Roasted Garlic Butter Half Chicken
A classic dinner recipe that will never fail! These Roasted Garlic Butter Half Chickens are roasted to perfection and ridiculously flavorful. Made with homemade garlic & herb butter, this recipe is perfect for any holiday or weeknight meal!
SKIP THE TURKEY THIS YEAR
Have y’all seen the prices of fresh turkeys lately! They’ve literally doubled in price over the last 2 - 3 years or so. So, if you’re like me, and refuse to pay for a bird that barely anyone will eat, then this chicken recipe is for you! My Roasted Garlic Butter Half Chicken is delicious and full of flavor!
Made with garlic herb butter, onions, and lemon slices, this recipe will have you craving for more! You’ll never roast chicken the same again. Did I mention the breast meat is actually moist! I know y’all will love this recipe this Thanksgiving as much as I will!
HOW SHOULD I SEASON THE CHICKEN?
With any whole bird, seasoning is essential! Making sure that every single part of the bird is fully seasoned will ultimately determine how the bird tastes in the end. I personally stick to one or two salt seasonings. The rest includes spices and ground or powdered seasonings or herbs.
I made this seasoning list pretty simple in this recipe. The list of seasonings is pretty accessible in any grocery store.
But, I’ll list some of my favorite salt-based and salt-free seasonings and herbs below.
SALT-BASED SEASONINGS: Season-All or Seasoning Salt, Old Bay, Kosher Salt, Montreal Chicken or Steak Seasoning, Goya Adobo, and Homemade or Store Bought BBQ Rubs
SALT-FREE SEASONINGS & HERBS: Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Italian Seasoning, Mrs. Dash Original, Dried Herbs, Smoked Paprika
Roasted Garlic Butter Half Chicken Ingredients:
The ingredients are pretty simple in this recipe; but, let’s still walk through them. The ingredients are very easy to use and find. I always suggest using as many fresh ingredients as possible. Your food will always come out so much better with fresh ingredients!
Chicken: You’ll need one whole chicken for this recipe, of course. Most roaster chickens will range between 4 and 6 pounds. Your main concern will be making sure that the giblets and any excess skin or fat are removed.
Cooking Oil: Before seasoning my chicken, I always like to add a small amount of neutral oil (i.e. EVOO, grapeseed, or vegetable oil) to it. This will help the seasoning to stay on the chicken.
Kosher Salt & Ground Black Pepper: These two will be the base of your seasoning mix. Roast chicken needs to be seasoned very well! So, don’t be afraid to use enough salt and pepper.
Paprika: I love adding paprika to my roast chicken! It adds a hint of spice and smokiness. Plus, it helps to create a beautiful color on the finished chicken.
Onion & Garlic Powders: These two powders are two of the go-to ingredients that I put on and in pretty much everything I cook! They add so much extra flavor to dishes. If your food isn’t seasoned and prepared well, it’s not worth eating at all.
Yellow Onion: Roasted chicken is even better with some cooked onions to go along with it. I sliced one onion and placed the slices at the bottom of my cast iron skillet. At the bottom, they get to soak up all of the seasoning and chicken juices which is crazy good!
Fresh Garlic: Since this is a garlic butter chicken recipe, I decided to add a few cloves of fresh garlic to the bottom of the cast-iron skillet as well. The added garlic flavor made the chicken taste even better.
Lemon Slices: In addition to the onions and garlic, I added a few slices of lemon to the bottom of the skillet. The acid from the lemons will help to cut some of the fat and salt content from the dish. Plus, the chicken will be basted in a mixture of garlic butter, lemon juice, and chicken juices.
Garlic Herb Butter: The garlic herb butter was very easy to make. I decided to use fresh rosemary, thyme, and sage for extra flavor and fragrance. Make sure the butter is softened to the point where it’s spreadable. This will make the butter very easy to mix/whip.
How to make Roasted Garlic Butter Half Chicken
This recipe is not complicated at all! Roast chicken is meant to be flavorful with little to no hassle at all. It’s perfect for the holidays and those weeknights when you want something simple and traditional.
