Perfect Roasted Chicken

"This is a very flavorful and simple way to roast a chicken. Recipe inspired by Barefoot Contessa."
 
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photo by Chicagoland Chef du Jour photo by Chicagoland Chef du Jour
photo by Chicagoland Chef du Jour
photo by kiwidutch photo by kiwidutch
photo by kiwidutch photo by kiwidutch
photo by kiwidutch photo by kiwidutch
Ready In:
1hr 35mins
Ingredients:
7
Serves:
4-6
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ingredients

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directions

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  • After removing giblets (discard or save for another recipe), salt and pepper inside of chicken.
  • Stuff the cavity with thyme, lemon quarters and garlic halves.
  • Brush the outside of the chicken with melted butter.
  • Salt and pepper outside of chicken.
  • Tie the legs together with string (good idea to soak string in water prior so it won't burn in the oven) and tuck the wings under the body.
  • Cook in oven for 1 1/2 hours or until done.

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Reviews

  1. YAY a chicken victory for me, FINALLY! I could not be easier or tastier! I agonize over the timing of roasted chicken. This recipe was spot on! Very juicy and flavorful w/o any of the seasonings being overpowering in any way. I roasted the 4# chicken @ 400°/ convection oven. It was done in 90 minutes. I let it rest and carved it. I did add a couple things to the ingredients list. I substituted 1 teaspoon dried thyme for fresh and added a bit of olive oil to the softened butter & a squeeze of lemon juice. When I made gravy from the drippings, I added a splash of white wine. DELICIOUS. My family raved over it. Thanks Ina & Ingy!
     
  2. Oh my goodness, this was one delicious chicken! This was my first time roasting a whole chicken so I was a little intimidated at first, but thanks to this recipe, it couldn't have been easier! The only thing I didn't do was measure out all the ingredients; I just did it by eye, and I added more herbs as well (oregano, basil, rosemary, and garlic powder) and I didn't tie the chicken, just left it as is. I also poked a few holes in the chicken and stuffed some garlic under the skin for a little extra flavour. But I followed the rest of the directions exactly and it came out just perfect! The chicken was perfect after about an hour 15. It was tender and so flavourful from all the herbs and lemon and garlic, and was beautiful browned and crispy on the outside while juicy on the inside. This is definitely one of my new favourites! Thank you!
     
  3. People often overlook simple recipes but most of the time those are the ones that turn out the best. I too was intimidated by roasting a whole chicken. Tried it once with a complicated recipe with very many herbs and spices that just overwhelmed the chicken. This one is truly a gem. Easy, no fuss with ingredients most of us usually have on hand at home. THANK YOU Ingy1171
     
  4. Yummy! I added some veggies to the pan - baby carrots, fingerling potatoes and some chopped parsnip. Super easy and very tasty. I did add about one more tablespoon of butter to pour over the veggies, along with a little basil. Thanks for the recipe!
     
  5. 5 Stars ! This was flavourful and easy.. and the birdie was falling apart tender after an hour and a half. I have made this more than once, the first time with as little butter as I could get away with.. the photo shows a far less golden brown skin, but the meat was still tender and tasty. The other photos are of a bird that I tried again, now, with the full amount of butter, not only did it look devine, it was so soft that it fell apart as I took it off the roasting rack. While I prefer the one with more butter, I know that's it's better health-wise to try and cut down on it because it's a lot of calories per serve. This will be my special treat recipe as I try and eat more healthily... Please see my rating system: 5 stars for some soft chicken decadence that I will really enjoy every now and again. Thanks!
     
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

I've just returned to the States after living in Japan for 2 years and am undergoing some major life changes. It's great to be able to buy good coffee, licorice and tortillas again! <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/untitled.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"><img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/projects/200_PACpic.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"><img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/projects/pacbanner.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"> Ratings: I often give 4 or 5 star ratings, but I usually only try recipes that I know I'll like. 5 Stars - it was fantastic and I wouldn't change a thing. 4 stars - it's a very good recipe, will make again but changed it just a little. 3 stars - it was an okay recipe, but there were things I'd definitely change if I made it again. 2 stars - the recipe really didn't impress us much (by us I mean the hubby and myself) 1 star - there might have been something wrong with the recipe posting to begin with, because it was a complete failure (I haven't had any of these!)
 
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