Herb Roasted Chicken

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Whole herb roasted chicken with potatoes and carrots

 

Juicy, tender and flavorful Herb Roasted Chicken

Our recipe for herb roasted chicken is an easy and delicious way to enjoy tender, juicy and super flavorful chicken at home.

What a difference it makes roasting a whole chicken at home.

But don’t get me wrong! Store-bought rotisserie chicken plays a big part in my weekly menu plans. They’re just not as good served as the main event.

We use shredded rotisserie chicken in many of our repeat favorites like these BBQ Chicken Pizza Rolls, weeknight Easy Chicken Enchiladas and our Broccoli and Chicken Alfredo Bake.

One of the things I love the most about this recipe is that you can prep the chicken ahead of time. Season the chicken in the morning and pop it in the oven a couple of hours before you plan to serve.

With minimal hands on time, this complete meal is Sunday supper at its best!

How to roast a chicken

Set the oven rack to the lower-middle position. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

1. First prep the chicken

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Turn the bird over and tuck the wings under so the tips don’t burn. This also helps create a stable platform for the chicken. Many whole chickens come with the wings already tucked into position.

Remove the giblet package and reserve for making giblet gravy, or simmer in a covered saucepan and mix in with your pet food. Our pups love diced giblets!

NOTE: Be sure to remove the tender cooked chicken meat from the neck and discard the bones before serving to your pets.

Season the cavity of the chicken with salt and pepper. Insert sprigs of rosemary and thyme, a whole lemon cut in half and a halved head of garlic. Tie the chicken legs together using kitchen twine.

2. Next season the chicken

In a small bowl combine melted butter, thyme leaves, minced rosemary leaves and lemon zest. Divide the mixture in half and add minced garlic to one of the butter mixtures.

Using your fingers, a wooden spoon handle or small spatula, carefully separate the skin from the breast meat. Take care not to rip the skin.

Rub the garlic butter mixture under the skin of the breasts. Rub all remaining butter over the outside of the entire bird. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

TIP: Minced garlic can burn on the outside of the chicken and end up tasting bitter. We keep it under the skin so the flavor is where it should be, on the chicken.

3. Prepare the potatoes

Pour a tablespoon of oil in an oven-proof nonstick skillet or roasting pan. Toss the potatoes in the oil to coat. Arrange the potatoes cut side down in a single layer and season with salt and pepper.

Cook the potatoes over medium heat on the stovetop for 10 minutes, without moving, until well browned. Do not flip the potatoes.

4. Finally roast the chicken and potatoes

Place the seasoned chicken on top of the potatoes and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Add the carrots to the pan and continue roasting another 20 to 30 minutes.

Allow the chicken to rest for 15 minutes then serve! This window allows the juices to settle back into the meat. If you slice the chicken too soon, the juices run out and may cause the meat to be dry.

Overview: ingredients for herb roasted chicken

For the chicken:

• unsalted butter
• fresh thyme leaves
• rosemary leaves
• zest of half a lemon
• a few cloves of fresh garlic, minced
• one 4 or 5 pound whole roasting chicken
• salt and fresh ground black pepper

For roasting inside the chicken:

• a few sprigs of fresh rosemary
• sprigs of fresh thyme
• one lemon cut in half
• one head of garlic sliced in half across the cloves

For the vegetables:

• 2 pounds of Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut in half
• olive oil or vegetable oil
• salt and fresh ground black pepper
• one pound of carrots, peeled and cut into pieces

The most flavorful roast chicken recipe

Lemon and rosemary is the classic combination for infusing flavor into a chicken. Add a little garlic, salt, pepper and fresh thyme and now you’ve got an incredibly flavored chicken the whole family will love.

All the aromatics baste the chicken and potatoes with incredibly flavorful juices. Just wait until you get a whiff of this chicken roasting in the oven!

Our favorite herb roasted chicken

There’s so much to LOVE about this easy roast chicken recipe. The entire meal cooks up all in one pan, at the same time.

The potatoes turn out soft and fluffy with a crispy layer like our favorite melting butter potatoes. The carrots are roasted to perfection and are so delicious.

If you feel the potatoes and carrots need a few minutes longer, remove the chicken to a cutting board and place the vegetables back in the oven until tender. This is easily done while the chicken is resting before carving.

Everything about this dish promotes an easy, efficient and fool-proof recipe for roast chicken and vegetables!

Herb roasted chicken with lemon and rosemary

You know what I love about oven roast chicken? Not only will you enjoy a really nice dinner, you can use leftovers on a sandwich, Panini, or as a topping on a salad. 

I’m all about getting more than one meal out of my time in the kitchen!

Thanks for PINNING!

Herb Roasted Chicken

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time: 2 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

Yield: 6

Course: Main, Main Course, Main Dish

Author: Tricia

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5 from 3 votes

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Tender, juicy and flavorful roast chicken with herbs, potatoes and carrots.

Ingredients

For the chicken:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves and tender stems
• 1 teaspoon rosemary leaves minced
• zest of ½ lemon
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 4-5 pound roasting chicken
• salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• a few sprigs of fresh rosemary
• a few sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1 lemon halved
• 1 head garlic cut in half crosswise

For the vegetables:

• 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and cut in half
• 1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 pound carrots peeled and cut into pieces

Instructions

• Set the oven rack to the lower-middle position. Preheat oven to 400°F.
• In a small bowl combine the melted butter, thyme, rosemary and lemon zest. Divide the mixture in half and add minced garlic to one of the butter mixtures. Set aside.
• Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Season the cavity with salt and pepper then insert the sprigs of rosemary, thyme, both lemon halves and the halved head of garlic. Tie the legs together using kitchen twine and tuck wingtips behind the back.
• Using your fingers, a wood spoon handle or small spatula, carefully separate the skin from the breasts. Take care not to rip the skin. Rub the garlic butter mixture under the skin of the breast. Rub the remaining butter mixture all over the outside of the chicken. Season the entire chicken lightly with salt and pepper.
• Pour the oil in a large oven-proof nonstick skillet. Toss the potatoes with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the potatoes cut side down in a single layer. Cook the potatoes on the stovetop over medium heat without moving for 10 minutes or until well browned on the bottom. Do not flip.
• Set the seasoned chicken on top of the potatoes and place in the preheated oven. After one hour toss the carrots in olive oil and add to the roasting pan on top of the potatoes. Continue roasting another 20 to 30 minutes or until the breast registers 160°F and the thigh reaches 175°F, about 1 and 1/2 hours total roasting time. Transfer the chicken to a carving board and lightly tent with foil. Let rest 15 minutes before carving.
• Carve the chicken and serve with the vegetables.

Nutrition

Calories: 516kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 130mg | Sodium: 538mg | Potassium: 1173mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 14000IU | Vitamin C: 49mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 4mg

Another family friendly dinner everyone will enjoy

It’s hard to beat the classic combination of chicken and potatoes. These are the flavors the whole family loves, time and time again.

The idea for roasting a whole chicken over potatoes comes from my favorite recipe site, Cook’s Country. However, we’re not limited to just potatoes. Add onions, green beans, carrots or just about anything that roasts well to this one skillet dish.

Looking for a holiday worthy recipe? Try our favorite herb roasted turkey breast.

Give this flavorful recipe a try and let us know how it turns out. And thanks for being part of our community of bakers and cooks!

Originally posted March 2011, updated March 2022