Roasted Chicken Recipe

Preheat and dry

Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Remove the chicken from the refrigerator 30 minutes before roasting to come closer to room temperature. Pat the chicken thoroughly dry inside and out with paper towels — removing surface moisture helps the skin crisp.

Season cavity

Season the inside of the chicken cavity with 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Insert the lemon halves, 1 rosemary sprig, 2 thyme sprigs, and one quartered onion piece into the cavity to perfume the bird during roasting.

Make herb butter

In a small bowl, combine the room-temperature butter, minced garlic (4 cloves), remaining 1 tablespoon kosher salt, and remaining 3/4 teaspoon black pepper. Finely chop the remaining rosemary and thyme and stir into the butter. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to loosen if needed.

Season exterior

Gently loosen the skin over the breast by sliding your fingers between the skin and the meat without tearing. Spread about two-thirds of the herb butter under the skin over both breasts. Rub the remaining butter all over the exterior of the chicken. Drizzle remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil on the skin and rub to coat evenly. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon kosher salt evenly over the skin.

Scatter the remaining onion quarters, carrot and celery chunks, and smashed garlic cloves in the bottom of a roasting pan or large ovenproof skillet. These will act as a rack and create flavorful pan juices. Pour 1 cup chicken stock into the pan.

Truss the chicken (optional)

Tie the legs together with kitchen twine and tuck the wing tips under the bird so it cooks evenly. If you don’t have twine, simply tuck legs under to compact the bird.

Place the chicken, breast-side up, on top of the vegetables in the roasting pan. Put into the preheated 425°F (220°C) oven on the middle rack.

Roast at 425°F (220°C) for 15 minutes to jump-start browning. Then reduce oven temperature to 375°F (190°C) and continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh (not touching bone) reads 160°F (71°C), about 45–60 minutes more for a 3.5–4.5 lb chicken. Total time will be roughly 60–75 minutes depending on size. If the skin is browning too quickly, tent loosely with foil.

Optional basting: every 20 minutes, spoon some pan juices over the breast to help color and flavor, but basting is not required for crisp skin.

Remove the chicken from the oven when thermometer reads 160°F (71°C). Transfer the bird to a cutting board and tent loosely with foil. Let rest 15–20 minutes; carryover will raise the internal temperature to the safe endpoint of 165°F (74°C) and allow juices to redistribute.

While the chicken rests, strain the pan juices into a small saucepan, skim excess fat if desired, and simmer with any accumulated juices for 2–3 minutes to concentrate flavor. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

Carve the chicken: remove legs and thighs, then wings, and slice the breast meat across the grain. Serve with roasted vegetables and pan sauce spooned over slices.