicken separating the skin (you will feel that the skin is connected down the center, keep that section attached).
Take 1/2 of the softened butter mixture and evenly spread it over one breast of the chicken under the skin. Repeat on the other breast with the other 1/2 of the butter mixture. If there is any butter remaining in the dish or on your hands, rub it over the outside of the chicken evenly over the breasts, wings and legs.
Drizzle about 2 tablespoons olive oil over the outside of the chicken and using your hands, evenly distribute over the breasts, legs and wings. Lightly salt and pepper the outside of the chicken and sprinkle the paprika over the top.
Add the chicken broth to the bottom of the roasting pan, enough to cover about 1/4-1/2” but not submerging the chicken. Optional: if you have kitchen twine, tie the tips of the legs together to help with even cooking of the legs and to secure the ingredients in the cavity of the chicken.
Place the chicken into the oven for 20 minutes, or longer if needed, until the skin is browned. Carefully remove the chicken from the oven and reduce the oven heat to 350˚F. Using a baster, baste the chicken evenly on the outside and inside the cavity 2-3 times (if you do not have a baster, carefully use a large spoon to do pour the liquid over the chicken and inside the cavity). Take a piece of aluminum foil and place over only the top side of the breasts of the chicken, leaving the legs and wings exposed (I take one piece of foil and fold it to fit the size of the chicken). Dark meat takes longer to cook than white meat, and this step ensures they cook evenly and the white meat stays moist and tender.
Place the chicken back into the oven. Roast for 30 minutes and then baste again, and roast for another 20 minutes.
Start checking the temp of the chicken breasts at this point, it may be ready to take out of the oven or need more time to roast based on the size of your chicken (it is typically about 20 minutes of roasting time per pound of chicken). The internal temp should read 160˚-165˚F with a meat thermometer when placed from the top of the chicken into the middle of the breast meat and the juices should run clear. I typically add about 10 minutes of roasting time per 10˚ needed (example: if the chicken is at 140˚F, I would add 15-20 minutes of roasting time).
Once the chicken is to 160˚-165˚F, remove from the oven, baste with the juices one last time and cover the pan completely with aluminum foil. Let rest for 10 minutes prior to carving and serving.
TIP: If you would like, save the carcass of the roasted chicken to make homemade chicken stock. Use within 3 days if doing this step or freeze for up to 3 months.