Roast chicken with lemon herb butter, cooked until golden on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. This simple recipe shows how easy it is to make roast chicken for your Sunday dinner with minimal fuss and maximum flavour.
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👩🏻🍳 Why make this recipe
A whole roast chicken is a great option for Sunday dinner at home. Roast chicken is smaller, cheaper and easier to cook than any other roast dinner option. However, Roast beef, Roast Turkey or Leg of lamb are also achievable, but may just require a little more time, effort and expense.
This recipe is all about roasting that perfect chicken with a glistening skin that has been lovingly basted with lemon herb butter. With very little time and effort you can make a succulent whole roast chicken that will go down a storm, especially when served up with all the trimmings. Try with homemade Yorkshire Puddings, crispy roast potatoes, creamy mash potatoes, cauliflower cheese, honey glazed carrots and parsnips, green bean almondine and of course lashings of gravy.
🥘 Ingredients
To make a whole roast chicken with lemon and herb butter you will need:
- 50g Softened butter
- 2 cloves Garlic
- Zest and juice of ½ lemon
- 3 Sprigs fresh thyme (leaves removed from stems)
- 1.5 kg Whole chicken
- 2 Springs rosemary
- 3 Sprigs thyme
- 2 Bay leaves
- ½ Lemon
- ½ Garlic bulb
- Salt and pepper
- Roughly chopped root veggies
Ingredient notes
Recipe: For the full recipe and amounts required, see the recipe card below and use the toggle button to see the recipe in cups.
Garlic: This recipe uses fresh garlic but you could substitute with jarred garlic or garlic paste.
Fresh herbs: This recipe uses fresh herbs for the both the butter and chicken. However, if you can't get hold of fresh you can replace each with a teaspoon of dried herbs.
Root vegetables: The root vegetables are used as a rack for the chicken to sit on. I prefer to use veg as it adds to the flavour. However, if you have a metal rack for your roasting tin you can just use this instead.
🔪 Step by step instructions
- Pre heat the oven to 190°C (Fan) / 375°F. Prepare the herb butter by mashing the butter with minced garlic, lemon juice and zest and fresh thyme leaves. Then set to one side.
- Unpack the chicken and remove any giblets from the cavity. If the legs are tied together, un-tie and open up to see inside the cavity. Place half a lemon, half a garlic bulb inside the cavity. Next take 2 sprigs of rosemary, together with 3 sprigs of thyme and wrap 2 bay leaves around the sprigs. Secure the bunch of fresh herbs by wrapping and tying with string. Add the bunch of herbs to the cavity along with the lemon and garlic.
- Next, take the lemon herb butter and use the back of a spoon to spread the butter all over the surface of the chicken skin. Make sure to spread over the legs and wings as well.
- Once the butter is evenly spread, bring the legs back together to close the entrance to the cavity and tie with string.
- Roughly chop up some root vegetables to sit in the base of the roasting tin to act as a rack for the chicken. Carefully transfer the prepared chicken onto the vegetable rack.
- Place the roasting tin into the centre of the preheated oven and cook according to the weight of the bird: Cook for 20 minutes per lb or per 500g, plus an extra 20 minutes after this. Check the chicken at least once (ideally 2 or 3 times) during cooking and baste (spoon juices back over the skin). If the skin looks like it might be burning at any point, pop over a bit of foil.
- Check the chicken is cooked by inserting a skewer into the breast. The juices should run out clear. Alternatively insert a meat thermometer into the breast. If the chicken appears under cooked place back in the oven for 10 minute intervals until cooked. Then cover and rest for around 10 minutes. You can use this time to dish up the rest of your Sunday roast.
- After the chicken is well rested, remove the foil and transfer the chicken to a carving board. Carve with a sharp knife and serve.
💭 Expert tips
- If using fresh garlic in the herb butter: Mince the garlic by chopping finely, then add a pinch of sea salt and scrape the knife over the garlic and salt to create a garlic paste.
- Cook the chicken on a bed of chopped carrots and onions, which raises the chicken up out of its juices. This adds to the flavour and releases moisture during cooking, which helps to keep the meat succulent.
- Coat the skin in the lemon herb butter before cooking to add flavour and to keep moisture in.
- Sit the chicken on a rack of chopped veg (which will release moisture) to help prevent the meat from drying out.
- Baste the chicken two or three times during cooking to keep the flavour in and to help the skin cook and turn golden brown.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Covering a chicken with foil during roasting is not necessary and I much prefer to leave the skin uncovered giving it plenty of time to turn to a nice golden brown colour. Follow the tips above to ensure the meat stays nice and juicy.
