Herb Roasted Chicken

Tasty Herb Roasted Chicken

We love flavorful food and this herb-roasted chicken is loaded with flavor! This is not your average rotisserie chicken as this herb roasted chicken is truly tasty and enjoyable!

This is our original recipe! It is so garlicky and herby with crispy skin outside of the chicken and juicy meat inside. Using dried spices makes for a quick prep without sacrificing flavor!

This is the kind of meal we want to make after a long day of parenting, homeschooling, blogging, and all the other cares of life. With only 10 minutes of prep time, you can stick this chicken in the oven and focus on other things. There is no dry brine or extensive steps involved. It isn’t hard work, yet it produces a wonderful weeknight dinner.

Ingredients For Easy Roast Chicken

Here are the ingredients you need for Herb Roasted Chicken. Using dried spices and herbs makes this recipe so easy that even our 9-year-old can follow it! However, we have also included instructions for using fresh herbs if that’s what you want to use.

Get the following ingredients to make herb-roasted chicken:

• Whole Chicken: You need a 5-pound whole chicken for this recipe. We love using organic chicken but any chicken you can lay hands on would work.
• Garlic Powder: An important spice in every kitchen. You can also use fresh garlic cloves, minced, but we suggest the powder since it doesn’t burn as easily.
• Onion Powder: Adds lots of flavor.
• Dried Herbs: You will need an assortment of dried herbs. Specifically, you’ll want to round up some dried parsley, thyme, and basil!
• Chicken Bouillon Powder: This powdered seasoning is a concentrated form of chicken broth and adds so much flavor to the roast chicken.
• Salt and Black Pepper. Use table salt or kosher salt. You only need 1/2 teaspoon salt, but you can add more if you wish.
• Unsalted Butter: butter helps the top of the chicken crisp up and adds flavor. Melt it so that it is easier to apply than just softened butter.

For the full list of ingredients with measurements, check out the recipe card below.

Can we Use Fresh Herbs?

Yes, you can definitely use fresh herbs for the herb mixture in herb-roasted chicken. Use one and a half the quantity of fresh herbs instead of the dried herbs the recipe calls for.

For example to convert 1 teaspoon of dried thyme to fresh, use 1 1/2 teaspoons of fresh thyme leaves plucked from the stem. Or to convert 2 teaspoons of dried parsley to fresh, use 3 teaspoons of freshly parsley.

Other great options to include in this herb-roasted chicken recipe are:

• Fresh rosemary sprigs
• Fresh cilantro
• Fresh oregano

Other ways

Try the following variations with Herb Roasted Chicken:

• Herb Roasted Chicken and Potatoes: Add potatoes to the roasting pan so they cook along with the chicken and you have a complete meal. You can also use sweet potatoes!
• Roast Chicken and Vegetables: Roast the chicken together with vegetables like broccoli, carrots, green beans, and bell peppers to make roast chicken with vegetables. You can also cook the chicken on a bed of onions during the roasting process, supplying an excellent flavor.
• Mayonnaise Roasted Chicken. Mix the herbs with mayonnaise and rub all over the chicken to add another layer of flavor and make mayonnaise-roasted chicken. With this method, keep an eye on it as the chicken may brown too quickly due to the mayo. Loosely cover the chicken with aluminum foil if it starts to brown too quickly. Also, see our mayonnaise chicken recipe.
• Lemon Herb Chicken. Add some lemon zest to the herb rub. In a small bowl combine butter (or olive oil) with herbs and lemon zest to make the butter mixture. Add a bit of lemon juice for a vibrant, lemony herb butter. Another option is to make garlic butter with lemon.
• Stuffed Chicken. You can fill the cavity of the chicken with herbs, lemon slices, cloves of garlic, or whatever you wish. Adding ingredients to the chicken cavity can take this recipe to the next level.

How it comes together

1. Pat chicken dry. Dry chicken by patting it using paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. The drier the chicken skin, the crispier it will get when roasted.

