Roast Chicken

Roast chicken is my go to dinner meal when I have no idea what I want to eat. My family loves it and it's a classic for a reason.

Don't be intimidated if you have never spatchcocked a chicken. All you need is a sharp knife or a pair of really good kitchen shears and you're good to go. 

Roast Chicken Printable Recipe

1 Whole Chicken, Spatchcocked (Reserve the backbone)

1 Head of Garlic, peeled, cloves left whole

2 Lemons

1 Small Onion, quartered 

1 Tbsp. Thyme

1 Tbsp. Rosemary

1 Tbsp. Sage

2 Tbsp. Salt

2 Tsp. Freshly Ground Black Pepper

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

2 Tbsp. Butter, cubed

To spatchcock a chicken, all you have to do is run a knife along both sides of the chicken, then flip so the breast is right side up and press firmly down until it is lying flat.

Rub the olive oil all over the chicken and season with salt and pepper. In the bottom of your roasting dish, cast iron pan, or oven safe pan toss in the onion, garlic, and a couple of springs of thyme, rosemary, and sage.

Lay your chicken on top and squeeze the lemon all over and toss in the lemon pieces in the pan.

Add the herbs and the butter to the top of the chicken and bake at 425 degrees F for an hour and 15 minutes or until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the chicken reads 165 degrees F.

Remove from the oven and let rest for 10-15 minutes. Reserve any juices the chicken has let off as you will be using these in your gravy. 

Cut up your chicken into pieces. Discard the onion, and lemon pieces. Reserve the garlic cloves (my family loves these) if you're not a big fan you can also discard them.

Serve and enjoy.

Gravy Printable Recipe
Backbone of the chicken
1 Clove of Garlic, minced
1/4 of an Onion, sliced
1 Stalk of Celery, chopped
2-3 Sprigs of Thyme, roughly chopped
2 Sprigs of Rosemary, roughly chopped
2 Sprigs of Sage, roughly chopped
1 Tsp. Salt
1 Tsp. Black Pepper
4 Cups of Water
1 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
3 Tbsp. Butter
3 Tbsp. All Purpose Flour

In a medium pot, heat up the vegetable oil. Add in the backbone and season with salt and pepper. Sear until the backbone develops some color on all sides. 

Add in the thyme, rosemary, sage, garlic, onion, celery, and sauté for another 3-4 minutes.

Add in the water and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce the heat and let simmer for 45 minutes, stirring every once in a while. 

Drain your stock and let sit until the chicken is finished. Once it is, combine your stock with the juices the roasted chicken has let off and bring to a simmer.

Meanwhile, in a separate pot. Melt the butter and add in the flour to make a roux. Let cook for 1-2 minutes stirring constantly. 

Add in three cups of your stock one cup at a time while whisking until the stock and the flour mixture is combined. Let cook until thickened 3-4 minutes. If it is too thick for you, you can add 1/4 cup of stock to loosen it up. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.

Remove from heat and enjoy.


I like serving my roast chicken with mashed potatoes, gravy, and broccoli; recipes coming soon.

What is your go to meal? Let me know in the comments.

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