Garlic and herb whole roasted chicken
This roast chicken recipe stands out from the others when it is baked with fresh herbs and hints of garlic.
The differences with this recipe are in the ingredients and technique.
Using stock and herb butter keeps meat moist, and the chicken is lifted up as it roasts, making the skin crispy.
Garlic and herb roasted chicken is an easy Sunday night meal for family and friends. that satisfies every tastebud with tender, juicy meat, crisp skin, and fresh flavours.
The next day, shred any leftover meat and add to a quick and easy chicken soup recipe.
Or make chilled garlic and herb roasted chicken your protein in a light lunchtime salad.
Then, simmer the remaining bones and skin with vegetables for a healthy homemade chicken stock.
This garlic and herb whole roasted chicken recipe is also Keto-friendly because even though we’ll use onion slices, today we’ll turn then into excellent roasting props!
TIP:
Rosemary, sage, and thyme are known as the poultry herbs when used together!
If you grow your own herbs, you may notice they are a brighter green when young, but don’t wait for them to mature before trying this recipe as the flavours will still be amazingly delicious!
A quick note on onions and keto
The onion in this recipe serves two purposes – it keeps the chicken out from the juices while cooking but also gives the pan sauce an interesting yet mild flavour.
If you are on a Keto diet, after cooking, discard the onions to keep the overall carbohydrate count low.
If you prefer to not cook with onions, slide ovenproof metal cookie cutters or several small balls of aluminium foil under the chicken.
The secret to an all-over crispy skin is lifting the chicken up while it cooks.
I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post at no cost to you. Read my full disclosure here.
A quick note on black pepper
Black pepper is a staple in everyone’s kitchen but it was once more valued than gold!
If you fancy a change from your traditional black pepper there are so many other varieties available today.
Some are making a popular comeback from their historical past because they’re either milder, sweeter and far more interesting without that sharp bite.
Long pepper is one of my favourites for that reason.
Mine, photographed below, were grown in India however, I’ve just learned there is a Thai Long Peppercorn which I want to try.
Or, you could try a completely different peppercorn
Szechuan peppercorns are delicious and I recommend using them in baking or with popcorn!
The green variety has citrus, Asian flavours.
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Garlic and Herb Whole Roasted Chicken
What is an oven-safe frying pan or skillet?
ºIf your pan and handle are made from materials such as cast iron, ceramic, copper, enamelled cast iron, or stainless steel then they are more than likely, oven-safe.
Avoid any skillets with Teflon coatings and make sure yours is designed for high-temperature roasting (up to 500° F).
My first choice is a 12″ enamelled cast iron frying pan because we’re using liquid.
Lodge has a double loop handle which makes cupboard storage easier and you should be able to fit this in a smaller oven.
They make theirs in red, white, and blue!
Cuisinart designed their chicken frying pan a loop and long handle which makes for a safer, more practical stove-top frying pan when you need one.
They come in black, red, and blue!
If you’re torn between both designs, you honestly can’t go wrong with either, just check it fits inside your oven and cupboards.
My second choice is a well-seasoned deep cast iron frying pan.
And again, I like, and use, Lodge. The company has been around since 1896 which is for-almost-ever and my pans are going strong.
Can I use an ordinary frying pan?
No. Your regular frying pan may buckle and is most likely too shallow.
Here’s why you need a specific frying pan for roasting a chicken:
- handles on both sides make it far easier and much safer to move a roast in and out of the oven.
- Deeper, 3″ sides will prevent your stunning chicken masterpiece rolling out of the pan as you gently lift it from the oven.
I recommend not using a single long-handled pan because it’s almost impossible to lift a 5-6 lb chicken out of the oven with hot liquid with it, without risk of an injury.
Why use an oven-safe frying pan or skillet?
The greatest part about using a skillet in this recipe is, not only do you have one less pan to clean, (one to roast the chicken and another to make the sauce) but it’s so much quicker and easier to simply use the same pan the chicken was roasted in.
What you need
Equipment
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cups
- Chopping board
- Mortar and pestle if using dried herbs
- Chef’s 8″ knife
- Large, 12″ long x 3″ deep, heavy-duty, high-sided, oven-proof skillet
- Kitchen shears
- Small mixing bowl
- Paper towel for herbs and chicken
- Aluminum foil
- Meat thermometer
- Tongs to help remove the chicken
- Serving platter or board
Optional:
~ zester for lemon
~ nutmeg grinder
~ plastic to wrap and store herb butter if making extra.
Ingredients
- 1-2 large onions, peeled and cut into thick slices (1″ slices)
- 1x 5-6 lb. whole organic chicken
- Sea salt or coarse salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 small bunch of fresh mixed poultry herbs (rosemary, sage, and thyme), rinsed, dried, separated, and then divided into thirds
- ¼ c. unsalted butter, room temperature
- 6-8 large garlic cloves, peeled, finely minced and divided in half
- 1 c. homemade organic chicken broth or a mix of broth and white wine.
~ Zest of one small lemon
~ Freshly ground nutmeg to taste
What if you have only one fresh herb and the others are dried?
No problem!
You’ll need to adjust the quantities a little.
For this recipe, I ran into the same problem – I only had dried rosemary and sage, and fresh thyme.
Rosemary is the strongest of herbs once it’s dried, so I used less.
Here’s what I did:
- 3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves crushed by a mortar and pestle
- 2 teaspoons dried sage leaves crushed by a mortar and pestle
- approximately 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
Steps
1. Preheat oven to 425° F and arrange onion slices or aluminium balls in the bottom of a large, heavy-duty 12” oven-proof skillet that has high sides.
2. Remove and discard neck and giblets (if any) from chicken. Set them aside in a covered dish and refrigerate to make stock the following day.