2. Season chicken. Mix together all the seasonings then rub them all over the chicken. Loosen the skin above breast meat and rub some seasoning under the skin. Place chicken in a baking dish then drizzle melted butter all over the chicken. Tie chicken legs with kitchen twine.

3. Roast chicken in the oven. Place the chicken in the oven and let it roast for one hour and 15 minutes cooking time until golden brown and cooked through. The chicken is cooked through when the thickest part of the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Let chicken rest a few minutes before serving. You can move it to a cutting board or serve it on a nice platter.

Hint: Tent the chicken with aluminum foil if it starts to brown too quickly before it is done.

How Long Should we Roast A Whole Chicken?

Roast a 5-pound chicken at 400 degrees Fahrenheit (or 200 degrees Celsius) for about 1 hour 15 minutes until all the juices run clear.

As a general rule, roast whole thawed chicken at 400 degrees Fahrenheit or 200 degrees Celsius at about 15 minutes per pound.

To ensure your chicken is properly cooked, insert an instant-read meat thermometer (or a probe thermometer) into the thickest part of the breast and other various parts of the chicken. The chicken is done when the thermometer reads at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

It should have tender meat inside and the top of the skin should be golden. Be careful not to overcook because you will lose all of those satisfying juices!

Herbs For Roasting Chicken

There are lots of herbs that go well with chicken. They include:

• Parsley
• Thyme
• Rosemary
• Cilantro or coriander
• Basil
• Sage
• Oregano
• Tarragon
• Marjoram

Do You Roast Chicken Covered Or Uncovered?

The preferred method is to roast chicken uncovered so the skin crisps up. However, if the skin browns too quickly, loosely cover the chicken with foil during the last minutes of cooking so it doesn’t burn.

Another method is to start off by roasting the chicken covered then remove the covering during the last 15-20 minutes so the skin crisps up.

What To Serve With Herb Roasted Chicken

• Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes: Tasty mashed potatoes and herb-roasted chicken make a great holiday dinner or entertaining dinner.
• Sauteed Peppers: Add some texture and crunch with easy sauteed bell peppers that you can make in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. It only takes a few minutes to make!
• Roasted Potatoes: Roast some potatoes to go along with the chicken. You could even season the potatoes and roast them at the bottom of the pan that the chicken is in. This is one of the best ways to make a one-pan dinner!
• Lettuce Salad: Serve the chicken with a light and refreshing lettuce salad.
• Coconut Rice: Nothing beats the combination of chicken and rice and this easy coconut rice just pairs so well with chicken.
• Cucumber Tomato Onion Salad: A light and refreshing cucumber salad for crunch and a pack of nutrients.
• Easy Dinner Rolls: Enjoy roast chicken with these soft and fluffy one hour dinner rolls. A great option for quick and satisfying bread.

• Yield: 6 servings
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Total: 1 hour 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 5 pound chicken (2.5 kg)
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon powder, *Note 1
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• Oil for greasing pan

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400° F (200° C).
2. Pat chicken dry using paper towels.
3. In a bowl mix together the garlic powder, onion powder, dried basil, dried parsley, dried thyme with salt and chicken bouillon powder.
4. Rub the seasonings all over the chicken. Loosen the skin above the chicken breasts a little then rub some seasoning under the skin.
5. Tie the chicken legs using kitchen twine.
6. Line a 9 by 13 baking dish with aluminium foil for easy clean up. Generously rub oil on the foil. (Alternately rub oil on the pan to use directly without any foil.)
7. Transfer chicken to the pan then tuck the chicken wings underneath the chicken (this helps with even cooking).
8. Drizzle the melted butter all over the chicken. Or use a basting brush to brush the melted butter on the chicken.
9. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through. Rotate the pan halfway through cooking for even browning. Loosely cover the chicken with foil after about 45 minutes if it is browning too quickly. The chicken is cooked through when the thickest part of the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit when checked with an instant-read meat thermometer.
10. Serve with a vegetable side dish and starchy side like sauteed peppers and roasted potatoes.