Perfect Roast Chicken

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Making the perfect roast chicken is so much easier than you think! A few simple tips and techniques will yield a juicy bird with crispy skin and tons of flavor! Pop a whole chicken in the oven in a cast iron skillet and watch the magic happen.

There’s just something about a roast chicken. The crackly skin, the juicy meat, and oh, those pan drippings! It’s one of my favorite meals and one that makes everyone in my house happy. And yet that bird had me running scared for years. I’m not sure which was more intimidating to me…fear of undercooking it, overcooking it, or the whole carving thing. Maybe all three?

It could have been all the various theories on cooking temperatures, time, rubs, and brines. To baste or not to baste, high heat or low? Aaaargh! So, here we are years later and may I present to you the perfect roast chicken. It’s well seasoned, rubbed in and out with lemon herb butter, and stuffed full of aromatics. I use my trusty cast iron skillet and cook it fast and furious in a very hot oven. The result is a super moist bird with crispy skin and the most delectable pan drippings.

What I’ve learned after roasting too many birds to count over the years is, wait for it…stop. overthinking. it. That’s right. Sometimes you have to put away your thinking cap and bust out your roasting pan. While I love the flavor that the herb butter and aromatics impart, the truth is, you can have a very delicious bird with just a little olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Let’s make Perfect Roast Chicken

1. Gather ingredients, preheat oven to 450 degrees F, and allow the chicken to sit at room temperature while the oven preheats.
2. Combine ingredients for the herb butter in a mini prep or food processor. Alternatively you can mix by hand. 
3. Make sure the butter is well mixed and emulsified.
4. Pat the chicken dry, season liberally inside and out, and stuff the cavity loosely with herbs, lemon, and garlic.
5. Rub the herb butter all over the chicken, including under the skin. Truss the bird or simply tie the legs together with kitchen twine.
6. Roast, basting occasionally, until a thermometer reads 160 degrees F, about 12-15 mins per pound. Rest for at least 15 mins before carving.

Tips for success

• For a smaller bird (3 – 5 lbs, not a Thanksgiving turkey), I’ve found that high heat (450 degrees F) for a shorter period yields optimal results.
• Temperature is key for a juicy bird. That means allowing the uncooked bird to sit at room temperate before it goes into the oven, cooking it to an internal temperature of 160 degrees (it will continue to cook as it rests), and testing it in the leg, thigh, and breast when determining doneness.
• REST! The bird needs to be covered loosely and allowed to rest for at least 15 mins when it comes out of the oven to let all those juices redistribute. If you skip the oh-so-important resting, all those gorgeous juices will pour out when you slice into it and leave you with a dry bird. Worth the wait, trust me.

So how do you know when the chicken is done?

Well, you can use an instant read thermometer and remove it when it reaches just shy of 160 degrees as it will continue to cook as it rests. Be sure to test it in several places including between the thigh and leg, but careful not to touch the bone. It’s equally important to trust your instincts and determine doneness by looking and feeling. My tried and true method to determine doneness is to pierce the bird between the thigh and leg and if the juices run clear, it should be good to go. You can also tell by pressing on the breast; it should feel firm, but not dried out.

Okay, now we’ve got our perfectly cooked, well rested bird. Time for carving.

Grab yourself a sharp knife and have at it. I remove the legs first (thigh and drumstick), then the wings, then finally the breasts. Instead of slicing the meat off the bird, I remove each breast whole, then slice it to serve. Lastly, cut away all those bits of goodness from the carcass that you might have missed on the first pass. Then drizzle with the pan drippings and it’s time to eat.

If you’ve been intimidated to roast a whole bird, I hope I’ve convinced you to give it a try. It’s so easy that you’ll be kicking yourself for not doing it sooner. Leftovers (if you have any)? Try these tasty recipes that works with leftover chicken or turkey:

• Waldorf Chicken Salad
• Chicken, Brie and Apple Panini
• Leftover Turkey Tacos
• Turkey Stew

New to cast iron? Here’s everything you need to know about cooking in cast iron pans!

5 from 3 votes

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Perfect Roast Chicken

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

50 mins

Resting Time

15 mins

Total Time

1 hr 5 mins

 

Making the perfect roast chicken is so much easier than you think! A few simple tips and techniques will yield a juicy bird with crispy skin and tons of flavor! Pop a whole chicken in the oven in a cast iron skillet and watch the magic happen.

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: roast chicken

Servings: 4 Servings

Calories: 583 kcal

Author: Cathy Roma | What Should I Make For...

Ingredients

Lemon Herb Butter

• 2 oz unsalted butter, softened (1/2 stick)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp rosemary, minced
• 1 Tbsp parsley, minced
• 1 Tbsp fresh thyme, minced
• zest of one lemon
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• Kosher salt and pepper

Roast Chicken

• 4 lb whole chicken, giblets removed
• 1 1/2 Tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 3-4 sprigs thyme
• 1/2 lemon, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• *kitchen twine for trussing

Instructions

Lemon Herb Butter

1. Combine all the ingredients in a mini prep or food processor and blend until combined. Alternatively mix by hand.

Roast Chicken

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and remove chicken from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes.

2. Pat the chicken dry, both in and out and season liberally with salt and pepper.

3. Stuff the cavity loosely with the herbs, lemon, and garlic.
   
4. Spread the herb butter all over chicken, including under the skin.

5. Fold the wings behind the bird and truss the bird or simply tie the legs together. Place the bird in a cast iron skillet (my preference,) a roasting pan, or an oven-safe skillet and roast until a thermometer reads 160 degrees (about 50 minutes) or until the juices run clear. Baste it occasionally as it cooks.

6. Remove from the oven and tent the bird loosely with foil and let it rest 15 minutes before carving.

Recipe Notes

• For a smaller bird (3 - 5 lbs, not a Thanksgiving turkey), I've found that high heat (450 degrees F) for a shorter period yields optimal results.
• Temperature is key for a juicy bird. That means allowing the uncooked bird to sit at room temperate before it goes into the oven, cooking it to an internal temperature of 160 degrees (it will continue to cook as it rests), and testing it in the leg, thigh, and breast when determining doneness.
• REST! The bird needs to be covered loosely and allowed to rest for at least 15 mins when it comes out of the oven to let all those juices redistribute. If you skip the oh-so-important resting, all those gorgeous juices will pour out when you slice into it and leave you with a dry bird. Worth the wait, trust me.

Nutrition Facts

Perfect Roast Chicken

Amount Per Serving

Calories 583 Calories from Fat 396

% Daily Value*

Fat 44g68%

Saturated Fat 16g100%

Cholesterol 193mg64%

Sodium 2772mg121%

Potassium 434mg12%

Carbohydrates 3g1%

Protein 41g82%

Vitamin A 885IU18%

Vitamin C 12.9mg16%

Calcium 53mg5%

Iron 2.8mg16%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Update Notes: This post was originally published in February 2016 but was republished with step-by-step photos and tips in January 2019.