This delicious herb-roasted chicken is very easy to make. Rosemary, thyme, sage, garlic, and lemon give this dish amazing flavors.
Herb Roasted Chicken
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Place the chicken in a large casserole. Peel and cut onion, peel garlic, wash and cut lemon. Stuff chicken cavity with onion garlic and lemon.
- Add avocado oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Mince garlic, rosemary, thyme and sage and add to the sauce. Mix well. Rub the whole chicken with the herb sauce.
- If you want to add vegetables like leeks, onion, sweet potatoes etc. into the casserole for a side dish or to make gravy, cut the vegetables and add now.
- Roast the chicken for 30 minutes. Take it out lift the chicken up and pour the juice from the chicken into the pan. If it is a lot of juice use it to baste the chicken. If not use 1 tbsp avocado oil to baste.
- Lower the temperature to 350 degrees and place the chicken on the lowest rack in the oven for another 40 – 60 minutes. You can add roasted vegetables to the oven at this point on the highest rack. Baste every 15-20 minutes.
- Check if it is done. Cooking time will vary depending on how big your chicken is and what kind of oven you have. Insert a meat thermometer into the chicken breast and make sure it doesn’t touch the bone. The temperature should read 165 Degree Fahrenheit (75 degrees Celsius). If you don’t have a thermometer cut into the meat and observe the meat and juices. The meat should be white and firm, the juices should be clear, not pink.
- If you want to add more crispiness to the chicken change the temperature to broil and broil for the last 10 minutes until the skin is browned and crispy.
Pairs well with our Grain Free Stuffing and Cranberry Sauce.
A Sunday roast that doubles as a small Thanksgiving
This herb-roasted chicken is very easy to make and you do not need any fancy cooking skills for a great outcome. I love how versatile it is: a perfect Sunday roast, a holiday dinner, or your weekly food prep. And if a whole turkey is simply too much for your table, this is the Thanksgiving main. It goes together beautifully with my grain-free stuffing, homemade cranberry sauce and roasted sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts.
Most roast chicken recipes rub the bird with butter. This one uses avocado oil with minced garlic, rosemary, thyme, sage and lemon juice instead, so it is dairy-free and gluten-free without giving up the crispy, golden skin. Leave out the black pepper and it is AIP.
I built the recipe so that a side dish can roast in the oven at the same time. That is why the chicken spends most of its time on the lowest rack, leaving the upper rack free.
Side dishes you can roast in the oven at the same time
After the first 30 minutes at 400°F, when you drop the oven to 350°F, put the vegetables on the top rack. They will be done together with the chicken.
- Roasted sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts (AIP)
- Rosemary garlic roasted butternut squash (AIP)
- Stuffed acorn squash (AIP)
- Oven-baked truffle fries – add them a little earlier to allow for the temperature change
Hot tip: If you want roasted vegetables as a side dish, add them to the oven after half the roasting time, not at the start.
How to turn the juices into gravy
The best part of roasting a chicken is the juice that collects in the pan. Do not waste it. Chop a leek, a couple of carrots, celery, onion, garlic and an apple, add them around the chicken with a few herb sprigs, and let them roast in the drippings. At the end, strain, blend and season. That is my mom’s special gravy, and it needs no flour.
Roast chicken FAQ
How long do I roast a whole chicken?
For a four-pound bird: 30 minutes at 400°F, then 40 to 60 minutes at 350°F, basting every 15 to 20 minutes. Bigger chickens need longer. Go by temperature, not the clock: a thermometer in the thickest part of the breast, away from the bone, should read 165°F (75°C). No thermometer? Cut into the thigh. The meat should be white and firm and the juices clear, not pink.
Is roast chicken dairy-free?
Not always. Many recipes rub butter under the skin or baste with it, and store-bought rotisserie chickens are often injected with a broth that can contain dairy. This recipe uses avocado oil for the rub and the chicken’s own juices for basting, so it is completely dairy-free and still gets crispy.
Is this AIP compliant?
Yes, with one swap: leave out the half teaspoon of black pepper in the marinade. Everything else, the avocado oil, fresh herbs, garlic, lemon and salt, is elimination-phase friendly. Choose a pasture-raised chicken if you can.
How do I get the skin really crispy?
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels before rubbing it with the herb oil. Baste with the drippings, not with extra liquid. And for the last ten minutes, switch the oven to broil and keep an eye on it until the skin is browned and crackling.
What do I do with the carcass?
Make broth. The bones, the stuffing vegetables and the herb stems go straight into a pot for my healing chicken bone broth, which is then the base for next week’s soup or the next batch of gravy.
More special occasion recipes
- Rosemary crusted lamb chop holiday meal (AIP)
- Molasses-glazed ribs (AIP)
- Turmeric marinated salmon (AIP)
- Butternut squash sweet potato soup (AIP)
- Delicious apple crisp (AIP)
Planning the whole holiday meal? See all of my AIP Thanksgiving side dishes and my Paleo and AIP holiday desserts. This recipe is a sneak peek of my holiday cookbook ENJOY.
Now I would love to hear from you. Try the recipe and let me know what you think in the comment section below. And as always, don’t forget to tag me in your food pictures on Instagram. Happy cooking! ~Annika
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