As a general rule chicken should be roasted for 20 minutes per lb or per 500g, plus an extra 20 minutes after that. So a 1.5kg chicken would need 1 hour 20 minutes and a 2kg chicken would need 1 hour 40 minutes. During roasting the chicken should be checked at least once (2 or 3 times if you can) and basted with the juices.
To make sure a chicken is thoroughly cooked, it should be roasted at approximately 180-190°C (Fan) / 350-375°F. You can pick the higher or lower end of this depending on how your oven cooks.
You should be looking for the thermometer to reach 75°C / 165°F when inserted into the middle of the chicken breast.
🥘 Other sunday roast recipes
- Roast Beef Dinner
- Cauliflower Cheese
- Classic Fish Pie Recipe
- Lamb Pie Recipe
- Green Bean Almondine
- Foil Pack Potatoes
- Honey Glazed Carrots and Parsnips
- Short on time? Then try this easy Chicken and leek recipe instead.
If you've tried this recipe, let me know what you think by leaving a star rating in the recipe card or comment section below. I always appreciate your feedback! You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram or Sign up to my email list!
📖 Recipe
Roast Chicken
Equipment
- Medium mixing bowl
- String (for tying herbs together and for tying together chicken legs)
- Large roasting tin
- Carving knife
Ingredients
For the lemon herb butter
- 50 g Softened butter
- 2 cloves Garlic
- ½ lemon juiced and zested
- 3 Sprigs fresh thyme leaves removed from stems
For the chicken:
- 1.5 kg Whole chicken
- ½ Lemon
- ½ Garlic bulb
- 2 Springs rosemary
- 3 Sprigs thyme
- 2 Bay leaves
- Salt and pepper
- Root veggies roughly chopped to sit the chicken on in the tray
Instructions
- Pre heat the oven to 190°C (Fan) / 375°F. Prepare the herb butter by mashing the butter with minced garlic, lemon juice and zest and fresh thyme leaves. Set to one side. NOTE: Mash together using a fork.50 g Softened butter, 2 cloves Garlic, ½ lemon juiced and zested, 3 Sprigs fresh thyme
- Remove and discard any packaging from the chicken. If you have bought the chicken from your butchers check the cavity for the giblets. Remove and discard the giblets or if you prefer use to make gravy. If the legs are tied together, un-tie and open up to see inside the cavity. Place half a lemon, half a garlic bulb inside the cavity. Next take 2 sprigs of rosemary, together with 3 sprigs of thyme and wrap 2 bay leaves around the sprigs. Secure the bunch of fresh herbs by wrapping and tying with string. Add the bunch of herbs to the cavity along with the lemon and garlic.1.5 kg Whole chicken, 2 Springs rosemary, 3 Sprigs thyme, ½ Lemon, ½ Garlic bulb, 2 Bay leaves
- Next, take the lemon herb butter and use the back of a spoon to spread the butter all over the surface of the chicken skin. Make sure to spread over the legs and wings as well. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the top of the butter.Salt and pepper
- Once the butter is evenly spread, bring the legs back together to close the entrance to the cavity and tie with string.
- Roughly chop up some root vegetables to sit in the base of the roasting tin to act as a rack for the chicken. Carefully transfer the prepared chicken onto the vegetable rack.Root veggies roughly chopped to sit the chicken on in the tray
- Place the roasting tin into the centre of the preheated oven and cook according to the weight of the bird: Cook for 20 minutes per lb or per 500g, plus an extra 20 minutes after this. Check the chicken at least once (ideally 2 or 3 times) during cooking and baste (spoon juices back over the skin). If the skin looks like it might be burning at any point, pop over a bit of foil.
- Check the chicken is cooked by inserting a skewer into the breast. The juices should run out clear. Alternatively insert a meat thermometer into the breast. If the chicken appears under cooked place back in the oven for 10 minute intervals until cooked. If you are satisfied that the chicken is thoroughly cooked, cover with foil and then a tea towel (to keep the heat in) and rest for around 10 minutes. You can use this time to dish up the rest of your Sunday roast.
- After the chicken is well rested, remove the foil and transfer the chicken to a carving board. Carve with a sharp knife and serve.
Video
Nutrition
Notes
This post was first published in Feb 2020. Updated in Oct 2021 with new step by step instructions and expert tips.
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