This page requires that scripting be enabled in your browser to function properly. If you need help enabling scripting, please vist our
technical FAQ page.

READY IN ABOUT 1¾ hrs

Happy Roast Chicken

Read Reviews (134)

"The easiest and best roast chicken recipe! I use organic chickens." — Chocolate

Ingredients Edit and Save

Watch video tips and tricks

Spicy Rapid Roast Chicken

Roast Sticky Chicken Rotisserie Style

Sweet Hot Mustard Chicken Thighs

Budget Friendly Chicken Oreganato

Exotic Pomegranate Chicken

Chicken in Cream Sauce

Deviled Roast Chicken

The Ultimate Roast Chicken

Roast Chicken with Rosemary

Garlic: Fresh Vs. Powdered

Battle of the Butter: Salted vs. Unsalted

Types of Salt

Original recipe makes 1 roast chicken Change Servings

1/2 cup dry white wine
2 lemons, cut in half
6 large cloves garlic
1 (4 pound) whole chicken

1 1/2 teaspoons cold butter
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Check All Add to Shopping List

Directions

Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Pour the wine into a 10-inch cast-iron skillet; set aside.
Place the lemon halves and garlic cloves into the cavity of the chicken. Slide half of the butter underneath the skin of each breast. Rub the chicken all over with Dijon mustard, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Place into the cast-iron skillet.
Bake the chicken in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and continue baking until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 1 hour more. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 180 degrees F (82 degrees C). Remove the chicken from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area for 15 minutes before slicing.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 5 mins
COOK 1 hr 15 mins
READY IN 1 hr 35 mins

ADVERTISE WITH US

This chicken came out beautifully! I had to make a few modifications, by necessity. First of all, the chicken I used was a bit smaller than the recipe called for, so I only used one lemon, which I cut into quarters. I also put a small chunk of onion in the cavity as well. The other modification I made was that the only white wine I had in the house was a plum wine, which was very sweet. However, the chicken still came out wonderfully, and didn't taste overly fruity or sweet. It was moist and didn't have an overpowering lemon, or garlic, or mustard flavor. In fact, the skin didn't taste like mustard at all. This is good news for anyone (like our family) who isn't too keen on Dijon mustard flavor.

—CharlotteCarpenter

See full review »

Most Helpful Critical Review

Apr 29, 2012

We didn't like this chicken.

—Linda

See full review »

173 Ratings

See other versions of this recipe!

Mar 01, 2011

While it was very tasty, I think the recipe should state a cooking time of at least 1-1/2 hours. It took us 2 hours to get a 3.8 lb bird cooked because we took it out after 1 hr and had to put it back in. After another 30 minutes it still wasn't done. I'll either increase the temp or the cooking time next time.

—Jolena74

See full review »

May 20, 2010

I followed this recipe almost exactly which I rarely do and it turned out awesome! I did make a salt/pepper/garlic powder mix and rubbed under and on the skin prior to the Dijon. I had Trader Joes well known "two buck chuck" chardonnay on hand to use for the white wine. My family loved it and I will make this again.

—veglover

See full review »

Feb 09, 2011

YUM, this was delicious! I did not have a cast iron skillet, so I just used my usual chicken baking dish. Also, I did not measure the dijon and in addition to the salt and pepper, I also seasoned it with garlic powder. This came out incredibly moist, juicy and flavorful. I will be making this often! Thanks for sharing. :)

—Christina

See full review »

Apr 05, 2012

Juicy, good flavor. I ALMOST left off the Dijon mustard, because it just sounded WRONG, but I couldn't tell I'd used mustard, so glad I followed the recipe. Used CAST IRON skillet, uncovered, and I believe that's important to the recipe. Baked at 425 for 15 minutes, as stated, but only another 50 minutes at 350. It's important to TAKE CHICKEN OUT OF FRIDGE & take the chill off the bird before you put it in the oven. It takes less time to cook. ****Update 4/5/12****Okay, after reading a question from a reviewer about wine in cast iron, I checked it out. Seems NOT good for the pan to use wine undiluted, because of acidity, so I will use 1/2 wine & half water or chicken broth tonight.

—Dmseck

See full review »

Feb 24, 2011

Not being a fan of wine, mustard or lemons, I was skeptical. This turned out amazingly though! The flavor was delicious and if I didn't already know, I would have been hard pressed to specifically name the combination that created it. I made gravy from the drippings and there was a lemon tartness to it, but that was delicious too.

—ChriSpenceRachel

See full review »

Oct 07, 2011

Having only one lemon, I squeezed the juice over the well-seasoned skin before applying the Dijon, then added an onion half and thyme sprigs to the cavity as well. Roasting in cast-iron seems to be the key to delicious pan juices, not to mention that clean-up is a breeze in a well-seasoned pan (why didn't I think of that ??). Without a doubt, this is the epitome of roasted chicken perfection.

—Nicolette

See full review »

Rate This Recipe

Edit

Glad you liked it! Your friends will, too:

Did you tweak the recipe? Edit and save your own version of it!

Edit this recipe

More Recipes Like This See all

Succulent Roast Chicken

Simple Slow Roast Chicken

Chelsea's Bacon Roast Chicken

Masala-Spiced Roast Chicken

Perfect Roast Chicken

Pate and Pistachio-Stuffed Roast Chicken

Stupid Simple Roast Chicken

Lemon-Herb Roast Chicken with Pan Gravy

Mojo Roast Chicken (Pollo Asado)

Roast Chicken with Curry Paste

ADVERTISE WITH US

Nutrition

Calories
638 kcal
32%

Carbohydrates
10.6 g
3%

Cholesterol
198 mg
66%

Fat
35.9 g
55%

Fiber
2.7 g
11%

Protein
62.3 g
125%

Sodium
486 mg
19%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Happy Roast Chicken

Serving Size: 1/4 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 4
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 638
Calories from Fat: 323

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 35.9g 55 %
Saturated Fat 10.5g 53 %
Cholesterol 198mg 66 %
Sodium 486mg 19 %
** Potassium 670mg 19 %
Total Carbohydrates 10.6g 3 %
Dietary Fiber 2.7g 11 %
Protein 62.3g 125 %
** Sugars 0.4g
Vitamin A 6 %
Vitamin C 73 %
Calcium 10 %
Iron 38 %
** Thiamin 19 %
** Niacin 148 %
** Vitamin B6 66 %
** Magnesium 22 %
** Folate 10 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.