Perfect Roast Chicken

12 Reviews

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 2 hr
Ready In: 2 hr 15 min

“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.” - by jenmat

Ingredients

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

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Metric US

Original recipe yields 1 whole roasted chicken

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).

Nutrition

Amount Per Serving (6 total)

Calories
650 cal
33%

Fat
52.8 g
81%

Carbs
1.2 g
< 1%

Based on a 2,000 calorie diet

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Reviews (12)

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Jillian

Nov. 6, 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 mixe..." See mored 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!"

Marianne

Sep. 7, 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..." See more, 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!"