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Lucky you, you’ve just stumbled upon the most chickeny roast chicken you’ll ever have. It starts by spatchcocking the chicken then stuffing and smothering it with an herb butter flavored with chicken bouillon. The chicken is then set on a rack over a bed of slivered onions which, when roasted, become buttery and caramelized. It simply doesn’t get more flavorful or savory than this.
This recipe has been a year in the making. Over the last twelve months or so, I’ve been testing this recipe almost weekly, slowly honing in on the ideal technique and flavor. The goal has always been this: to create a signature Zestful Kitchen Roast Chicken that you turn to again and again. And I’ve gotta say, this is a chicken for the books.
The method is simple (spatchcocked) and the flavors are classic (herb butter) but taken up a notch (hi Better than Bouillon!). Make this once and you’ll see how easy and foolproof a whole roast chicken can be. No doubt, you’ll be riffing on this recipe in no time.
3 Steps To Making a Great Roasted Chicken
Stuffing and smothering the chicken with a savory herb butter is a surefire way to make a delicious chicken. But there are a few other things that make this a reliable and foolproof recipe for roasted chicken.
- Spatchcock the Chicken: Spatchcocking the chicken allows it to lay flat while cooking. This encourages even cooking (so the breast doesn’t overcook while you’re waiting for the thighs to cook through) and it makes for an overall shorter cook time.
- Let it Rest Over Night: Once the herb butter has been spread underneath and on top of the skin, place the chicken on a rack set inside a baking sheet and let it rest overnight in the fridge. This simple step of prepping ahead pays off in the form of an ultra-crispy skin. And if you haven’t planned for an overnight chill, even just a few hours will benefit the chicken.
- Roast On a Wire Rack: The primary reason for this is air flow. When chicken is cooked directly on a pan or in a skillet, the meat that’s touching the pan cooks much faster than the meat that isn’t. So roasting on a wire rack allows the hot oven air to circulate around the bird, creating a more even roast.
How to Spatchcock a Chicken
Spatchcocking (aka butterflying) is a very easy process, but if you haven’t done it before it can be intimidating. Here are the simple steps to removing the back bone of a chicken.
- For starters, you’ll need a set of sharp kitchen shears.
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels (this makes it easier, and safer, to work with) and place it breast side down on a cutting board.
- Locate the backbone. Cut along one side of the backbone from front to back. Cut along second side of backbone until it completely releases.
- Flip the chicken over and press on the breastbone to flatten (you should hear it crack).
How to Make Herb Roasted Chicken (Step-by-Step)
- Make the herb butter by mixing together softened butter, minced herbs, Better than Bouillon roasted chicken base (this is what makes it so chickeny and savory), Worcestershire, salt, and pepper.
- Using your hands, loosen the skin all around the chicken breasts and legs. Spread about two-thirds of the butter mixture underneath the skin pushing and squishing it around as needed to evenly distribute down the breasts and legs and into the drumsticks. Spread the remaining butter evenly over the exterior of the skin.
- For the best results, transfer the chicken to the fridge and let it rest overnight.
- Prior to roasting, pull the chicken out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature.
- Meanwhile, cut an onion in half from root to stem and place halves cut-side down. Trim ends, then thinly slice root to stem into slivers.
- Place the onion slivers underneath the chicken then transfer the pan to the oven to roast.
- The chicken is done when it registers 155-160ºF in the breast and 165ºF in the thickest part of the leg. This will take about an hour.
- Finally, let the chicken rest for at least 15 minutes before carving. And be sure to scrape up all those browned onion bits from the pan. Mix the super brown onions with the paler onions for a truly exceptional accompaniment to the chicken.
Key Ingredients and Equipment
Serving Whole Roasted Chicken
Once the chicken has rested, carve it into pieces and slice the breast. And be sure to stir the caramelized onions, scraping up all the browned bits. Arrange the onions on a large plate or platter then place the chicken pieces over top.
To make it a full meal, I like to pair this chicken with cheesy mashed potatoes (or the more elegant Celery Root Mashed Potatoes) and this simple Butter Lettuce Salad served alongside.
And in the chance that you have leftovers, use them to make my creamy Tarragon Chicken Salad. It’s an elevated take on the classic salad, while still being easy to make.
Herb Roasted Spatchcocked Chicken
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Ingredients
- 1 (4½–5 lb.) whole chicken
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary*
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh sage*
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme*
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, softened*
- 2 tablespoons Better than Bouillon Roast Chicken Base
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large (14–16 oz.) yellow onion
Instructions
- Set a wire rack inside a sheet pan.
- Pat chicken dry with paper towels and place breast side down on a cutting board. Locate backbone then cut along one side of backbone from front to back. Cut along second side of backbone until it completely releases. Discard backbone or save for homemade stock.
- Flip chicken over and press on breastbone to flatten (you should hear it crack). Pat dry again with paper towels then transfer to wire rack, breast side up, and set aside.
- Mince the herbs and measure out 2 teaspoons each rosemary, sage and thyme; transfer to a small mixing bowl. Add the softened butter, Better than Bouillon chicken base, pepper, Worcestershire, and salt; mix until thoroughly combined.
- Using your hands, gently loosen the skin around the breasts and legs (including thighs and drumsticks). Distribute about two-thirds of the butter mixture underneath the skin, pushing and squishing it around as needed to evenly distribute down the breasts and legs and into the drumsticks. With the remaining one-third of the butter mixture, spread evenly all over the exterior of the skin. *see notes on benefits of prepping ahead of time.
- Preheat the oven to 450ºF (232ºC) with the rack set in middle position.
- Cut onion in half from root to stem and place halves cut-side down. Trim ends, then thinly slice root to stem into slivers.
- Remove the wire rack, with the chicken on top, from the sheet pan and set aside briefly. Add onion slices to the sheet pan and slightly pack them together to create an even layer of onions that will be right underneath the chicken. Avoid spreading them out to the edges of the pan, or they will likely burn. The goal here is for all of the slices to be underneath the chicken and cook in the buttery drippings.
- Place the wire rack, with the chicken, back into the sheet pan and transfer to the oven.
- Roast the chicken until deeply golden brown and an instant read thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast registers 155-160ºF and thickest part of leg registers 165ºF, 50–60 minutes. If the herbs on skin are starting to burn, lightly tent with foil.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for at least 15 minutes. Carefully transfer chicken to a cutting board and carve chicken by first removing the breasts, then removing the thighs and wings. Cut the chicken breasts crosswise into ½ inch-thick slices and remove the drumsticks from the thighs. Scrape the onions off the sheetpan, making sure you scrape up any stuck on browned bits, and transfer to a serving platter. Arrange chicken over top and serve.
How did you slice the breast like that? It looks amazing.
Hi Marcia! Great question—I’ve added a video to the recipe card to help demonstrate how I cut the breast.
The first step is to locate the breast bone (right in the center of the two breasts). In large sweeping motions, run a knife down one side of the breast bone, cutting as close to the bone as possible, until the meat releases from the bone (you may need to slightly pull it away to get better leverage). Repeat with the second side, then cut cross-wise into 3/4- to 1-inch slices.
Additionally, this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGGMISn-ti4) at 13:40 shows how I do this with a turkey breast. It’s a similar process with a spatchcocked chicken, so it would be a helpful guide!