This flavorful Garlic-Herb Whole Roasted Chicken recipe is a true home run. It’s the perfect choice for a nice Sunday dinner with friends and family. Plus, you can use the leftovers to make a delicious homemade chicken stock or shred the remaining meat to use in a quick soup, like my Chicken Enchilada, or salad recipe the next day.
The onion in this recipe serves two purposes: It raises the chicken out of the juices while it cooks and it imparts a lovely flavor to the pan sauce. After cooking, the onion is discarded, rather than eaten, to keep the overall carb count low. If you would like to omit the onion completely, you can replace the onion slices with ovenproof metal cookie cutters to lift the chicken while it cooks.
Seasoning a whole roasted chicken can be intimidating for newer cooks. But I promise – it’s really simple! A whole chicken requires a lot more seasoning than pre-cut pieces of meat. You will want to use kosher salt instead of table salt. It has a coarser grain that covers more of the surface without over-salting. Don’t skimp on the salt either. I recommend using one teaspoon of kosher salt per pound of meat.
Want a nice crispy skin like the picture below? Pat your chicken dry as much as possible to start. Season it well and allow the bird to sit for at least 30 minutes. The salt will help draw out any moisture and create that perfect crispy skin you are looking for!
Once your chicken has finished roasting, it’s important to allow it to rest for a minimum of 15 minutes before carving. Ensure that your carving knife has been sharpened and use a carving board with deep grooves around the edges. They will catch all that extra juice you want on your meat!
Ingredients and Tools to Make Garlic-Herb Whole Roasted Chicken:
- 12″ Heavy-Duty Skillet with High Sides
- Cutting Board
- Kitchen Knife
- Small Mixing Bowl
- Cooking Twine
- Aluminum Foil
- Serving Platter
- Wooden Spatula
- Carving Knife
- Meat Thermometer
- White Onion
- Whole Chicken
- Salt & Pepper
- Fresh Herbs – Thyme, Rosemary, and Sage
- Unsalted Butter
- Garlic Cloves
- Chicken Broth
How to Make Garlic-Herb Whole Roasted Chicken:
Preheat oven to 425° F and arrange onion slices in bottom of a large, heavy-duty 12” skillet with high sides.
Remove and discard neck and giblets from chicken and place bird breast-side up on top of onion slices in skillet. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and generously season the outside with salt and black pepper.
Separate out approximately 1/3 of the fresh thyme, rosemary, and sage from the bundle. Remove and discard the tough stems from the thyme and rosemary leaves. Combine the leaves with the sage before roughly chopping.
Add the softened butter, half the minced garlic, and the chopped fresh poultry herbs in a small bowl and stir to combine. Divide the herb butter into small chunks before tucking evenly under the chicken skin covering the breast meat.
Massage the remaining minced garlic inside the cavity of the bird before stuffing with the remaining fresh poultry herbs. Secure legs together with kitchen twine, and then add the chicken broth to the skillet.
Place skillet in pre-heated oven and roast for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165° F. Check every 30 minutes while cooking to make sure the skin isn’t becoming too brown. If it is, cover with aluminum foil after 1 hour and check for doneness after another 15-20 minutes.
Remove skillet from oven and carefully transfer chicken to a serving platter. Cover loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm and let rest for 15-20 minutes.
While the chicken rests, discard the onion slices in the skillet and heat the remaining liquid over medium-high heat. Scrape the bottom of the skillet with a spatula or wooden spoon to remove the browned bits. Continue cooking until the liquid is reduced by one half. Once reduced, taste and season with salt and black pepper, if desired.
To serve, carve the chicken and top each serving with a spoonful of the warm pan sauce. Enjoy!
Great Side Dish Options:
- Rosemary Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Savory Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Pan-Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Bacon
- Tri-Color Roasted Rosemary Potatoes
- Crunchy Broccoli Slaw
Garlic-Herb Whole Roasted Chicken
This flavorful chicken recipe is a true home run. It’s the perfect choice for a nice Sunday dinner with friends and family.
Ingredients
- 1 large white onion, cut into thick slices
- 1 5-6 lb. whole chicken
- Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 small container fresh poultry herbs (thyme, rosemary, & sage), rinsed and divided
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 6-8 cloves garlic, finely minced, divided
- 1 cup sugar-free organic chicken broth
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425° F and arrange onion slices in bottom of a large, heavy-duty 12” skillet with high sides.
Remove and discard neck and giblets from chicken and place bird breast-side up on top of onion slices in skillet. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and generously season the outside with salt and black pepper.
Separate out approximately 1/3 of the fresh thyme, rosemary, and sage from the bundle. Remove and discard the tough stems from the thyme and rosemary leaves. Combine the leaves with the sage before roughly chopping.
Add the softened butter, half the minced garlic, and the chopped fresh poultry herbs in a small bowl and stir to combine. Divide the herb butter into small chunks before tucking evenly under the chicken skin covering the breast meat.
Massage the remaining minced garlic inside the cavity of the bird before stuffing with the remaining fresh poultry herbs. Secure legs together with kitchen twine, and then add the chicken broth to the skillet.
Place skillet in pre-heated oven and roast for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165° F. Check every 30 minutes while cooking to make sure the skin isn’t becoming too brown. If it is, cover with aluminum foil after 1 hour and check for doneness after another 15-20 minutes.
Remove skillet from oven and carefully transfer chicken to a serving platter. Cover loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm and let rest for 15-20 minutes.
While the chicken rests, discard the onion slices in the skillet and heat the remaining liquid over medium-high heat. Scrape the bottom of the skillet with a spatula or wooden spoon to remove the browned bits. Continue cooking until the liquid is reduced by one half. Once reduced, taste and season with salt and black pepper, if desired.
To serve, carve the chicken and top each serving with a spoonful of the warm pan sauce. Enjoy!
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