Thyme Roast Chicken is a fragrant flavor packed Winner Winner Chicken Dinner! Simple to make by creating a seasoned butter to smother the chicken and stuffing it with garlic, lemon and herbs. We get crispy skin and juicy meat. this easy family meal will fast become a family favorite.
Recipes like the Chicken And Rice Tray Bake, Baked Chicken Drumsticks And Rice, Chicken Pesto Linguine and the Garlic Chicken Parmesan Pasta are easy chicken dinner recipes that the whole family will love.
The French Onion Chicken, Chicken Drumsticks And Potatoes, Chicken And Corn Soup and the Chicken Barley Soup give us set and forget options that are cooked in the crock pot.
🤍 Thyme Roast Chicken Recipe
I have summarised everything that you will come to know and love (LOVE ❤) about the thyme roasted chicken recipe in the points below:
- Easy: suitable for all skill levels. Basic steps.
- Simple ingredients: everyday grocery store ingredients.
- Oven baked.
- Homemade: means juicy and moist chicken!
- Crowd pleasing.
🥗 Thyme Roasted Chicken Ingredients
The photo below is to show you everything you need to make the lemon and thyme roast chicken recipe. Please refer to the printable recipe card for specific ingredient measurements as well as detailed instructions.
As you can see the recipe calls for:
- Rosemary.
- Thyme: we don't need to pull the thyme leaves off the sprigs. We place the whole lot as is into the chicken. Leave a little bit over and then pull the leaves off and use these for garnish.
- Bay leaf.
- Salt and pepper.
- Garlic powder.
- Onion powder.
- Olive oil.
- Garlic.
- Lemon.
- Chicken: we use a large whole chicken for the recipe. It is the perfect size to feed a family or gathering of friends.
😉 Variations
Here are my sub ins and outs that you might be thinking about as you read the post and I will tell you if I think they will work or why they won't:
- Herbs: the fresh rosemary and dried bay leaf are added bonuses. You can stick to the simple combo of the garlic, lemon and thyme if you wish to. Or try different herbs like parsley or basil.
- Garlic: if you are using a smaller chicken you can use individual garlic cloves in place of the whole head. These will take up much less room which you may not have due to the smaller frame.
👩🍳 How to Make Thyme Roast Chicken
Here are the step by step instructions to make the recipe. We start by making the seasoned butter. To do this gather those ingredients and then add them to a small bowl like shown in the photos below.
🍳 Instructions
- Gather butter seasonings (Photo 1)
- Stir to combine (Photo 2)
- Slice the garlic and pierce the lemon (Photo 3)
- Pat dry the chicken (Photo 4)
Add the butter, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and black pepper to a small bowl. Then mix together until consistently combined.
Use a sharp knife to slice the head of garlic in half then use the same knife to pierce a couple of slits into the lemon.
Next remove the packaging from the chicken and use a folded piece of paper towel to pat it dry.
- Coat with butter mixture (Photo 5
- Add lemon (Photo 6)
- Add the garlic (Photo 7)
- Add the rosemary (Photo 8)
Once the chicken has been patted dry use a rubber spatula and spread the seasoned butter all over it. Then add the lemon to the cavity of the chicken. After that place both the garlic and rosemary into the cavity also.
- Add the thyme (Photo 9)
- Then add the bay leaf (Photo 10)
- Tie the legs together (Photo 11)
- Place the chicken into the baking dish (Photo12)
Next add the thyme and bay leaf to the cavity then use kitchen string to tie the 2 legs together.
Once done place the prepared chicken into a large roasting pan.
Step 13
- Pour oil over the top (Photo 13)
Now we are ready to put the finishing touch on the chicken. To do this drizzle the oil over the chicken and spread it to consistently coat.
Next place the chicken into the preheated oven and let it bake. Now we can be hands off during this entire cook time, only needing to chicken the temperature towards the very end and ensuring that it has been cooked through and is safe to eat.
🍽 How To Serve Thyme Roast Chicken
To serve our perfect roasted chicken we need roast veggies of course! It is an easy combination that makes sense and works so well. I like to do some roast potatoes in the oven (different rack) to the chicken and they go hand in hand together.
