This herb roasted chicken is bursting with lemony, garlic, herb flavor, and makes the perfect main dish for any holiday dinner! The chicken is incredibly moist and juicy, which makes leftovers even more enjoyable!
This herb roasted chicken with carrots and potatoes makes an incredibly versatile meal! You have chicken (protein), potatoes (starch) and carrots (veggie) all baked in one pan. AND this chicken recipe makes some of the best leftovers!
Now, usually I would be the first to tell you that chicken kind of makes for bad leftovers. Chicken naturally dries out as it sits and cools to room temperature, it dries out even more when it sits in the fridge, and if you reheat it, guess what? IT. DRIES. OUT.
I've always had problems with chicken leftovers, but I actually look forward to leftovers of this herb roasted chicken! Since it's so juicy on the first day (thank you, butter!), it doesn't dry out as much when stored and reheated. And it seriously makes some of the BEST chicken sandwiches around!
Herb roasted chicken ingredients:
• chicken: of course! You can use any size chicken you have on hand. The roasting time will vary depending on the size (more on that below)
• butter: keeps the chicken outrageously juicy! It also adds tons-of-flava!
• garlic: its flavor goes especially well with the herbs used in this roasted chicken recipe
• thyme & rosemary: my two favorite herbs for chicken! They go perfectly together
• lemon zest: the zest gives us all of the beautiful flavor of lemon without the added liquid and acidity from the juice
• s & p: to season
• onion: I like to add onion into the cavity of the chicken because it helps add flavor from the inside out. Roasted onion with chicken flavor is also an awesome bonus!
• potatoes and carrots: you can make this chicken without the potatoes and/or carrots if you like. But they do come in handy if you'd like an easy side for chicken that doesn't take too much additional work! And bonus: the chicken drippings flavor the veggies, so all you need is salt on them and the chicken will do the rest! You can also play around with different vegetables to add in like peppers, celery, butternut squash, etc.
How long to roast chicken for:
As a general rule of thumb, you need to roast chicken for approximately 20 minutes per pound of meat. BUUUTT, since undercooked chicken is a serious no no, it's best to judge your chicken's doneness with a meat thermometer and/or based on the juices!
Ideally, thermometers are the safest bet when checking if chicken is done baking. When using a thermometer, you'll need to insert it into the thickest part of the chicken (typically the thigh) and it should read 165°F. This Instant Read Meat Thermometer is a great, reasonably priced option.
To figure out if your roasted chicken is done cooking using the juices method, if you press down on a piece of dark meat, you should see some juices from the chicken come out. The juice should NOT be pink or red, they should be perfectly clear. The reason you should check the dark meat is because the fat in it means it does take longer to cook, so it's going to finish cooking last.
How long to rest whole chicken:
When roasting a whole chicken, it does need to rest for a few minutes before cutting into it. If you cut into chicken (or basically any meat) right when it finishes cooking, you run the risk of losing a lot of the juices. Which will equal dry meat! Letting meat rest before cutting it gives the juices a chance to settle into the meat, so when you cut into it, you keep all the moist, juicy flavor!
For a whole chicken, it'll need to rest for about 20 minutes. (Psst ... it's also a perfect amount of time to make some gravy!) I like to loosely cover my chicken with aluminum foil while it rests so it stays warm.
If you liked this herb roasted chicken recipe, you may also like some of these other recipes:
• garlic green beans (perfect cooked side!)
• 5 minute cucumber salad (light and refreshing side)
• chicken in white wine sauce (more chicken love)
• garlic herb breadsticks (starchy side)
• classic apple pie (dessert!)
Herb Roasted Chicken and Potatoes Recipe
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 4 to 6 people (depending on the size of the chicken)
Description
This herb roasted chicken is bursting with lemony, garlic, herb flavor, and makes the perfect main dish for any holiday dinner! The chicken is incredibly moist and juicy, which makes leftovers even more enjoyable!
Ingredients
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 4 to 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh chopped thyme
- 2 teaspoons fresh chopped rosemary * see notes for using dry herbs
- 1 & ½ teaspoons salt (divided)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- zest from 1 lemon (about 1 tablespoon of zest)
- 1 (3 to 4 pound) chicken ** see notes
- 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and quartered
- 1 pound potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into large sticks or cubed
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F.
- In a medium sized bowl, combine the butter, garlic, thyme, rosemary, 1 teaspoon of salt, black pepper, and lemon zest. Mix to combine. Set aside.
- If it's not already cleaned, clean out the inside of the chicken. Carefully separate the top chicken skin from the breast. I find it easiest to do this by starting with a sharp knife to separate the tip of the skin from the chicken, then running my fingers between the chicken breast and skin to release the skin from the meat. Pat the chicken dry.
- Spread your butter/herb mixture on the chicken (under the skin) and along the outside. Add your onion in the chicken cavity. Tie the chicken legs together with butcher's twine. Place your chicken, potatoes, and carrots in a large roasting pan. Season the potatoes and carrots with the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt.
- Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake the chicken in the center of your preheated 375°F oven for 45 minutes covered. Remove the aluminum foil, and bake the chicken for about 30 minutes uncovered, or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken reads 165°F. The chicken skin should be a golden brown color and crispy, and the chicken juices should run clear. The potatoes and carrots should be softened as well.
- Take the pan out of the oven. Loosely tent the chicken with aluminum foil and let it rest for 20 minutes before carving to allow the juices to settle.
Notes
* If you don't have fresh herbs around, you can substitute the thyme and rosemary for dried versions. Dried herbs usually pack more flavor, so you'll just need 1 teaspoon each of dried thyme and dried rosemary in place of the fresh.
** The size of the chicken you use will change the bake time slightly. As a general rule of thumb, chicken should be baked for about 20 minutes for each pound. But the best tell for when chicken is done baking is an instant read thermometer! A thermometer should read 165°F when inserted into the thickest part of the chicken.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Enjoy!
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