Recipes › Rosemary › Rosemary Garlic Roast Chicken
Rosemary Garlic Roast Chicken
A beautifully golden, herb-scented roast chicken is one of the most satisfying things you can make in a home kitchen, and this rosemary-garlic version is the definitive recipe. A simple rub of butter, fresh rosemary, garlic, and lemon zest under and over the skin yields crackling, fragrant skin and juicy, flavorful meat throughout. This is Sunday dinner at its finest.
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Ingredients
- 4 tbsp fresh rosemary, leaves stripped and finely chopped
- 4 lbs whole chicken, patted completely dry inside and out
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, softenedOlive oil for dairy-free
- 6 cloves garlic, 4 minced, 2 smashed for cavity
- 1 lemon, zested and halved
- 1½ tsp salt
- ¾ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Contains: milk.
Method
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Mix softened butter with minced garlic, chopped rosemary, lemon zest, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper until smooth.About 5 min
- Loosen the skin over the chicken breast by sliding your fingers under it. Push most of the herb butter under the skin and rub the remainder all over the outside of the chicken. Rub the outside with olive oil. Season all over with remaining salt and pepper.About 8 min
- Stuff the cavity with smashed garlic cloves, lemon halves, and a few rosemary sprigs if available. Truss the legs with kitchen twine if desired.About 5 min
- Place chicken breast-side up in a roasting pan or cast-iron skillet. Roast for 60-70 minutes until the skin is deep golden brown and a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F. Rest for 10 minutes before carving.About 72 min
Tips
- Drying the chicken thoroughly before roasting is the key to crispy skin — even overnight in the fridge uncovered is ideal.
- Pushing butter under the skin ensures the breast meat stays moist even when the outside is crispy.
- Let the chicken rest for at least 10 minutes before carving — the juices redistribute into the meat.
Ring the changes
- Add 1 cup of white wine to the roasting pan for a more complex pan sauce.
- Stuff the cavity with preserved lemon and olives for a North African-inspired version.
Keeping it
Refrigerate leftover chicken for up to 3 days. Use carcass for stock.
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More from the same crop
This is the restaurant method for a perfect pan-seared steak — a hot cast-iron skillet, a quick sear, then basted relentlessly with foaming rosemary-garlic butter until the meat is a perfect medium-rare. The butter, infused with rosemary and garlic as it foams, creates a fragrant, rich crust that elevates the steak to something genuinely extraordinary. A classic that never gets old.
20 min · medium · Rosemary
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