And I have several favorite roast chicken recipes throughout Lemony Thyme.

Yes, there’s double butter happening here.

Something special happens when chopped fresh herbs are swirled into creamy butter then tucked under the skin of a whole chicken.

In an instant she becomes a self-basting bird. That guarantees the most beautiful crispy skin and undeniably juicy results.

The Herb Butter Process

Loosen the skin on your chicken by sliding your fingers under the skin, over the breasts and thighs, lifting gently.

Then again, using your hands work the herb butter mixture underneath the skin. Finish with a nice rub on top of the skin.

Once she’s buttered up, place on a rack in a baking dish and roast in a 425 degree oven for 30 minutes uncovered. Then reduce the temp. to 350 degrees and cook an additional 1 hour or until juices run clear (and/or thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 160 degrees).

Tent loosely with foil midway through cooking to prevent over browning.

Remove from the oven and allow to rest at least 15 minutes (the temperature will rise 5 degrees to 165 degrees while resting), this insures your juices remain in the bird and not on your cutting board.

Serve your Herb Butter Whole Roasted Chicken with Basil Butter – made by adding chopped fresh basil and grated Parmesan cheese to softened butter.

This is seriously the best way to serve chicken. The parm brings a little salty and the basil adds a nice bright herb flavor.

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Herb Butter Whole Roasted Chicken {with Basil Butter}

Something special happens when chopped fresh herbs are swirled into creamy butter then tucked under the skin of a whole chicken. In an instant she becomes a self-basting bird that guarantees the most beautiful crispy skin and undeniably juicy results.

Course Main Course

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

For the Chicken

• 1 4-5 lb. whole chicken
• 4 Tbl. butter room temperature
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves chopped
• 1 Tbl. fresh oregano leaves chopped
• 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves chopped
• 1 tsp. fresh rosemary minced
• salt & pepper to taste

For the Basil Butter

• 4 Tbl. butter room temperature
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves chopped
• 2 Tbl. Parmesan cheese freshly grated
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

For the Chicken

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Discard neck/gizzards or save for making broth. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl.
• Loosen the skin by sliding your fingers under the skin, over the breasts and thighs, lifting gently. Using your hands work the herb butter mixture underneath the skin and finish with a nice rub on top of the skin.
• Place chicken on a rack in a baking dish and roast in a 425 degree oven for 30 minutes uncovered, then reduce the temp. to 350 degrees and cook an additional 1 hour or until juices run clear and/or thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 160 degrees. Tent loosely with foil midway through cooking to prevent over browning.
• Remove from the oven and allow to rest at least 15 minutes (the temperature will rise 5 degrees to 165 degrees while resting), this insures your juices remain in the bird and not on your cutting board. Carve and serve with Basil Butter.

For the Basil Butter

• Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and serve at room temperature with roasted chicken.

The post Herb Butter Whole Roasted Chicken {with Basil Butter} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

I’m am so excited about this new Greek Whole Roasted Chicken recipe.

So excited.  Made it twice in less than a week just to be sure it was as amazing as I thought.  It’s that amazing.

It starts with a punchy marinade of plain Greek yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice & zest, oregano, rosemary, Mrs. Dash garlic & herb seasoning, salt & pepper.  The first time we made this dish we let it hang out in the marinade for a couple hours before roasting.  It was delicious.  In fact, that led us to make Lemon, Tortellini & Meatball Soup from the glorious homemade broth that followed.

The second time we made it, which was last night we planned ahead and marinated the chicken overnight to see if the flavors would build even more so.  Oh my wow.  It was amazing.  I know I’ve said that, but I’m sooo excited.

You may notice the Greek Salad pictured in the background.  It was the perfect side for our Greek Whole Roasted Chicken.  I hope you’ll give this recipe a try and share your feedback.

All my best,
Libby

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Greek Whole Roasted Chicken

Prep Time 4 hours hours

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 6 hours hours

Servings 6

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 5-6 lb. whole chicken
• 1 cup Greek nonfat plain yogurt
• 1 Tbl. olive oil
• 1 Tbl. Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb Seasoning
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• juice & zest of one lemon

Instructions

• Mix marinade ingredients together in a large bowl. Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Put chicken in bowl with marinade and coat completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 4-24 hours (preferably overnight).
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place chicken in roasting pan on a rack. Add a couple of cups of chicken broth (or even water) to the bottom of the pan. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes or until nicely browned. Baste chicken with broth from pan. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and tent chicken with foil. Continue baking for an additional hour or until chicken is done (juices run clear and thermometer inserted into the inner thigh registers 165 degrees). If your chicken comes with a pop-up timer trust it. Baste midway through cooking time.
• Remove chicken from oven and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing, 30 minutes is preferable. Remember to reserve the carcass for making broth.

