Herb Roasted Chicken with Garlic Herb Butter
A whole chicken dry-brined overnight, rubbed under the skin with garlic herb butter, and roasted on a bed of onions with lemon and garlic in the cavity. It comes out juicy and tender, with crispy golden skin and buttery pan juices for spooning over the top.
Servings: 6
Calories: 410kcal
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 1 whole chicken (4.5 to 5 lb, giblets removed)
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 lemon zested first, then halved - the zest goes in the herb butter)
- 1 head garlic halved crosswise
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 yellow onions cut into thick rounds
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth or stock, plus more if the pan gets dry
For the herb butter
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter softened
- 3 cloves garlic finely grated
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon fresh parsley finely chopped
- lemon zest from the lemon used with the chicken above
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Dry brine the chicken. Pat the chicken very dry inside and out. Sprinkle the 2 teaspoon salt all over, including the cavity. Set on a rack in the fridge, uncovered, for at least 1 hour, ideally overnight. Take it out 30 minutes before roasting.
- Heat the oven to 425°F. Make the herb butter by mashing the butter, garlic, thyme, rosemary, sage, parsley, lemon zest, salt and pepper together in a small bowl.
- Loosen the skin over the breast and thighs with your fingers. Push about two-thirds of the herb butter under the skin and massage it around from the outside. Rub the rest over the outside of the chicken.
- Stuff the cavity with the lemon halves, halved garlic head and herb sprigs. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine and tuck the wing tips under.
- Spread the onion rounds in a cast iron skillet or roasting pan. Set the chicken on top, breast side up, and pour the broth into the pan.
- Roast for about 1 hour 15 minutes (roughly 15 minutes per pound), basting once or twice during the last 30 minutes, until the thickest part of the breast reads 160 to 165°F and the thigh reads 175°F. If the skin browns too fast, tent the breast loosely with foil. If the pan goes dry, add a splash more broth.
- Rest for 15 minutes before carving. Spoon the buttery pan juices over the carved chicken, or whisk them with a squeeze of the roasted lemon for a quick pan sauce.
Notes
- Salt the chicken as early as you can, ideally the day before. Overnight gives the crispiest skin, but even 1 hour helps.
- Leave the chicken uncovered in the fridge while it brines so the skin dries out.
- Set the butter out ahead so it's very soft. Cold butter will tear the skin.
- Fresh herbs work best. If you must use dried, use about one-third as much.
- If you're using salted butter, leave out the 1 teaspoon salt in the herb butter.
- There's no need to peel the halved garlic head. Just remove any loose, flaky skin.
- Go by temperature, not time. Larger or smaller chickens will take more or less time.
- At high altitude, the pan liquid evaporates faster. Check it halfway through and add more broth as needed.
- Double the herb butter and save the extra for mashed potatoes, rolls or holiday sides.
Nutrition
Calories: 410kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 125mg | Sodium: 1263mg | Potassium: 388mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 727IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 2mg