Some potato sides to try are the Creamy Garlic Potatoes, Potato And Sweet Potato Bake, Potato And Cauliflower Bake, Potato And Onion Bake or the Potato And Cauliflower Bake will give you some options.
Lemon halves or wedges are a great idea also. They require a simple chop and are good to go!
For sauce you can try the Basil Yogurt Sauce, Herbed Yogurt Sauce, Lemon Yogurt Sauce or Parsley Yogurt Sauce. These are great alternatives to gravy but of course you can put that on the table as well. You can also check out all of my homemade sauces on the blog. There is a wide variety there and no doubt you will find one that will be right up your alley.
If you like salad on the side of your chicken the Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad or Healthy Panzanella Salad will work well. Both have bright, fresh colours and bring a balance to the proteins and carb combo of the chicken and potatoes.
👍 How to Guide
How to Store
Leftover roast chicken freezes and reheats very well!
Once the chicken has rested for 10-15 minutes use a carving fork and knife to slight it into pieces. Then if you are not using all of it for serving place the leftover pieces into a sealed, airtight container and into the fridge. It can be kept in there for 2-3 days and need to be reheated before being consumed.
How to Freeze
If you have the chicken and want to freeze it you can. Then simply thaw it and make the recipe. If doing this though you won't be able to freeze leftovers. The chicken should be cooked, reheated and consumed.
Or portion leftover chicken that has not yet been frozen into several sealed air tight containers and place in the freezer. These can be frozen for up to 3 months.
How to Reheat
For refrigerated leftovers, transfer to a bowl and cover with cling wrap. Reheat using high temperature in the microwave for 2-3 minutes until warmed through.
For frozen portions, let these thaw in the fridge during the day and then reheat following the microwave steps above. Frozen thawed portions of the dish will take an extra minute or so to heat through.
💡 Tasty Tips
Here are my top tips and tricks that I want to share with you so that you master the recipe from the get go:
- Oven ready: the steps won't take that long to do so you can preheat the oven from the get go so that it will be at the right temperature once you have finished.
- Seasoned butter: I like to use a mini rubber spatula to combine the ingredients for the seasoned butter. I then use this same spatula to spread the butter over the chicken. Your hands still get a little buttery 😂 when you massage the butter mixture over the chicken but being hands on helps to get an even coverage across the entire chicken.
- Kitchen twine or strong: it is not essential to tie the legs of the chicken before cooking it. I do however, think it helps to ensure that the ingredients that we have stuffed the chicken with stay in the cavity.
- Cooked chicken: I highly recommend the use of a meat thermometer for this and other meat recipes. It takes the guess work out and leaves you without a sense of disappointment. The internal temperature when measured at the thickest part tells us if it is cooked properly. I test the chicken towards the very ensure to ensure that it has reached the right temperature and this easy step is so worth it to knowing without doubt that your chicken is perfectly cooked. No pink meat or juices, white juicy flesh with clear juices is the key.
- Lemon: we pierce the lemon with a knife and this allows the lemon juice to flow inside of the cavity. It is the best way to embrace the lemon and thyme theme with delicious limp licking results.
- More chicken recipes: is chicken your favorite protein to cook? Then I have some more ideas for you to try. The Creamy Garlic Chicken Thighs, Chicken Yaki Udon, Shrimp And Chicken Fried Rice, Slow Cooker Chicken Spaghetti or Mini Enchiladas are all great ways to get an easy chicken dinner on the table.
🤓 Thyme Roast Chicken FAQ's
I love using fresh herbs, but in a practical sense. My Baked Feta With Honey, Caramelised Onion Tarts and Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates all use fresh thyme as a garnish. Knowing how fragrant and delightful this herb is, I look for other ways both sweet or savoury to use it.
You can use both a combination of butter and oil to roast chicken in the oven. Doing so is a surefire way to achieve crispy golden brown skin.
A whole lemon, fresh herbs and garlic and great ingredients to stuff a chicken with when roasting. Each of these will enhance the flavor of the roast chicken and deliver delicious results.
😍 More Easy Dinner Recipes
Here I like to give you a wide variety of options to make your dinner times easy and organised. These recipes have a variety fo cook times and methods and use a wide array of differing proteins.
