Roasting a whole chicken might seem intimidating, but this recipe breaks it down into easy-to-follow steps, ensuring a perfectly cooked and incredibly flavorful result every time.

Step 1: Prepare the Chicken

• Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C). Getting the oven hot initially helps to crisp up the skin quickly.
• Remove the chicken from its packaging. Pat the chicken dry thoroughly with paper towels, inside and out. This is crucial for achieving crispy skin. Moisture is the enemy of crispiness!
• Remove giblets and neck (if present) from the cavity. You can discard these or save them to make stock later.
• Place the chicken on a cutting board.

Step 2: Flavor Infusion – Herb and Garlic Magic

• Prepare the herb mixture. In a small bowl, combine the fresh rosemary, thyme, and sage. Roughly chop the herbs if they are in large sprigs. You want them to release their aromatic oils.
• Smash the garlic cloves. Using the flat side of a knife, gently smash the garlic cloves. You don’t need to mince them, just crush them enough to release their flavor.
• Zest the lemon. Using a microplane or zester, remove the zest from the lemon, being careful to only zest the yellow part and avoid the bitter white pith.
• Juice half of the lemon. Cut the lemon in half and juice one half. Reserve the other half for later.
• Create the herb butter. In a separate bowl, combine the softened unsalted butter, half of the olive oil, the chopped herbs, smashed garlic, lemon zest, salt, and black pepper. Mix everything together thoroughly until well combined. This fragrant herb butter is the key to infusing flavor into the chicken from the inside out.

Step 3: Stuff and Rub the Chicken

• Loosen the skin. Gently loosen the skin of the chicken from the breast meat and thighs using your fingers. Be careful not to tear the skin. This creates pockets for the herb butter to nestle under, ensuring the meat stays moist and flavorful.
• Stuff the herb butter. Take generous portions of the herb butter mixture and carefully stuff it under the loosened skin, directly onto the breast meat and thighs. Distribute the butter evenly.
• Rub the remaining herb butter. Rub the remaining herb butter mixture all over the outside of the chicken, ensuring every part of the skin is coated. This will create a beautiful, flavorful crust as the chicken roasts.
• Season the cavity. Season the inside cavity of the chicken generously with salt and pepper.
• Stuff the cavity (optional but recommended). Place the squeezed lemon half and the reserved half of the lemon (cut into wedges) inside the chicken cavity. You can also add onion wedges and carrot chunks if using. These aromatics will steam inside the chicken, adding even more flavor and moisture.

Step 4: Roast the Chicken to Golden Perfection

• Prepare the roasting pan. If using, roughly chop an onion and a couple of carrots into large chunks and spread them in the bottom of a roasting pan. This creates a natural roasting rack and adds flavor to the pan drippings.
• Place the chicken on the roasting pan. Place the herb-rubbed chicken breast-side up on top of the vegetables (or directly in the roasting pan if not using vegetables). Ensure the chicken is positioned so that heat can circulate evenly.
• Roast at high heat initially. Roast the chicken in the preheated oven at 425°F (220°C) for 20 minutes. This high initial heat helps to brown the skin quickly.
• Reduce oven temperature and continue roasting. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F (190°C) and continue roasting for another 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. The exact cooking time will depend on the size of your chicken and your oven.
• Check for doneness. The chicken is cooked through when a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh (without touching the bone) registers 165°F (74°C). Another indicator is that the juices run clear when you pierce the thigh with a fork.
• Baste the chicken (optional but recommended for extra moisture). During the roasting process, you can baste the chicken with the pan drippings every 20-30 minutes. This helps to keep the chicken moist and adds extra flavor to the skin.
• Rest the chicken. Once the chicken is cooked through, remove it from the oven and let it rest for 10-15 minutes before carving. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, resulting in a more tender and flavorful chicken. Tent it loosely with foil while resting to keep it warm.

Step 5: Carve and Serve

• Carve the chicken. After resting, carve the chicken and serve immediately. Start by removing the legs and thighs, then the wings, and finally carving the breast meat.
• Enjoy! Serve your herb-roasted whole chicken hot and enjoy the compliments!