Notes

This recipe is best when allowed to marinate at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

The post Greek Whole Roasted Chicken appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Oregano Lemon Garlic Roast Chicken.

One night every week we cook a whole chicken for dinner.  Sometimes we work hard to create interesting and different flavors by changing up the fresh herbs or marinade or even cooking style.  Sometimes we just sprinkle her with salt & pepper and roast her until she’s done…on these days it’s not uncommon that we also stand at the counter hand picking our way through dinner.  

However it happens, we always end up with the makings of an amazing chicken broth.  Which in turn gives us the base for some pretty special soups.  This post will focus on ~ Step 1, the bird.  One per week = a lot of chicken recipes.  One that has yet to leave our memory (or our taste buds) is what we call Oregano Lemon Garlic Roast Chicken.  Other than butter, salt & pepper that’s your ingredient list.

Most 4-5 lb. chickens will come with a bag of gizzards, reserve this for making broth later.  Wash chicken with cool water (inside and out) and pat completely dry with paper towels.  We typically add herbs under the skin.  I found the best way to do this is to combine your herbs with 2-3 Tbl. softened butter.

For this recipe we used butter, oregano leaves, chopped garlic, lemon juice, sea salt & fresh cracked pepper.  Gently lift the skin above the breasts and spread with the herb mixture.  Season the cavity with salt & pepper and toss in the lemon halves.  Rub the outer skin with a little butter and sprinkle with more oregano leaves, salt & pepper.

Because we wanted the skin to brown up nicely we cooked this bird on a rack in an open baking dish.  Bake at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and continue cooking until meat thermometer inserted into the inner thigh reads 165 degrees and the juices run clear when pierced with a fork.  If your bird has a pop-up timer….trust it.  To keep the juices in the bird and not on your counter, once removed from the oven let stand for at least 15 – 30 minutes before carving.

I have purposefully avoided exact ingredient amounts, not to covet this amazing recipe…but because we didn’t measure and when it comes to roast chicken just get happy.  It is one of the easiest things to season how you like, throw in the oven, then in less than two hours when the most amazing aromas fill your kitchen, your family will gather at the table without the ring of a dinner bell.

Oregano, lemon, and garlic have now become a favorite flavor combination for us.  This tantalizing trio has since found its way into marinades, rubs, and soups.  You will love the layers of flavor.  Give it a try and if you do, let us know how you liked it.

When dinner is over, don’t forget to save the chicken carcass and any remaining meat.  Tomorrow this will become ~ Step 2, heavenly broth.

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Oregano Lemon Garlic Roast Chicken

Roasting a whole chicken is an easy way to bring family together. Changing up the herbs & seasonings will keep them coming back.

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 4-5 lb. whole chicken
• 2-3 Tbl. butter softened
• 1 lemon
• 3-4 garlic cloves minced
• 2-3 sprigs fresh oregano
• salt & pepper

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Combine butter with 1 Tbl. lemon juice, minced garlic, 2 sprigs oregano leaves chopped. Reserve some whole leaves for topping.
• Rinse and dry chicken.
• Season the cavity with salt & pepper and add the lemon halves.
• Gently lift skin above chicken breast and spread with butter herb mixture.
• Sprinkle outer skin with oregano leaves, salt and pepper.
• Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes or until nicely browned. Baste chicken with broth from pan. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and loosely tent chicken with foil. Continue baking for an additional hour or until chicken is done (juices run clear and thermometer inserted into the inner thigh registers 165 degrees). If your chicken comes with a pop-up timer trust it.
• Let chicken stand for 15 minutes before carving, preferably 30 minutes.

Notes

If your chicken has a pop-up timer, trust it. Reserve the gizzard bag and picked chicken carcass for making homemade chicken broth tomorrow.

The post Oregano Lemon Garlic Roast Chicken appeared first on Lemony Thyme.