Pat chicken dry with paper towels and generously season the outside with sea salt and black pepper.
3. Separate out approximately 1/3 of the fresh rosemary, sage, and thyme.
Remove and discard tough stems from the thyme and rosemary leaves.
Combine all leaves, roughly chop and transfer to a small mixing bowl.
4. Add the softened butter and half of the minced garlic to the chopped fresh herbs.
If using lemon zest and nutmeg, add it now.
Stir until well blended.
Divide the garlic and herbed butter into several small chunks.
With your fingers, loosen and gently lift away all chicken skin around the breast area.
Insert butter chunks and spread herbed butter evenly over the meat.
How your herb butter should look
5. With the remaining minced garlic, massage inside the chicken cavity before stuffing with the remaining fresh herbs.
Secure legs together with kitchen string.
Place bird breast-side up in the skillet and on top of the onion slices.
6. Add the chicken broth to the skillet.
7. Place skillet in the preheated oven and roast for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165° F.
Roasting tips:
TIP: Check every 30 minutes while cooking to make sure the skin isn’t becoming too brown.
If it is, cover with aluminium foil.
TIP: After 1 hour, check for doneness then test again after 15-20 minutes.
8. Remove skillet from oven and carefully transfer chicken to a serving platter.
Cover the chicken loosely with aluminium foil to keep warm.
Allow the roast chicken to rest for 15-20 minutes.
9. While the chicken rests, discard the onion slices in the skillet and heat the remaining liquid over medium-high heat on a stovetop.
Scrape the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon to remove the browned bits.
Continue cooking until the liquid is reduced by one half.
Once reduced, taste for flavour and season with sea salt and black pepper, if desired.
Serving your garlic and herb roasted chicken
This takes a little thought and planning ahead of time but is worth it!
When choosing your serving platter, consider the colour and design.
Will your roasted chicken dish look inviting with white and dark meat and a pop of fresh green herbs?
Next, consider the design – you’ll need a small lip around the edges so it’s harder to spill any juices.
How to serve your garlic and herb roasted chicken 3 ways
If bringing the chicken to the table already carved:
Carve and arrange chicken slices on the platter.
Pour the pan sauce into a small jug.
Garnish the platter with sprigs of rosemary, sage, or thyme fresh herbs.
You could also simply bring the whole chicken to the table and carve at the table.
Arrange fresh herbs around the roasted chicken.
If serving the chicken already plated:
After carving the chicken, transfer enough slices of meat per person to warm plates.
Top each serving with a spoonful or more of the warm pan sauce.
Optional:
Snip then sprinkle small leaves of your favourite herb over each plate for an extra pop of colour.
A rustic, homemade ceramic platter would look fabulous served with sliced herb and garlic chicken.
This design makes it easy to pass the platter with higher walls so you won’t have juice and meat spill.
4 great reasons why I love this recipe
- It’s Keto diet-friendly.
- You’ll have herb butter for other recipes, just double the butter and herb ingredients and divide in half before adding the garlic.
- So easy to make and mouthwatering-delicious.
- There is very little food waste as you’ll get two, if not three, meals from one chicken; your main meal and a staple must-have, homemade chicken stock.
More gift suggestions:
If kitchen cupboard space is limited and you decide to double up and have a 3-in-1 charcuterie, cheese board, and meat paddle board, then make yours stand out.
This walnut wood board is handmade.
Each board is slightly different and unique because of the resin design.
Garlic and Herb Roasted Chicken
Equipment
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cups
- Chopping board
- Chef's 8" knife
- 12" high-walled, oven-proof skillet
- Oven mitts
- Carving knife and fork
- Serving platter
- Paper towel
- Aluminum foil (if not using onion)
Ingredients
- 6 lb whole chicken organic
- 2 large white onions
- 1 bunch poultry herbs Rosemary, sage, thyme
- 1/4 c unsalted butter
- 8 cloves garlic
- 1 c chicken stock homemade, no salt
- pinch sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425° F. Cut thick onion slices or make sevearl aluminum balls and arrange in the bottom of a large, heavy-duty 12” skillet with high (3") sides.
- Remove and discard neck and giblets (if any) from chicken. Reserve for chicken stock.Pat chicken dry with paper towels and generously season the outside skin with salt and black pepper.
- Separate approximately 1/3 of the fresh rosemary, sage, and thyme. Remove and discard any tough stems from the thyme and rosemary leaves. Combine all leaves and roughly chop. Transfer to a small mixing bowl.
- Add the softened butter and half the minced garlic to the chopped fresh herbs.Stir until well blended. Divide the garlic and herbed butter into several small chunks. Using your fingers, loosen and gently lift away all chicken skin around the breast area. Insert butter chunks and spread evenly over the meat.
- With the remaining minced garlic, massage inside the chicken cavity before stuffing with the remaining fresh herbs. Secure legs together with kitchen string.Place bird breast-side up in the skillet, on top of the onion slices.
- Add the chicken broth to the skillet.
- Place skillet in the preheated oven and roast for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165° F.
- Remove the skillet from oven and carefully transfer chicken to a serving platter. Cover loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm and let the chicken roast rest for15-20 minutes.
- While the chicken rests, discard the onion slices in the skillet and heat the remaining liquid over medium-high heat on a stovetop. Scrape the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon to remove the browned bits. Continue cooking until the liquid is reduced by one half. Once reduced, taste and season with salt and black pepper, if desired.
To serve:
- Carve the chicken and arrange on a warm platter. Pour the warm pan sauce into a serving dish. Alternatively, plate the chicken slices and top each serving with a spoonful of the warm pan sauce. Garnish with a sprig of your favourite fresh herb.
