This is the best roast chicken recipe that guarantees a juicy, flavourful chook with perfectly roasted vegetables on the side. With an easy herb butter rub and roasted to perfection, this one-pan meal is ideal for family dinners or special occasions. The succulent chicken and crispy vegetables make it a satisfying and complete meal.
Looking for other delicious chicken recipes? You'll love my Chicken Soup or my One Tray Bake Butter Chicken.
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Why you should make The Best Roast Chicken recipe
Effortless Flavour: The garlic-herb butter adds rich flavour under the chicken skin, ensuring every bite is moist and aromatic. It requires minimal effort but delivers maximum taste.
One-Pan Convenience: Roasting the chicken over a bed of vegetables not only makes for easy clean-up but also infuses the veggies with the chicken's juices, giving them incredible flavour.
Perfect for Any Occasion: Whether it's a weeknight dinner or a special occasion, this roast chicken is impressive yet simple enough to prepare anytime. Plus, the homemade gravy option takes it to the next level.
Ingredients
- Whole Chicken: A 2.5 kg chicken provides plenty of meat for a family meal, and roasting it whole ensures juicy and tender results.
- Potatoes: Roasted to golden perfection, they soak up all the flavours from the chicken drippings.
- Red Onion: Adds sweetness and depth to the roasted vegetables.
- Carrots: They caramelise beautifully and add natural sweetness to the dish.
- Zucchini: A soft texture and mild flavour that complements the roast.
- Garlic: Both roasted and minced garlic bring deep, rich flavour to the chicken and vegetables.
- Butter: Helps crisp up the skin and adds richness to the chicken.
- Parsley and Thyme: These herbs bring fresh, aromatic notes that pair perfectly with the roast.
- Olive Oil: Keeps the vegetables moist and adds a healthy fat to help them roast beautifully.
- Sea Salt and Black Pepper: Essential for seasoning, bringing out the flavours of the chicken and vegetables.
See recipe card below for quantities.
Instructions on how to make the best roast chicken recipe
The full recipe with measurements, temperature and roasting time is further down the page.
- Step 1: Add the veggies to a baking dish along with some olive oil and thyme.
- Step 2: Make a compound butter by mixing the softened butter with the parsley, garlic, salt and pepper.
- Step 3: Rub the compound butter under the skin of the chicken. Transfer chicken to sit on top of the vegetables.
- Step 4: Brush the exterior of the chicken with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in the oven. (Full recipe below)
Hint: Make sure the chicken comes to room temperature before roasting. This ensures even cooking and helps the skin get crispy.
Substitutions
Sweet Potatoes: Swap regular potatoes for sweet potatoes for a slightly sweeter, more nutritious side.
Rosemary: If you prefer a different herb, rosemary can be used in place of thyme for a more fragrant dish.
Chicken Thighs: If you don’t want to roast a whole chicken, use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs instead for a quicker cooking time.
How to make your own gravy from roast chicken drippings
If you've roasted a chicken with some veggies sitting underneath, there should be a small pool of drippings sitting in the bottom of the baking tray which can be turned into a delicious chicken gravy with only 2 steps and 5 minutes of your time.
You'll also need:
- 1 tablespoon plain flour
- 1 - 2 teaspoon chicken stock concentrate or powder
- ½ cup or so of hot water
(alternatively if you already had liquid chicken stock, just use ½ cup or so of chicken stock instead of the concentrate and water mixed)
Step 1: Once the chicken has finished roasting, carefully drain liquid from the bottom of the tray into a small saucepan. Place the saucepan over medium heat on the stove.
Step 2: Add in ½ a cup of water, a tablespoon of plain flour and the chicken stock concentrate and whisk. Continue whisking for 2 - 4 minutes or until gravy is thickened. Add more water to loosen up the gravy as needed. Add an extra pinch of salt if needed. Since there will be some excess olive oil and chicken fat from the drippings, the gravy may split if left to sit for too long, so serve immediately or give it another whisk before serving to get it nice and smooth again.
Storage
Store any leftover chicken and vegetables in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven at 160°C until warmed through. The chicken can also be shredded and used for sandwiches, salads, or soups later.
Top Tip
Use a meat thermometer to check the chicken's internal temperature. For perfect results, aim for around 70-74°C in the thickest part of the chicken (avoiding bones).
FAQ
Can I use different vegetables?
Yes, you can use any sturdy vegetables that roast well, like parsnips, sweet potatoes, or Brussels sprouts.
How do I know the chicken is cooked?
The chicken is done when the internal temperature reaches 70-74°C, or the juices run clear when the thigh is pierced.
Can I prep this in advance?
Yes, you can prep the vegetables and garlic butter a day ahead, then assemble and roast when ready.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
The Best Roast Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 2.5 kg chicken brought to room temp (leave out of the fridge 1 hour before cooking)
- 3 large potatoes cut into 2 - 3 inch pieces
- 1 large red onion cut into wedges
- 3 large carrots cut into 2 - 3 inch pieces
- 8 - 10 garlic cloves (aka approx 1 whole bulb) 2 reserved for chicken
- 1 - 2 zucchini cut into 2 - 3 inch pieces
- 3 tablespoon butter salted
- 2 tablespoon parsley finely chopped
- 2 teaspoon thyme dried
- 2 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- sea salt flakes
- black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 190C fan forced
- Add the potato, carrots, red onion, garlic cloves and zucchini to a deep baking dish. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt, pepper and the thyme and toss to combine. Leave aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the softened butter with 1 large or 2 small minced garlic cloves, the parsley and a big pinch of salt and pepper.
- To loosen up the skin on the chicken breast, use a dessert spoon (round side facing up aka upside down) and gently insert it between the breast and the skin on each side of the chicken (refer to video if this makes so sense). Then scoop up the butter mix with the spoon, tuck it under the skin on each breast and rub the outside of the skin to spread out evenly. Transfer the chicken to the tray to sit on top of the vegetables.
- Drizzle the other tablespoon of olive oil on the top of the chicken with a big pinch of salt and pepper and rub in until the chicken is evenly coated.
- Pierce the lemon a few times with a knife then microwave in a small bowl for 60 seconds. Insert this into the chicken.
- Roast for between 1 hour 15 mins to 1 hour 45 mins. Its handy to have an electric meat thermometer to test the internal temp. Every oven is different so it may take a little longer or shorter for you. From one hour I check the chickens internal temperature every 10 minutes and I take it out when the chicken has come to around 70 - 74 degrees Celsius.
- Optionally, to make your own gravy, you can drain any drippings from the baking tray, add them to a small pot with a teaspoon or two of chicken stock concentrate/powder, 1 tablespoon of plain flour, ½ cup or so of water and heat over medium heat on the stove with a whisk for 5 minutes until you have a thick gravy (adding more or less water for your desired consistency). The chicken needs to rest for 5 - 8 minutes so you may as well have a crack at your own gravy!
- Slice up the chicken, serve with the veggies and gravy and enjoy.
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