How to Make the Perfect Roast Chicken Recipe

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This perfect roast chicken has crispy skin and juicy meat. It’s perfect for dinner and the left over meat is great for lunch or a chicken soup. You only need a few simple ingredients for this perfect roast chicken recipe and it only takes a few minutes to throw together. This is my favorite way to eat chicken and I have no doubt after trying this perfect roast chicken recipe it will be yours too.

This fool proof roast chicken recipe is so easy, even a beginner can master it. It’s also a crowd pleaser and everyone is always so impressed by it…little do they know how easy it is to make the perfect roast chicken.

Why You’ll Love the Perfect Roast Chicken Recipe

It’s so simple to make: This roast chicken recipe is the easiest, hands off recipe that I make. It only takes a few minutes to throw together and the hardest part is just remembering to thaw the chicken in time. Don’t be afraid to try this recipe, after a couple of tries you will have it down and will be impressing your family and guests.

It’s nutritious and satisfying: A whole pasture raised chicken is very nutritious. It contains protein, vitamin A, vitamin E, Omega 3 fats and lots of minerals. This roast chicken recipe is an easy way to incorporate lots of nutrients into your family’s diet.

You will have yummy leftovers: The perfect roast chicken leftovers are delicious. You can enjoy them on their own with breakfast, for lunch or a snack or use them in other recipes like chicken salad or chicken noodle soup.

Nothing will go wasted: When you make the perfect roast chicken recipe, nothing goes wasted. You can not only use all of the meat for lunch or other recipes but you can use the bones to make chicken stock or bone broth. To make chicken broth simple place all the leftover bones and skin into a large stock pot and cover with water. Add salt to taste and vegetables like carrots and potatoes if desired. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and allow to simmer for a few hours. Remove all the bones and vegetables and use the chicken broth to make rice, soup or just enjoy as a warm drink.

Ingredients

Whole Chicken: When choosing a whole chicken, look for quality pasture raised. This will ensure you are receiving as many nutrients as possible from your meal. Pasture raised chicken has more healthy omega-3 fats, for vitamins and minerals than a conventionally raised chicken. If possible, find a local farmer who raises pasture raised chickens. Find more on on that here. Some whole chickens may include giblets inside of the chicken cavity, discard of these.

Butter: I use grass-fed butter in this recipe because of it’s delicious flavor and nutrient content. You can choose to use a tablespoon or two avocado oil if desired but I would not use olive oil since the chicken is being cooked in the oven. When choosing butter look for a grass-fed unsalted option.

Lemon Juice and Lemon: Choose a juicy fresh organic lemon for this perfect roast chicken recipe. This helps to give it a mouthwatering flavor. I like to wash and scrub the outside of the lemon with a vegetable brush or soak it in baking soda for a few minutes and rise to help remove any wax that may be on the lemon.

Fresh Herbs: My favorite fresh herb to use is rosemary but this chicken recipe would be good with any herbs you desire, thyme or oregano especially.

Sea Salt and Seasonings: Choosing a quality salt like Redmond’s Sea Salt will increase the mineral content in the chicken recipe but will also add to the flavor. When choosing seasonings like garlic make sure to choose a quality organic option to avoid unnecessary chemicals. In this recipe I use garlic but I have also made it with paprika, black pepper and other seasonings that make it delicious.

How to Make Roasted Chicken

1. Prep the Chicken: Thaw the chicken over night in the fridge and/or on the counter, choose whichever way you are comfortable with. Once thawed wash the chicken and pat dry with a paper towel, then place it in a large glass baking dish.
2. Prepare Butter and Seasonings: You can go about this two ways. Allow the butter to soften on the counter and then rub it all over the chicken, squeeze lemon juice over the chicken then sprinkle the salt and garlic powder over top. Or you can melt the butter, once melted add lemon juice and seasonings to the melted butter and mix to combine. Drizzle butter, juice and seasongs over top of the chicken. Once the chicken is cover in the seasonings stuff the chicken cavity with the half of lemon you used to squeeze fresh juice and fresh rosemary.
3. Roast the Chicken: Preheat the oven to 375°. Once preheated place the chicken in the oven and bake for approximately 90 minutes. This time may vary based on the size of the chicken, look for dark brown crispy skin. Use a meat thermometer to make sure the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°. Once cooked remove from the oven and allow to rest for a few minutes.
4. Enjoy: Pull the meat off the bone and enjoy with the crispy skin and drippings from the pan, for optimal nutrient absorption. This chicken recipe is a great option for a Sunday dinner, Easter celebration, for taking to a friend or a weeknight meal.

Roast Chicken FAQ’s

Do you have to use twine or truss a whole chicken? No, don’t worry if you do not have twine to truss a chicken. I never use twine and the roasted chicken comes out perfectly every time.

Should I roast the chicken covered or uncovered? Roast a chicken uncovered so that you can achieve crispy, delicious skin.

What to do if roasted chicken is dry? Pull the meat off the bone and top with the drippings from the pan, this will moisten the meat and make the roasted chicken even more delicious.

What should I do with leftover chicken and bones? Eat leftover chicken for lunch, make it into chicken salad or make a soup. Use bones to make a chicken stock or bone broth.

The Perfect Roast Chicken

This perfect roast chicken has crispy skin and juicy meat. It's perfect for dinner and the left over meat is great for lunch or a chicken soup.

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Servings 4 people

Equipment

• 1 large glass baking dish
• 1 meat thermometer

Ingredients

  

• 1 whole chicken washed and dried
• 3 TBSP butter softened
• 1/2 lemon juice and remaining lemon fresh
• 1 tsp sea salt less if desired
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 sprig rosemary fresh

Instructions

 

• Thaw, rinse and pat the chicken dry, remove giblets if needed. Place in a large baking dish, with the breast side up.
• Cover in butter, salt and garlic powder. See the above instructions for more detail if needed.
• Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the remaining lemon half and rosemary.
• Preheat the oven to 375° and bake the chicken for approximately 90 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165° on the meat thermometer.
• Once the chicken is cooked, use a spoon to baste the chicken in the drippings, then allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes.
• Pull apart the meat, baste again if desired and serve warm.