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 2¼ hrs

Perfect Roast Chicken

Read Reviews (12)

"Want a roasted chicken that is juicy inside without the use of a baking bag or flour? Then this recipe is perfect. It is quick and easy to prepare. The picture shown does display a chicken that was cooked in a bag, but the chicken was also roasted with vegetables and needed the bag to immerse the vegetables in the chicken flavor. I still guarantee a juicy chicken without the use of a bag each and every time." — jenmat

Ingredients Edit and Save

Watch video tips and tricks

Deviled Roast Chicken

Roast Chicken with Rosemary

Simple Whole Roasted Chicken

Perfect Sesame Chicken

A Simply Perfect Roast Turkey

Juicy Roasted Chicken

The Ultimate Roast Chicken

Roast Sticky Chicken Rotisserie Style

Spicy Rapid Roast Chicken

Garlic: Fresh Vs. Powdered

Types of Salt

Freshly Ground vs. Pre-Ground Pepper

Original recipe makes 1 whole roasted chicken Change Servings

1 (4 pound) whole chicken
1 cup margarine, softened
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 pinch dried rosemary

Check All Add to Shopping List

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Rinse and pat chicken thoroughly dry with paper towels. Mix margarine, garlic salt, black pepper, thyme, parsley, and rosemary in a bowl and rub the outside of the chicken thoroughly with the margarine mixture. Place any remaining margarine mixture into the cavity of the chicken. Place chicken into a glass baking dish.
Bake chicken in the preheated oven until browned and the juices run clear, about 2 hours. An instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh, not touching bone, should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 15 mins
COOK 2 hrs
READY IN 2 hrs 15 mins

ADVERTISE WITH US

Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Nov 06, 2012

Great recipe for "Perfect Roast Chicken"! I was able to use this for a 7 lb. bird so if you've got something smaller I'd cut the recipe in half. I didn't have garlic salt so I used a bit of salt mixed with garlic powder. I also opted to add a bit of onion powder to the mix. I put it in the roaster and covered it with non-stick foil and let it set in the fridge all day. I stuffed the cavity with some onion and celery let it come to room temp. and baked it for about three hours and it smelled divine. This was so incredibly moist, tender, and delicious without a ton of effort - great recipe!

—Jillian

See full review »

Most Helpful Critical Review

Sep 10, 2012

I used butter and mixed it with the herbs then added fresh garlic and some lemon. Wonderful!

—Chris in Montreal

See full review »

16 Ratings

Sep 07, 2012

We thought this was delicious! I 3/4'd the recipe for an almost 5 pound chicken (Trader Joe's), and it was plenty! I did put most of the butter (not margarine) either under the skin or in the cavity, otherwise following the directions. You could add whatever you wanted to the cavity (onion? garlic?), but whatever, this is delicious. Most of the butter doesn't stick to the chicken, but it certainly makes a great chicken, let me tell you! And right now I've had the carcass and all the other bones, carrots, celery, and onion in a pot so that I will have the best broth in the world. We will have several meals from this chicken! Thanks so much for the recipe!

—Marianne

See full review »

Sep 06, 2012

definitely juicy! i added onion powder, paprika and season salt. i also dotted the chicken with half of the butter mixture and melted the rest and poured over the chicken. i also flipped the chicken every 45 min while in the over.

—Chocl8Mama

See full review »

Dec 10, 2012

I just tried this recipe and it is wonderful - and easy! I did use unsalted butter instead of margarine, and reduced the 1 cup to 1/2 cup and it worked great on an almost 6 lb bird. The sauce ( gravy if you choose to make it ) was outstanding.

—rjw

See full review »

Dec 05, 2012

Used fresh herbs, real butter and added some lemon and vegetables, but didn't cook in a bag ~ this turned out to be a real winner. Super juicy and moist. Hubby kept saying it was the best he ever had, even better than his mom's. Thank you for sharing. Will definitely make again :)

—Toasty Mama

See full review »

May 31, 2013

Delicious!!! Just tried this recipe for the first time and it was very easy and turned out great...very juicy and very flavorful!

—proudcanadian23

See full review »

Apr 29, 2013

My chicken turned out very juicy when we cut the breast meat after baking it. I did sprinkle Lipton onion soup mix on the chicken in addition to the herbs and stuffed the cavity of the chicken with 2 stalks of celery. We could smell the chicken roasting in the oven around the house and couldn't wait for it to be done. My family devoured the chicken in one sitting and they declared it to be yummy! Now that is a compliment from them!

—sagittaloha

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

Stupid Simple Roast Chicken

Roast Chicken with Croutons and Onions

Best of Both Worlds Roast Chicken

Roast Chicken with Curry Paste

Roast Chicken by Kevin Sbraga

Succulent Roast Chicken

Masala-Spiced Roast Chicken

Perfect Baked Jerk Chicken

Chelsea's Bacon Roast Chicken

Mojo Roast Chicken (Pollo Asado)

ADVERTISE WITH US

Nutrition

Calories
650 kcal
33%

Carbohydrates
1.2 g
< 1%

Cholesterol
129 mg
43%

Fat
52.8 g
81%

Fiber
0.3 g
1%

Protein
41.3 g
83%

Sodium
1381 mg
55%

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

Nutritional Information

Perfect Roast Chicken

Serving Size: 1/6 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 650
Calories from Fat: 475

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 52.8g 81 %
Saturated Fat 11.6g 58 %
Cholesterol 129mg 43 %
Sodium 1381mg 55 %
Potassium 390mg 11 %
Total Carbohydrates 1.2g < 1 %
Dietary Fiber 0.3g 1 %
Protein 41.3g 83 %
** Sugars 0.3g
Vitamin A 30 %
Vitamin C < 1 %
Calcium 5 %
Iron 27 %
** Thiamin 10 %
Niacin 98 %
Vitamin B6 43 %
Magnesium 14 %
Folate 6 %

* 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.