Easy Slow Roasted Chicken Recipe with Herb Butter

This easy slow-roasted chicken recipe is so good that you won't want to go back to the rotisserie chicken you can pick up at the deli counter. Instead, you have a near-perfect roasted chicken with beautiful, golden skin and flavorful meat that tastes of roasted garlic, spices, and fresh herbs.

Slow-roasted chicken in a cast iron skillet.

When I started teaching people to cook, I began with this recipe: chicken roasted to utter tenderness and flavored with herb and garlic butter. It's simple to make, deeply flavorful, and a great springboard for other recipes.

Plus, you can toss the bones into a pot to make bone broth when you're finished making it.

Why This Recipe Works

This low-and-slow approach yields rich and juicy chicken with crispy skin. It takes a little bit longer than classic roast chicken, but it's worth it.

Spreading herb- and garlic butter on the chicken makes the meat moist and flavorful.

Ingredients + Substitutions

Chicken should be about 4 pounds. Pasture-raised and free-range birds are the most nutritious options and also have the most flavor. Purchase an entire chicken. If it comes with giblets, discard them or save them for another use.

Butter helps keep the bird moist, and it's an avenue for conveying all the rich flavors of garlic, spices, and fresh herbs. Your butter should be at room temperature. Use chilled olive oil if you don't want to use butter, but chill it first so that it develops a spreadable consistency.

Garlic cloves lend flavor to the chicken. It marries well with both the spices and the fresh herbs, harmonizing their flavors.

Spices give the chicken a deliciously robust flavor. We're fond of the sweet, aromatic notes of fennel and the heat of crushed red pepper.

Fresh herbs include rosemary, sage, and thyme. These herbs partner beautifully with chicken, giving it a vibrant, herbaceous note. If you don't have fresh herbs, substitute 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning.

Onion lends moisture to the chicken as it bakes. You stuff quartered onion (no need to peel it), into the bird's cavity. It keeps the chicken moist as it roasts. If you don't have onion, use lemon instead.

Serving Suggestions

We love to partner slow-roasted chicken with crispy roasted potatoes and plenty of fresh vegetables. Green beans with bacon is a natural match, and crisp celery salad is also delicious. We also love spooning the rich golden pan juices over mashed potatoes.

Rate this Recipe

4.8 from 10 votes

6 servings

Slow-Roasted Chicken Recipe

This slow-roasted chicken recipe requires little effort and is perfect for beginners (or when you just need an easy family meal). While we initially cook the chicken on high heat for about 15 minutes, which seals in the juices, you'll turn the heat down to a lower temperature.

Cooking the bird at a low oven temperature for a long time is the best way to deliver juicy meat and beautiful, golden brown skin. Better yet? It's one of the easiest methods for cooking a whole chicken.

Prep Time10

Cook Time1 30

Resting Time20

Total Time2

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Ingredients

For the Herb Butter

2 tablespoons softened butter
4 cloves garlic (minced)
1 teaspoon fine sea salt (plus additional for seasoning)
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon ground fennel seed
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

For the Chicken

1 3- to 5-lb whole chicken (giblets removed)
1 medium yellow onion (quartered)

Equipment

small bowl
cast iron skillet (10- or 12-inch)
butter knife
meat thermometer

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 F.
In a small bowl, combine the butter, garlic, salt, red pepper flakes, fennel, sage, thyme, and rosemary. Gently mash the ingredients together until they form a uniform mixture.
Place chicken in a cast-iron skillet. Tuck the wings behind the bird's back, and then loosen the skin from the breast meat with a butter knife to form a pocket. Press the garlic butter into the envelope between the skin and the breast meat. Spread any additional garlic rub mixture over the top of the breast and along the thighs and legs.
Stuff the cavity of the chicken with quartered onion, then tie its legs together using cooking twine. Sprinkle the chicken generously with additional salt, and transfer to the oven. Bake at 425 F for 15 minutes, then turn the heat down to 325. Continue baking for 80 to 90 minutes or until it reaches an internal temperature of 185 F.
Let the chicken rest or 20 minutes, and then carve. Leftovers can be stored in a tightly sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Checking Doneness

The safest way to ensure your bird is properly cooked is to use a meat thermometer (also known as an instant-read thermometer). Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh. If it reaches an internal temperature of at least 165 F (74 C), it's done.

But, when slow-roasting your chicken, it's better to let it cook to 185 F. While you may be worried that it might overcook, the result is super tender meat that, quite literally, falls off the bone.

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Celery salad with apples, shallots, parsley and walnuts on a flat plate

Variations

Add vegetables to the skillet. Tuck vegetables into the pan around the chicken for an easy one-pan meal. Hardy root vegetables and winter squash work best since they can withstand prolonged cooking in the oven. Potatoes, onions, garlic, and carrots are some of our favorites.

Adjust the herbs and spices. You can adjust the herbs and spices if you maintain the basic cooking technique and otherwise follow the instructions. Lemon zest and black pepper taste delicious when mixed into the herb butter. Smoked paprika is an excellent addition, too.

Recipe Questions

How do I store the leftover chicken meat?

Remove the cooked meat from the bone and place it in an airtight container. Store it in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

What can I use instead of a cast iron skillet?

If you don't have a cast iron skillet, you can roast the bird in a roasting pan or baking dish.

My chicken is browning too fast. What do I do?

If the chicken skin is browning too quickly, you can loosely tent it with aluminum foil.

Why This Recipe Works

Ingredients + Substitutions

Serving Suggestions