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Buttery Whole Roasted Chicken with Potatoes and Carrots 🥔
A whole roasted chicken is my idea of a perfect Sunday. Herb butter pushed under the skin, lemon in the cavity, and the whole bird set over potatoes, carrots, and onions so the vegetables cook in the drippings. Twenty minutes of actual work, then the oven takes it from there and the whole house starts smelling like something.
Servings: 6
Calories: 545kcal
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Equipment
- Butcher Twine
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken about 4.5 lbs
- 6 tbsp salted butter
- 5 garlic cloves 3 minced and 2 cut in half (keep the scraps also)
- 4 sprigs fresh basil 2 finely chopped and 2 left whole
- 2 large white or yellow onions 1 sliced and 1 quartered (keep the scraps also)
- 3 large russet or gold potatoes sliced into 1 inch pieces
- 3 carrots peeled and sliced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp chicken seasoning
- Kosher salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 lemons juiced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 475 degrees F. Melt the butter and add 3 minced garlic cloves and the chopped basil. Mix together and set aside.
- In a large Dutch oven or oven-safe casserole dish, add the sliced onions to the bottom of the dish. Then add the sliced potatoes. Generously sprinkle kosher salt (about 1 tbsp) and then add the carrots. Drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil and then 1 tbsp chicken seasoning.
- Prepare the chicken by removing the giblets from the cavity and patting it dry with a paper towel. Liberally season the cavity and the outside of the chicken with salt and pepper (about 1 tbsp kosher salt and 1 tsp pepper).
- Cut the lemons in half and reserve the juice.
- Slather the butter mixture all over the chicken, including under the breast skin.
- Stuff the cavity with the quartered onion and scraps, halved garlic and scraps, whole basil sprigs, and half a lemon. You can tie the legs together with kitchen twine if you like.
- Pour the reserved lemon juice all over the chicken.
- Roast uncovered for 15 minutes at 475 degrees F. Then reduce the oven to 350 degrees F and continue roasting, uncovered, about 20 minutes per pound (or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F) — roughly 1 hour 30 minutes total for a 4.5 lb chicken. Let the chicken rest 10-15 minutes before carving.
Nutrition
Calories: 545kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 125mg | Sodium: 208mg | Potassium: 890mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 5648IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Tips for Making This Recipe
- Pat the chicken very dry before buttering it. Dry skin crisps; wet skin steams.
- Loosen the skin and push some herb butter underneath for the juiciest breast meat.
- Truss the legs and tuck the wings so it roasts evenly.
- Let it rest 15 minutes before carving so the juices redistribute.
- Use a thermometer: 165F at the thickest part of the thigh means it’s done.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why put the butter under the skin instead of on top?
On top it mostly slides off into the pan. Underneath, it bastes the breast meat the entire time it roasts, which is the difference between juicy and dry.
Do I need a Dutch oven?
It gives the best results, but any deep roasting pan works. What matters is the vegetables sitting underneath to catch the drippings.
How do I get crispier skin?
Pat the bird very dry before the butter goes on, roast it uncovered, and don’t crowd the pan.
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