Roast Chicken with Garlic Butter

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Roast Chicken with Garlic Butter is slathered with fresh garlic, rosemary, sage, and thyme butter. This whole roasted chicken recipe is packed with flavor, juicy meat, and crispy skin!

Whole roasted chicken with garlic butter in a large red skillet with fresh herbs.

If you've never roasted a whole chicken before, you're missing out on a truly delicious way to cook chicken. Whole roasted chicken usually results in juicer meat, more tender meat, and more flavor!

This is one of my favorite ways to make chicken because I love that I can serve chicken breast, chicken thighs, chicken drumsticks, chicken wings, and delicious crispy chicken skin, all in one easy dinner!

Chicken recipes are served on repeat at my house. When we're not in the mood for a whole chicken, I'll make BBQ Chicken Drumsticks, Dijon Chicken Thighs, or easy Cast Iron Skillet Chicken Breast.

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Recipe highlights
Recipe ingredients
Equipment needed
How to make Roast Chicken with Garlic Butter
What to serve with roast chicken
Expert tips
Frequently asked questions
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Recipe highlights

Only 8 ingredients: The majority of the ingredients are kitchen staples, the rest can be found at any grocery store!
10-minute prep time: You'll barely spend any time prepping this recipe. I guarantee you can prep it in 10 minutes... or less!
Gluten-free recipe: I love a naturally gluten-free recipe just as it's written.
Healthy: Chicken is a high-protein, low-carb, low-calorie main dish option. I love that whole roasted chicken is a savory, mouth-watering main dish, but is still incredibly healthy.
Easy to double: I always say, "If you're making one chicken, you might as well make two!"
Easy to repurpose: What's the best way to repurpose whole-cooked chicken leftovers? By making homemade bone broth or chicken stock, of course!

*Full ingredient list found in the recipe card below.

Recipe ingredients

Ingredients needed to make Roast Chicken with Garlic Butter.

Whole chicken - When selecting a whole chicken from the grocery store, try to find a chicken that is about 4 pounds. A 4-pound chicken will easily feed a family of 4 and will also cook in about an hour. Bring your chicken to room temperature before cooking and don't forget to remove the bag of giblets inside the chicken.
Butter - I have cooked whole chicken with butter and with olive oil. I prefer the taste of butter and I find that butter browns the chicken skin more than olive oil does. I used salted butter for this recipe. If you use unsalted, you may want to add additional salt beyond what I call for in the recipe.
Fresh sage, rosemary & thyme - Fresh herbs are what send a recipe over the top! Sage, rosemary, and thyme are a classic combination that is guaranteed to bring back memories of Thanksgiving dinner. They pair beautifully with a whole roast chicken.
Minced fresh garlic cloves: Garlic is one of the main flavors in this chicken recipe. If we want the best flavor, then we need to use fresh garlic!
Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Equipment needed

Roasting pan: A medium-sized, to large-sized roasting pan will work for this recipe. A roasting pan is a large, oven-safe dish with or without a rack. A large, shallow, cast-iron, casserole dish also works!
Measuring spoons
Cutting board & chopping knife

How to make Roast Chicken with Garlic Butter

Step 1: Bring the chicken and the butter up to room temperature on your kitchen counter. This usually takes about 30 minutes. Preheat your oven to 425°F. Pat the outside of the chicken dry with a paper towel and remove any giblets from inside the cavity.

Step 2: In a small bowl, combine the softened butter, minced garlic, chopped fresh sage, rosemary, thyme, kosher salt, and black pepper. The butter should be soft enough for the herbs and seasonings to mix easily.

Step 3: Using the back of regular sized spoon, slather the butter mixture all over the chicken. The butter should completely cover the top and sides of the chicken.

The butter will melt and soak into the chicken skin while it's cooking. The garlic and herbs will stay put though, and get deliciously crispy.

Garlic and herb butter slathered on a raw chicken.

Step 4: Transfer the chicken to a roasting pan and roast at 425° F for 30 minutes. Rotate the chicken one half turn, reduce the oven temperature to 375° F and continue roasting for another 30 minutes.

Step 5: Remove the Roast Chicken with Garlic Butter from the oven when the chicken has reached an internal temperature of at least 165°F. Let rest for 15 minutes before carving. Serve & enjoy!

What to serve with roast chicken

Roast Chicken with Garlic Butter can be served with a number of different sides dish recipes! I would serve it with:

Vegetable side dish recipes - Roasted Carrots and Green Beans, Brown Sugar Honey Glazed Carrots, Sauteed Kale and Mushrooms, and Marinated Vegetable Salad.
Potato side dish recipes - Redskin Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Brussel Sprouts, and Air Fryer Potatoes.
Grain side dishes - Garlic Basmati Rice, Brown rice, black rice, wild rice, risotto, and quinoa.
Breads - Dutch Oven Bread, Drop Biscuits, and Garlic Bread.

A whole roast chicken also makes for great leftovers! Turn roast chicken leftovers into my Classic Chicken Salad with Fresh Herbs or Mediterranean Style Creamy Chicken Salad!

Expert tips

Check the inside of the chicken for a bag of giblets before putting it in the oven! Remove the giblets and throw them away if you don't plan on using them for anything.
Roast the chicken breast side up.
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels before rubbing the butter on the skin. The butter will stick to the chicken much more easily if the chicken skin is dry.
If you want to rub some herbed butter under the chicken skin, gently separate the skin from the meat using your hands. The skin will pop off of the meat as you are working your hands in there. You can do this on the chicken breast and the chicken leg.
Let the meat rest after cooking. This helps to redistribute juices, making the meat more tender and moist.
Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken and ensure that the chicken has cooked all the way through.
Reheat cooked chicken in the microwave or on the stovetop in a frying pan.
If you're worried about the wing tips burning during cooking, you can tuck them under the chicken.

Frequently asked questions

Why should I bring my chicken up to room temperature before roasting?

Bringing a chicken up to room temperature before cooking will decrease the cook time and also cook the chicken more evenly.

What is the difference between roasting and baking a chicken?

When you are roasting a chicken, you are cooking a singular ingredient in it's whole form. If you are baking chicken, then you are cooking a collection of ingredients and turning them into 1 whole dish. Roasting can also refer to the temperature of the oven during cooking. Roasting often involves a higher temperature and baking requires a lower temperature.

How do I brine a chicken?

Brining is a process where meat is soaked in a salt water solution for a period of time prior to cooking. Brining increases flavor, texture and the juiciness of the meat.

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