This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our privacy policy for additional information.
Why You’ll Love My Recipe
Few meals are as timeless as a perfectly roasted chicken! It’s simple to make, full of flavor, and endlessly comforting. This kitchen staple brings everyone to the table – especially on a cozy Sunday night!
Love chicken? Try my Crockpot Rotisserie Chicken, Butter Roasted Chicken, or Crispy Old Bay Grilled Chicken Thighs next. They’re all great options for switching up your dinner routine!
Karlynn’s Recipe Notes
- Skill Level: Cooking poultry can feel a bit intimidating, whether you’re worried about overcooking or undercooking – but this recipe is super approachable and easy to make!
- Total Time: You’ll have a beautiful whole roast chicken on the table in just under 2 hours from start to finish.
- Variations: Since you’re already using lemons, try zesting them and mixing the zest into the butter for an extra boost of flavor! You can also stuff the chicken with potatoes or carrots, though keep in mind this may slightly increase the cooking time. Serve your chicken with favorites like my Jiffy Corn Casserole, Hasselback Potatoes, or delicious Roasted Turnips for a full-on feast.
- Tools For This Recipe: You will need a knife, a rack, a roasting dish, kitchen twine, a baster, and an internal meat thermometer.
What You’ll Need for Ingredients
Whole Chicken: This is the star of the dish – you can’t have roast chicken without it! Karlynn’s Tip: This recipe leans citrus-forward, which means the drippings will have a bright, tangy flavor. If you’re planning to make gravy, swap the citrus for a quartered white onion in the cavity instead!
Butter: Butter is spread generously over the chicken and under the skin to keep it rich and flavorful. Combined with fresh rosemary and sage under the skin, it infuses the meat as it roasts.
Salt: Season both the cavity and the outside of the bird with salt to build flavor throughout. Karlynn’s Tip: You can also add extra seasonings like pepper, garlic powder, paprika, or cayenne for more depth!
Citrus: A mix of lemon, lime, and orange is chopped and added to the cavity along with smashed fresh garlic.
How To Make Roast Chicken
This is a quick overview of the recipe. The full list of ingredients & complete step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.
- If needed, remove the giblets from the chicken, then salt the cavity and outside of the bird.
- Add the garlic and chopped up citrus to the cavity.
- Separate the skin from the breast meat using your fingers, then rub in the herbs and butter, spreading it around the outside of the skin as well.
- Place the chicken on a rack in a roasting dish, tie the legs together, and bake for 15 minutes per pound.
- For extra tenderness, baste the bird every 30 minutes.
- Once the internal temperature at the thickest part of the thigh reaches a safe internal temperature of 160°F, pull the chicken and cool for 10 minutes before slicing.
Karlynn’s Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Roast Chicken
- Use a Meat Thermometer: One of the biggest concerns with cooking poultry is making sure it’s safe to eat. The best way to avoid any guesswork is by using an instant-read thermometer. Insert it into the thickest part of the thigh, which is the slowest area to cook. Chicken is safe to eat at 165°F, but for the best texture, aim for around 185°F in the thigh so the meat becomes super tender and easy to pull apart!
- Balance White and Dark Meat: Chicken breasts and thighs cook differently, which can make it tricky to keep everything juicy. One way to help is by roasting the chicken breast-side down on a wire rack or sheet pan so the thighs are exposed to more heat! You can then monitor the breast meat and remove the chicken once it reaches 165°F, while the darker meat will naturally cook to a higher, more tender temperature.
- Try Spatchcocking for Even Cooking: For more even results, consider spatchcocking your chicken by removing the backbone and laying it flat! To do this, cut out the spine with a pair of sharp kitchen scissors or poultry shears. This helps the entire bird cook more evenly, reducing the risk of dry spots and making it easier to hit the right temperature throughout!
Storage Instructions
This roast chicken is just as useful after dinner as it is on the table – perfect for leftovers, meal prep, and easy next-day meals!
Refrigerator: Once cooled, carve or shred the chicken and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Keep any juices with the meat to help maintain moisture when reheating. You can also store the carcass in the fridge for a day or two if you plan to make broth right away.
Freezer: Remove the meat from the bones and store it in freezer-safe containers or bags for up to 3 months following USDA food safety guidelines. For the best results, portion it out before freezing so you can easily grab what you need. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat gently to keep it from drying out. You can also freeze the carcass to make homemade chicken broth later on!
More Delicious Chicken Recipes
Who doesn’t love a good chicken dish? Try one of these tasty Chicken Recipes next and you won’t be dissapointed:
- Try my Italian Chicken Piccata for a bright and zesty pasta dish with a delicious lemony sauce!
- My 4-ingredient Classic Apricot Chicken is a sweet and savory favorite that’s always a hit.
- Easy and budget-friendly, try my Oven Baked Chicken Leg Quarters with crispy, flavorful skin.
That’s all, folks! You’ve got a beautifully roasted chicken that’s simple, satisfying, and oh-so-citrusy. And even better, this meal guarantees leftovers that are actually worth looking forward to.
Give this recipe a try, enjoy every bite, and don’t forget to let me know how it turned out in the comments below! I always love hearing about your kitchen wins.
Happy Cooking!
Karlynn
Roast Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 pound whole chicken
- 1 lemon
- 1 orange
- 1 lime
- 6 sprigs rosemary
- 3-4 sprigs sage
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed flat
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon salt
Instructions
- Clean the chicken, then remove giblets and neck from cavity
- Salt the cavity of the bird, saving half of the salt for the outside of the bird later one.
- Add the garlic cloves to cavity
- Chop citrus and add to cavity
- Butter the outside skin of the chicken. Sprinkle the remaining salt on top.
- Using your fingers, gently separate the skin from the breast meat and place the herbs and some butter under the skin.
- Place the chicken on a rack in a roasting dish.
- Tie the legs together with the kitchen twine as show in the photos.
- Place the chicken in the 350 degrees F oven . Cook 20 minutes per pound. Calculate this AFTER the first 15 minutes of cooking.
- After 30 minutes begin basting the outside of the bird if desired with any drippings in the pan. You can baste it every 30 minutes until done.
- Chicken is cooked when an internal meat thermometer reads 185°F in the thigh area.
- Pull the chicken out of oven and let sit for 10 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- If making a gravy from drippings, omit the orange and the lime and replace with a large white onion cut into quarters and place into the cavity.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Georgette Kerswell says
Good morning: Every Roast chicken recipe I’ve done in the Slow Cooker is always cooked way too long. I’ve shortened the length of time recommended from 8 hours to 7 to 6 and still too long. One of the recipes I just printed says 9 hours. I don’t like my chicken cooked this way, meat falling off the bone as I attempt to remove the chicken from the Slow cooker. Presentation is not to my liking either. I have a roast chicken that I want to attempt to cook in the Slow cooker but hesitate due to the length of time. Please advise what to do. Don’t want to undercook either. Thanks!