Roasted Chicken

By Jen Paleracio | February 11, 2021

I buy rotisserie chicken on a hectic day and I need something quick to make for dinner. When I buy it, there’s always a need to jazz it up, I would either shred the meat and make a noodle dish or make a salad. Last week I made Chicken Salad using a store-bought rotisserie chicken. Although it’s convenient and easy to whip up something that’s already cooked, I still find a need to add something to it to amp up the flavor.

Homemade roasted chicken is so much better. I’m able to flavor the chicken any way I want. That means more fresh herbs, some butter, and fresh lemons.

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Let’s start roasting!

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Prep the butter: in a bowl, add six tablespoons of butter, leave the butter on a countertop for an hour or until softened. If you don’t have time to wait for an hour, microwave the butter and check it every 10 seconds. Keep an eye on the butter, don’t let it melt. Chop the herbs. I used sage, thyme, and rosemary. You can buy a package of herbs that says “poultry blend”.
After combining the butter and herbs, prep the chicken. Gently pull the chicken skin on the breast area. Spread the herb butter inside the breast, then reserve some butter and rub it all over the chicken. Insert one lemon cut in half inside the cavity of the chicken.
I cut up the veggies into big chunks and place them into a roasting pan. I used 8 small red potatoes, one yellow onion, and four carrots. You can add some celery and one garlic head if you like. If you’re adding a head of garlic, make sure to cut it in half, just like roasting whole garlic. It’ll add another layer of flavor to your chicken. I seasoned the veggies with dried thyme, rosemary flakes, salt, and pepper, then drizzle oil.
Place a rack into the roasting pan. Then place the buttered chicken on top. Tuck the wings on the sides and tie the legs with twine. Make sure you’re pre-heating the oven to 450ºF. Bake the chicken for 20 minutes, just to brown the outside. Then lower the heat to 375ºF and bake for about one hour and a half, or until the inside temperature reaches 165ºF.
Don’t cut the chicken right away, let it sit for about 10 minutes before cutting. This way the chicken can soak up all juices that will make it moist and tender.

Roasted Chicken

Jen Paleracio
Nice crispy roasted chicken with lots of herbs.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American

Equipment

  • Roasting pan
  • Roasting rack
  • Bowls
  • knife
  • cutting board
  • Spatula

Ingredients
  

  • 1 whole chicken, 4 lbs. remove the liver and giblets
  • 1 lemon, halved
  • 1 yellow onion, cut into big chunks
  • 8 small red potatoes, cut into big chunks, skin on
  • 4 medium size carrots, cut into big chunks
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon rosemary flakes
  • salt and pepper

FOR THE HERB BUTTER

  • 6 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 5 sprigs thyme, pull the leaves off the stems
  • 1 sprig rosemary, pull the leaves off the stems and chopped
  • 6 leaves of sage, chopped
  • salt and pepper

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 450ºF. In a bowl, add butter, sage, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper, mix to combine.
  • Pat the whole chicken dry with a paper towel. Gently pull the skin on the breast area, spread the herb butter inside. Reserve some butter to rub outside the chicken.
  • Place the veggies in the roasting pan, season with dried thyme, rosemary flakes, salt, and pepper. Drizzle oil, toss to coat.
  • Place a rack in the roasting pan. Place the buttered chicken on top of the rack. Tuck the wings on the sides, and tie the legs with twine. Insert one lemon cut in half inside the cavity of the chicken.
  • Bake the chicken for 20 minutes or until it turned slightly browned in a 450ºF oven. Then, lower the oven to 375ºF and continue baking for another 1 1/2 hour or until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF.
  • After roasting, let the chicken sit for at least 10 minutes to let the juice soak up. This makes the chicken tender and moist. Serve with roasted veggies.
Keyword herb butter, roasted chicken, roasted potatoes
So moist and tender

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Hi there! Nice to meet you. My name is Jen.

Hello, nice to meet you! I’m Jen, a mom of 2 wonderful girls. I love to prepare home-cooked meals. Cooking and planning your meals might sound like another chore added to your already long list of things to do. Believe me, I’ve been there. Surely, cooking more meals at home is worth all the effort. After years of cooking for my family and teaching culinary classes, I can honestly say that I have more control over the quality of the ingredients I use. It’s important to realize that when you cook better you eat better.  

Eating healthy doesn’t have to be boring and you don’t have to eat the same thing repeatedly. There are ways we can naturally enhance our food’s flavor and enjoy home-cooked meals.

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