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This roasted chicken recipe gives you deeply golden skin, juicy breast meat, tender dark meat, and savory pan juices to spoon over every slice. Seasoned butter tucked underneath the skin adds flavor throughout the whole chicken instead of leaving it only on the surface.
This oven roasted whole chicken works well for Sunday dinner, holidays, or a family meal with plenty left for later. Serve it with Browned Butter Mashed Potatoes or Creamed Corn. For another cooking method, try my Air Fryer Roasted Whole Chicken or Pressure Cooker Whole Chicken.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Crisp, golden skin: The skin gets beautifully browned while the meat stays juicy.
- Juicy and flavorful: Seasoned butter goes underneath the skin so the breast meat gets plenty of flavor too.
- Easy to serve: The classic savory flavor works with almost any side dish.
Ingredients Needed
Grab the exact ingredient amounts from the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Whole chicken: A 4 to 5-pound chicken works well for this whole roasted chicken recipe.
- Unsalted butter + olive oil: Use softened butter so it’s easy to spread underneath the skin.
- Fresh lemon: You’ll need the zest, juice, and additional slices for roasting.
- Fresh garlic: Freshly minced garlic adds savory flavor to the seasoned butter.
- Poultry seasoning: I use my homemade Poultry Seasoning for a savory blend of herbs and spices. You can also use my Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning for a slightly different flavor.
- Salt + black pepper: A little extra salt brings out the flavor of the seasoning blend without adding more herbs. Add black pepper to taste.
- Chicken broth: Keeps the pan drippings from scorching as the chicken roasts.
How to Make a Whole Roasted Chicken
The recipe card has the full instructions. Use these photos as a guide for the parts that matter most.
Season underneath the skin
Pat the chicken very dry, then gently loosen the breast skin and spread about half of the seasoned butter underneath it. Rub the remaining butter and seasoning over the entire chicken.
Keep the skin above the liquid
Set the chicken breast-side up over the lemon slices and pour the broth around it, not over the top. This keeps the skin dry enough to brown while the drippings stay moist.
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Look for deeply golden skin
Roast until the skin is deeply golden. Check the thickest part of the breast for 165°F and the inner thigh for at least 175°F, making sure the thermometer doesn’t touch bone.
Rest before carving
Let the chicken rest for 15 to 20 minutes before carving, then spoon some of the lemon-butter pan juices over the meat.
Recipe Tips
- Want darker skin? Turn the oven back up to 425°F for the last few minutes and watch it closely.
- Prep ahead: Season the chicken and refrigerate it uncovered overnight. This gets some prep out of the way while helping the skin dry for better browning.
What to Serve With Roasted Chicken
For a classic comfort-food dinner, serve it with Browned Butter Mashed Potatoes, Garlic Butter Rice, or Glazed Carrots with Maple Syrup.
For a larger Sunday or holiday meal, add Baked Macaroni and Cheese, Sautéed Green Beans, or Homemade Cornbread.
Storage & Reheating
- Store: Keep leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Save some of the pan juices with it to help keep the meat moist.
- Freeze: Remove the meat from the bones, then slice or shred it and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: Warm gently with a little broth or reserved pan juice.
Leftover chicken also works well in my Skillet Chicken Pot Pie, or you can find more ideas in my Shredded Chicken Recipes.
FAQs
I don’t prefer either. Higher heat helps brown the skin, while lower heat gives the inside more time to cook through. This recipe uses both by starting the chicken at 425°F and then lowering the oven to 375°F.
A 4 to 5-pound chicken usually takes about 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes with this method. Check the internal temperature instead of using cooking time alone.
No. Roast it uncovered so the skin can brown. If it gets too dark before the chicken is finished, loosely cover it with foil.
No. Tying the legs together is optional. The chicken will still roast well without it.
Roasted Chicken Recipe
Use DRDAVINAHS at checkout to save on some equipment & ingredients!
Recommended Equipment
- Cast Iron Skillet 12-inch, but 10-inch would also work for a smaller chicken
- Paper towels for drying the chicken
- Instant-read thermometer
- Kitchen twine optional
Ingredients
- 4 lbs Whole Chicken, 4-5 pounds would work well
- 6 tbsp Butter, unsalted and softened
- 1 Lemon
- 4 cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp Poultry seasoning, click for recipe, I am using the regular version of this recipe with salt.
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 ½ tsp Natural Ancient Sea Salt, use DRDAVINAHS to save, or more to taste after finishing
- ½ tsp Black Pepper, coarse ground, freshly cracked pepper, optional to taste
For the cast iron
- 1 Lemon, sliced into rounds for garnish and the bottom of the pan
- ½ cup Chicken Broth
- 2 tbsp Butter, unsalted
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Remove the chicken from the packaging and discard the giblets, if included. Pat the chicken very dry with paper towels, including the skin around the legs and wings. Let it sit at room temperature for 20–30 minutes while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
- Add the lemon butter ingredients to a bowl: Add the olive oil and softened butter to a small bowl. Zest the lemon into the bowl. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze in about 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Add the garlic and poultry seasoning.
- Stir until well combined.
- Season the chicken: Carefully loosen the skin over the chicken breasts with your fingers, being careful not to tear it. Spread about half of the lemon butter underneath the skin and over both breasts. Rub the remaining lemon butter over the outside of the chicken. Be sure to spread the seasoned butter evenly over the breast, thighs, legs, wings, and underside.
- Arrange the chicken and roast: Slice the remaining lemon and arrange several slices in the bottom of a cast-iron skillet. Place the chicken breast-side up over the lemon slices. Add any remaining lemon pieces to the cavity. If desired, tie the legs together with kitchen twine to help the chicken roast more evenly.
- Add the broth: Pour the chicken broth into the skillet around the chicken, taking care not to pour it over the skin. This helps keep the pan drippings from scorching as the chicken roasts.
- Roast: Roast at 425°F for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and continue roasting until the skin is deeply golden, the thickest part of the breast reaches 165°F, and the thigh reaches at least 175°F for tender dark meat (about an additional 1 hour 10 minutes).
- Rest and serve: Remove the skillet from the oven and let the chicken rest for 15–20 minutes before carving. Spoon some of the lemon-butter pan juices over the chicken before serving.
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Recipe Notes
- Cooking time: A 4–5 pound chicken generally takes about 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes total. Use the internal temperature rather than the cooking time to determine when the chicken is done.
- Check for doneness: The thickest part of the breast should reach 165°F and the inner thigh should reach at least 175°F. Avoid touching the bone with the thermometer.
- For crispier skin: Pat the chicken very dry before seasoning. For even better browning, season and refrigerate it uncovered overnight.
- Seasoning: The extra salt helps bring out the flavor of the poultry or rotisserie seasoning without adding more herbs.
- Rest before carving: Let the chicken rest for 15–20 minutes to help keep the meat juicy.
Nutrition Details
The nutrition facts come from entering the recipe ingredients into a database of food ingredients. They may vary for any recipe based on the exact product used.
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