Herb Roasted Chicken is a classic supper. Rubbed with fresh herbs, lemon, garlic, and grainy Dijon makes it crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside. Add root vegetables for a quick and easy one pan supper.
Roast a perfect chicken every time
- Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and bring the chicken up to room temperature. This will take at least an hour or more depending on the size of the chicken. If you go from the refrigerator directly to the oven, it will never cook evenly. For a perfectly browned chicken that is cooked evenly, you must bring the bird to room temperature. Remember crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside. Don’t forget this important step.
- Let the bird rest for 10 minutes before carving. This allows the juices to settle into the meat. Cutting before the rest time will result in all the juices running out of the chicken and onto the cutting board, onto the counter, then into the floor. (voice of experience 🤦♀️)
- Place the chicken on a small rack lifting it for more even cooking.
- Season with herbs, garlic, and butter under the skin for the most flavor going directly into the meat. Gently lift the skin from the breast meat with your fingers or the back of a spoon. Don’t tear the skin.
- Use a meat thermometer or instant-read thermometer to check the temperature. Temp should be at 165℉ and the juices should run clear.
- Start with a high temperature of 450℉ for the first 15 minutes, the lower to 350℉ for the remaining 60-90 minutes.
One Pan Roasted Chicken and Vegetables
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11- Preheat oven to 450℉. In a small bowl, mix lemon juice and zest and a heaping spoonful of grainy Dijon mustard. (reserve both halves of the lemon). Add minced garlic, salt, and several grinds of pepper. Drizzle in extra virgin olive oil.
- Stir in finely chopped fresh herbs. Stir mixture. Set aside.
- Wash the chicken inside and out. Pat dry with a paper towel. Loosen skin from the chicken breast. Spoon half of the lemon-garlic mixture under the skin.
- Place lemon halves inside the cavity of the chicken
- Spoon remaining lemon-garlic mixture inside the cavity. Reserve 1 tablespoon of mixture to coat outside of chicken.
- Rub outside of chicken with the remaining tablespoon of lemon-garlic mixture. Tie the legs together with baking twine and tuck wings under chicken.
- Place on a rack in a roasting pan or dish. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile prepare and chop, carrots, potatoes, apples, sweet potatoes, and shallots. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon of olive oil, with a dash of salt and pepper. Toss to coat the veggies.
- After 15 minutes of baking time, remove chicken from the oven and lower temperature to 350℉.
- Place vegetables around the chicken and return to the oven to bake for an additional 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours.
- The juices should run clear and the internal temperature of the thickest part of the thigh should be 165℉. Remove the chicken from the oven and allow to rest 10 minutes before carving. Serve with roasted veggies and pan juices.
My Favorite Herb Roasted Chicken
Roasted chicken with vegetables is a simple one-pan meal like grandma used to make.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Servings 5 servings
Calories 337 kcal
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken 4-5 lbs
- 1 lemon
- zest from one lemon
- 4-5 garlic cloves give or take minced
- Grainy Dijon mustard
- fresh parsley sage, rosemary & thyme (sing it) I use about 1 tablespoon of each
- Extra-virgin olive oil about 1/3 cup 80 mL
- salt and pepper
- Assortment of root vegetables peel and chopped
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 450 ℉ (232C) Wash chicken in cold water. Pat dry with a paper towel.
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Squeeze the juice from 1/2 lemon. In a small bowl combine lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, grainy mustard, olive oil, and fresh herbs. Mix together.
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Carefully lift the skin away from the breast of the chicken. Place a heaping spoonful of the herb mixture under the skin to coat breast meat. Reserve 1 tablespoon and pour the remaining in the cavity of the chicken. Rub reserved mixture over the entire chicken. Place both lemon halves inside the cavity of the chicken.
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Tie legs together with a piece of twine and place in preheated oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Lower temperature to 350℉ (176C). Arrange vegetables around chicken and continue to bake for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes OR until the temperature of the leg meat reaches 165℉ (74C). Allow to rest for 10 minutes before carving.
