Herb Roasted Chicken

This Herb Roasted Chicken is easy to make and is the best comfort food ever! So warming and cozy and packed with flavor, you'll love how easy this is.

The smell of chicken roasting has to be one of the best kitchen smells; it evokes memories of warmth and family. Plus, it always tastes fantastic.

Serve this up with the traditional sides of veggies, potatoes, and gravy, or add a salad and some crusty bread. And make sure you save the leftovers for the best chicken sandwich ever! 

It's hard to beat an easy roast chicken recipe! And this Herb Roasted Chicken is the best! It is so juicy and has plenty of delicious pan juices that you can serve as a sauce or use to make gravy. 

The most important thing for me with a roast chicken is juicy, soft breast meat. Overcooked chicken makes me cry. 

The key to juicy, tender breast meat it to keep it moist during cooking. For this recipe, we will use butter and broth to keep the meat juicy. 

Butter adds flavor and fat, and the broth adds moisture to the roast. The perfect combo. 

We start by mixing chopped fresh herbs with seasonings, some wine (optional), and melted butter. This mixture is a fabulous concoction that will get pushed under the skin of the chicken. It packs flavor and moisture into your chicken.

Herbs for Chicken

Chicken and herbs are a great combo; I use the following herbs for my herb roasted chicken:

• Parsley
• Rosemary
• Sage
• Thyme
• Chives

How to push butter under the skin of a chicken

Butter under the skin makes the meat so juicy! But you need to make sure you don't break or tear the skin. To do this, I use an upside-down spoon to loosen the skin; it sorts of flows over the curves of the chicken, and the smooth side of the spoon is less likely to tear the skin than your fingers/nails.

Once the skin is loose, you can spoon the soft buttery goodness under the skin. Then use your hands to gently rub on top of the skin to push it into an even layer. 

Then rub the outside with a little of the herby butter, and you are ready to roast. 

Should chicken be at room temperature before roasting?

Absolutely yes. Before putting a chicken in the oven, make sure you give it time to come to room temperature. Give it at least 45 minutes on the countertop. It will be fine for a couple of hours out of the fridge. 

This is because if you roast a cold chicken, it will cook unevenly - the outside will dry out before the center has got to temperature. 

Get the Recipe

Herb Roasted Chicken Recipe

Claire | Sprinkle and Sprouts

This Herb Roasted Chicken is easy to make and is the best comfort food ever! So warming and cozy and packed with flavor, you'll love how easy this is. The smell of chicken roasting has to be one of the best kitchen smells; it evokes memories of warmth and family. Plus, it always tastes fantastic. Serve this up with the traditional sides of veggies, potatoes, and gravy, or add a salad and some crusty bread.

4.96 from 21 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 35 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Course Main

Cuisine Modern Australian

Servings 6

Calories 591 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 5.5-5.8 lb whole chicken
• ¼ cup butter - melted
• 3 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ cup white wine
• 1 tablespoon parsley - finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon rosemary - finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon sage - finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon thyme leaves
• 1 tablespoon chives - finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 carrots - roughly chopped
• 2 sticks celery - roughly chopped
• 1 onion - roughly chopped
• 1½ cups chicken broth

Instructions

 

• Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature. Remove the packaging and pat dry thoroughly.

  5.7lb2.6kg whole chicken
  
  

While the chicken is coming to room temperature

• Mix the melted butter, olive oil, white wine, and herbs together. Season the mixture with half of the salt and pepper. Set to one side to solidify slightly (it won't go totally solid as the wine and oil keep it runnier)

  ¼ cup butter
  3 tablespoons olive oil
  ¼ cup white wine
  1 tablespoon chopped parsley
  1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
  1 tablespoon chopped sage
  1 tablespoon thyme leaves
  1 tablespoon chopped chives
  ½ teaspoon salt
  ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  
  
• Preheat the oven to 200ºC/390ºF.
• Use a dessert spoon to loosen the skin of the chicken.
• Reserve 2 tablespoons of the butter mixture. Spoon the remaining butter mixture under the skin, and then use your hands to distribute it evenly under the skin.
• Smear the reserved butter over all of the chicken skin and season with the remaining salt and pepper.

  ½ teaspoon salt
  ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  
  
• Place the chopped carrot, celery, and onion in a roasting tin. Pour the stock over the veg and then place the chicken on top.

  2 chopped carrots
  2 chopped celery sticks
  1 chopped onion
  1½ cups chicken broth
  
  
• Tie the ends of the drumsticks together and transfer the roasting pan to the middle of the oven.
• Roast for 1 hour.
• Reduce the oven to 330ºF/165ºC.
• Roast for a further 25-35 minutes. (Chicken is cooked when the internal temperature is 165ºF/75ºC or when juices run clear when you pierce the thigh.)
• Rest the roast chicken for 15 minutes – don't cover it.
• Serve with pan juices. You can squash the veg into the juices and then strain or serve it as is.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Nutrition

Calories: 591kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 171mg | Sodium: 823mg | Potassium: 515mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 4065IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition is per serving

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