This recipe is a perfect one-pan meal and will have you wanting more and more! The full written recipe is below, but here’s an overview.
STEP 1: Preheat the Oven & Prep the Seasonings. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Mix the seasonings together in a bowl and set aside. In another small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the garlic herb butter.
STEP 2: Halve the Chicken. Place the whole chicken breast-side down with the wings facing towards you. With a pair of kitchen shears, cut out the backbone along both sides of the spine. With a sharp knife cut the chicken in half making sure to remove the breast bone completely.
STEP 3: Trim & Season the Chicken Halves. Trim any excess fat off of the chicken. Dry the chicken off completely and flip it on its back. Take half of the cooking and rub it into the back of the chicken. Season the back of the chicken well. Press the seasonings into the chicken and under its skin.
STEP 4: Flip the Chicken Halves & Repeat. Flip the chicken over. Rub the other half of the cooking oil into the chicken and season it well. Make sure to season in between all of the parts of the chicken. Press the seasoning into the chicken. Do not rub at all.
STEP 5: Rub the Garlic Butter on the Chicken Halves. Rub the garlic herb butter into the chicken and under its skin making sure that it’s fully coated. Lay the onion and lemon slices in the bottom of the pan to create a bed for the chicken.
STEP 6: Roast the Chicken. Lay the chicken in the cast-iron skillet or roasting pan breast-side up with the wingtips of the chicken tucked in. Roast in the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the dark meat of the chicken reaches 165°F internally. After 45 minutes have passed, begin to baste the chicken every 8 - 10 minutes until it's golden brown.
STEP 7: Allow the Chicken to rest and then slice & serve! When fully cooked, remove the chicken from the oven and allow it to rest for 5 minutes. Slice the chicken as you desire. Serve and enjoy!
What to Serve with Roasted Garlic Butter Half Chicken:
This is a classic dinner recipe that deserves some delicious side dishes! Here a just a few of my favorite side dishes that I recommend:
Roasted Zucchini & Yellow Squash
Stir-Fried Green Beans
Sauteed Kale Greens
Southern Collard Greens
I’d love to hear your feedback about this EASY Roasted Garlic Butter Half Chicken Recipe. Leave me a message in the comments section below. Remember to share and enjoy! Follow Be Greedy Eats on Pinterest and Instagram as well!
Roasted Garlic Butter Half Chicken
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Mix the seasonings together in a bowl and set aside. In another small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the garlic herb butter.
- Place the whole chicken breast-side down with the wings facing towards you. With a pair of kitchen shears, cut out the backbone along both sides of the spine. With a sharp knife cut the chicken in half making sure to remove the breast bone completely.
- Trim any excess fat off of the chicken. Dry the chicken off completely and flip it on its back. Take half of the cooking and rub it into the back of the chicken. Season the back of the chicken well. Press the seasonings into the chicken and under its skin. Then, flip the chicken over.
- Rub the other half of the cooking oil into the chicken and season it well. Make sure to season in between all of the parts of the chicken. Press the seasoning into the chicken. Do not rub at all.
- Rub the garlic herb butter into the chicken and under its skin making sure that it’s fully coated. Lay the onion and lemon slices in the bottom of the pan to create a bed for the chicken.
- Lay the chicken in the cast-iron skillet or roasting pan breast-side up with the wingtips of the chicken tucked in. Roast in the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the dark meat of the chicken reaches 165°F internally. After 45 minutes have passed, begin to baste the chicken every 8 - 10 minutes until it's golden brown.
- When fully cooked, remove the chicken from the oven and allow it to rest for 5 minutes. Slice the chicken as you desire. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Calories
794Fat (grams)
51Sat. Fat (grams)
17Carbs (grams)
6Fiber (grams)
2Net carbs
5Sugar (grams)
1Protein (grams)
76Sodium (milligrams)
1058Cholesterol (grams)
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