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The key to the best holiday roasted chicken might lie in the simplicity of the recipe. Also ideal for a regular weeknight dinner when you want something a little fancier, this no-fuss, one pot whole chicken is a real winner. Garlic, lemon and rosemary add subtle, delicious flavours, and you will find just about any festive side dishes go perfectly alongside this juicy chicken. Add this Thanksgiving or Christmas roast chicken to your holiday menu!
Roast chicken with tender vegetables and succulent fresh herbs cooks perfectly in a roasting pan in the oven and is an ideal dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Also try slow cooker chicken and stuffing, cranberry cream cheese steak, frosted cranberry cookies and mulled wine fireball shots.
Why You’ll Love This
Delicious: There’s nothing plain or boring about this delicious roasted chicken recipe. Roast chicken with tender vegetables and succulent fresh herbs cooks perfectly in a roasting pan in the oven and is an ideal dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Easy: It’s simple to make a great Thanksgiving or Christmas roast chicken recipe. Chicken is such a versatile protein and can be jazzed up for a special occasion or used in so many other ways. Here the chicken is roasted whole with delicate, aromatic flavors.
Versatile: This recipe can be tweaked however you wish if you want to change up the flavors or use different seasonings. Leftover chicken can also be turned into a wide array of chicken recipes.
Holiday Roasted Chicken Ingredients
Start off with a whole chicken weighing around five pounds. Fresh garlic, onion, lemon, rosemary, and bay leaves add the perfect flavour. And then you also need olive oil, sea or kosher salt, pepper, and butter.
Feel free to adjust the amount of garlic (I love garlic and always use plenty!) or sub a non-dairy alternative for the butter if preferred. This roast chicken recipe is one you can adjust to your taste.
Fresh rosemary gives this one pot whole chicken the best flavor and you can use fresh or dried bay leaves or even leave them out if you don’t have any, since they add a very subtle hint of flavor and aren’t a main ingredient. Fresh herbs are sometimes a splurge but worth it.
How to Make This Roasted Chicken Recipe
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Roast the garlic: Wrap the peeled cloves of a garlic bulb (or however much garlic you want to use) in foil and add some oil and salt. Roast it in a hot oven for half an hour to make the garlic butter. If your oven is in use, you can read here for how to roast garlic in an air fryer. Meanwhile bring the chicken and butter to room temperature.
Make garlic butter and prep the chicken: Take the roasted garlic out of the oven (it’s going to smell really good!) and mix half of it with the softened butter. Brush this mixture over the outside of the chicken (for a crisp skin) and put the remainder inside the chicken cavity. Also put the lemon slices or wedges, rosemary and onion in the cavity. This flavorful chicken is perfect for family dinners or Christmas dinner. If you are looking for an idea for two people and you want chicken recipes for Christmas or another special occasion, try this air fryer Cornish hen recipe.
Truss the bird and cook it: Tie the chicken legs together with twine or kitchen string to keep the stuffing inside. Grind over some salt and pepper and add some more chopped fresh rosemary on top as well if you like. Now you can roast the prepared chicken in the oven for an hour. This delicious roasted chicken which is perfect for Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner is worth the wait! While the chicken roasts, you can start preparation of side dishes or just relax (which is the whole point of an easy roast chicken recipe – right?)
Cook until done: Cover the baked chicken with foil and give it another hour or cook until the chicken is 165 degrees F inside. It’s best to check with a meat thermometer and check the thickest part of the thigh or the chicken breast.
Let it rest: Let the chicken rest in the roasting pan while you finish preparing whichever side dishes you’re going to serve. This is the juiciest chicken and you are going to love all the pan drippings to make a gravy if desired.
Roast Chicken Variations
This simple roast chicken is easy to tweak according to your preferences. Since chicken is such a versatile protein, you can change the herbs and seasonings if you want. Easy Christmas chicken recipes like this are ones you will make year after year.
You can swap the lemon for orange, or the white onion for a small yellow onion if you prefer.
You might like to add some potatoes and carrots to the roasting tray. If you do this, perhaps add a splash of chicken stock to the roasting dish as well. This is one of the best ways to cook some vegetables if you are making this chicken dinner on a weeknight.
Fresh sage can be paired with the rosemary if you have some, and fresh thyme is also a great herb. In fact you could use all three, and even some parsley too if you want.
Options for Tasty Side Dishes
When making one of the best roast chicken recipes, you will want to offer some tasty sides with it.
Possible sides for this holiday roast chicken include candied maple pecan sweet potatoes, smoked asparagus, Paul Deen sweet potato casserole, brussels sprouts, roasted beets or even something completely different like mushroom risotto. Let’s not forget cranberry sauce which is a favourite of the holiday season.
Whole Roasted Chicken FAQs
You can make anything from a chicken croissant sandwich, chicken pastina soup and chicken omelets to a stir-fry with leftover chicken. There are many leftover chicken dishes so don’t throw it out!
I found that my five pound chicken took about two hours. The general rule for estimating the cooking time for a perfect roast chicken recipe is to give it about half an hour per pound at 400 degrees F, but ovens do vary as do roasted chicken holiday dinner recipes.
For this reason, double-check with your instant-read thermometer. When the internal temperature in the thickest part of the thigh registers over 165 degrees F, you can begin to dry the bird out. So whether you prefer dark meat, breast meat or some of each, you’ll want it juicy and perfectly cooked for the best result, making this the best holiday roasted chicken.
How to Store Leftover Roasted Chicken
Store: Let the meat cool completely and then it should be fine for up to three days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Freeze: Freezing is another option. Again, make sure it’s in an airtight container or Ziploc freezer bags. The chicken should keep for several months.
Thaw: Thaw it overnight in the fridge and reheat in the oven, microwave or add chicken pieces directly into a recipe depending on what you’re making with it.
Holiday Roasted Chicken Recipe
Holiday Roasted Chicken
Ingredients
- 5 Pound chicken, whole
- 1 Bulb garlic
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Teaspoon sea salt , or kosher salt
- ½ Cup butter
- 1 white onion
- 1 lemon, sliced or wedged
- 4 Sprigs rosemary
- 1 Teaspoon black pepper, fresh cracked
- 3 bay leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Cut one end off the garlic bulb. Place garlic in foil and drizzle with olive oil and sea salt. Seal and roast for 30 minutes. Take the chicken and butter out for room temperature as the garlic roasts.
- Remove garlic (roasted cloves) and separate into 2 halves. Combine ½ with the butter.
- Brush chicken with the butter. Add any remaining inside the cavity with rosemary lemon and onion. Tie the legs.
- Season with rosemary salt and pepper. Place onto a roast pan in the oven on the center rack and roast for 1 hour.
- Top with foil and bake 1 more hour to 165 degrees F internal temperature.
- Let roast chicken rest 10 minutes.
- Slice and serve.
Nutrition
If you want the best roast Christmas chicken recipe, this one pot whole chicken is well worth making. It makes the best holiday roast chicken for christmas dinner and it will come out juicy and flavorful and have crispy skin. Everyone is going to love this perfect roast chicken. It really is one of the best easy holiday chicken recipes. Enjoy and happy holidays!
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Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
The lemon and rosemary made this chicken so juicy—it’s now a family favorite!
This roasted chicken turned out so juicy! Perfect for a cozy weeknight meal or a special occasion.