Recipe Notes
- Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and bring the chicken up to room temperature. This will take at least an hour or more depending on the size of the chicken. If you go from the refrigerator directly to the oven, it will never cook evenly. For a perfectly browned chicken that is cooked evenly, you must bring the bird to room temperature. Remember crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside. Don't forget this important step.
- Let the bird rest for 10 minutes before carving. This allows the juices to settle into the meat. Cutting before the rest time will result in all the juices running out of the chicken and onto the cutting board, onto the counter, then into the floor. (voice of experience 🤦♀️)
- Place the chicken on a small rack lifting it for more even cooking.
- Season with herbs, garlic, and butter under the skin for the most flavor going directly into the meat. Gently lift the skin from the breast meat with your fingers or the back of a spoon. Don't tear the skin.
- Use a meat thermometer or instant-read thermometer to check the temperature. Temp should be at 165℉ and the juices should run clear.
- Start with a high temperature of 450℉ for the first 15 minutes, the lower to 350℉ for the remaining 75-90 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
My Favorite Herb Roasted Chicken
Amount Per Serving
Calories 337
Calories from Fat 207
% Daily Value*
Fat 23g35%
Saturated Fat 6g30%
Cholesterol 114mg38%
Sodium 107mg4%
Potassium 327mg9%
Carbohydrates 2g1%
Fiber 0g0%
Sugar 0g0%
Protein 28g56%
Vitamin A 215IU4%
Vitamin C 14.6mg18%
Calcium 27mg3%
Iron 1.5mg8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
For a simple, yet heavenly chicken try Buttermilk-Marinated Roast Chicken by Samin Nosrat’s best selling book, “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat”
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This recipe was originally posted in 2014. It has been reposted with a printable recipe card and additional tips and instructions.
Olive oil is listed in the ingredients, but never mentioned in the instructions. I am assuming it goes in with the mixture of herbs and lemon? Or is it used by itself to rub the chicken or what?
I’m so sorry I didn’t mention that the olive oil is added to the garlic, grainy mustard mixture. I neglected to add that to the recipe card but it does appear in the step-by-step photo.🤦♀️
Thanks for pointing that out to me. I did correct the recipe card.
This is amazing!
This is amazing. I've made it several times and it always turns out great!
I'm so glad you like it. It's perfect for a crisp fall evening. Thank you so much.
This looks delish!!!
This looks so yummy, hope to try it soon! Always love your step-by-step photos! I tried your pain-au-chocolat recipes a while back with very good outcome thanks to your clear instructions and fast response to my question on your comment section.
Thank you so much for your comment. I'm so happy you had success with the pain au chocolat. They are a lot of work, but so worth the effort.
I too love this recipe! I love how you added the apple — that will make for such great flavor. And, I also have spent a lot of time not eating meat. I just feel better when I go heavy on the vegetables and light on the meat. I don't care about the fads that go around — I know how I feel. Thank you for the wonderful little twists you added to how I bake my chicken. Hey, do you think it would be ok to put it in a le cresuet pan or do you think I should have it in a pan that it's up higher and really roasting?
Hi Tami, Absolutely you can use your Le Creuset. The chicken roasts fabulous in that pan…everything works great in that pan. Thanks for your kind comment.
We regularly have roast chicken at home and I have to admit it is always the same old boring thing. I am definitely going to make my next roast your way. Pinning now! x Mel
Wow, this sounds great! And…looks great. For sure, it is even more tastier! What I like the most in your recipes, is a beautifull story that goes with each one. Some people just wanna grab new recipe, but…not the thing with me. And, about chicken 🙂 we have that luck in our city (Subotica, Serbia) that our chickens still have the wright taste 🙂 😉
Once again I thank you for such a kind comment. I wish I didn't have to search for good chicken. You are fortunate.
I go back and forth love meat hate meat. I really do not eat much but this looks amazing..Your photograpy is absolutely perfect! Thanks for sharing
Thanks, Denise. I appreciate your comment. Nice to know I'm not alone on the meat thing.
This looks delicious. One daughter does not like thyme, thinks it taste and smells like mold. Do you have a suggestion for another herb to add?
I would just omit the thyme. It will still taste great.
I agree that thyme smells like mold. I don't have a problem with any other herb that I've every tried.