- Beef recipes: Minced Beef Stir Fry, Mince Potato Bake, Beef And Bean Enchiladas, Slow Cooker Beef Massaman Curry, Slow Cooker Savoury Mince.
- Pork recipes: Sticky Pork Rashers, Coke Pulled Pork, Slow Cooker Coke Ribs, Slow Cooker Coke Ham, Devilled Sausages.
- Different proteins: Tuna And Rice Casserole, Fettuccine Alfredo With Tuna, Ham Fettuccine Alfredo, Mini Enchiladas, Tuna Enchiladas.
- Rice recipes: Chorizo Fried Rice, Tuna Fried Rice, Pork Mince Fried Rice.
It is time to get our thyme roast chicken on my friend! You can also find all of my chicken recipes or dinner recipes in the one spot.
Adrianne
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📖 Recipe
Thyme Roast Chicken
Ingredients
Seasoned Butter
- 60 grams/3 tablespoon spreadable butter Note 1
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Chicken
- 2 kg/4.4 lb whole chicken Note 2
- 1 medium lemon Note 3
- 1 whole head of garlic
- ½ bunch fresh rosemary
- ½ bunch fresh thyme
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: preheat the oven to 180°C / 350-375°F / Gas Mark 4-5.
- Seasoned butter: add the butter, garlic powder, onion power, salt and pepper to a small mixing bowl and use a rubber spatula to stir until consistently combined.
- Chicken: remove the packaging from the chicken, place it onto a clean, dry cutting board and use a folded piece of paper towel. to pat it dry.
- Butter mixture: use the spatula to coat the chicken with the butter mixture. Gently pull the top skin to insert some under there also above the cavity. Then use your hands to massage the seasoned butter into the chicken, across the legs, thighs and wings.
- Stuff: insert the lemon, both halves of the garlic head, rosemary, thyme and bay leaf into the cavity of the chicken and then use kitchen string to tie the legs together. Once done, transfer the chicken to a large baking dish.
- Oil and bake: drizzle the olive oil over the chicken and gently spread to evenly coat the chicken. Then place the baking dish into the preheated oven on the middle shelf. Bake the chicken for 1 ½ hours and then use a thermometer to check the temperature. We are aiming for the chicken to reach an internal temperature of 74°C (165°F). Oven times will vary slightly. Note 4
- To serve: once you have checked that the temperature is right and the chicken is cooked through, use oven mitts to place the roasting pan on a heatproof surface. Then let the chicken rest for 10-15 minutes. Once rested, carve the chicken and serve it with roast potatoes, lemon wedges and gravy or sauce.
Video
Notes
- Note 1 - Butter: I like to use spreadable butter for this recipe to keep it easy. It is soft straight out of the fridge and you don't have to wait for it to melt or microwave it to soften. The type that I use is actual butter not a spread or margarine. It is also lightly salted but not too much as we use salt as a separate ingredient in the seasoning for the butter.
- Note 2 - Chicken: the chicken I use for the reason is a large 2-2.1kg chicken. This is so that it feeds a crowd. As such it has a longer cook time than a smaller chicken. If the chicken you choose is a slightly different size you can adjust the cook time accordingly. A smaller bird will cook faster and a larger one requires a bit more solid oven time.
- Note 3 - Lemon: we use a sharp knife to make some slots in the lemon before putting it into the cavity of the chicken. This helps the juices to flow as the chicken cooks and increases the flavor profile of the dish.
- Note 4 - Cooked temperature: I highly recommend the use of a digital thermometer. It is the easiest way to ensure that the chicken is cooked through with no guess work involved. The way that I check my chicken is to use oven mitts to remove the baking dish and set it on a heatproof surface (This is around the 1 hr 20 min mark) if it is not quite there I cook it for a further 10 mins, so the total oven cook time is 1 hr 30 mins. The chicken temperature will rise a little still as it rests (10-15 minutes) so don't feel the need to cook it past this point. As soon as it hits 74°C (165°F) it is cooked.
Nutrition
Music credit for video: https://www.audiocoffee.net/
Amanda says
Sounds like a fantastic roast to me!
Adrianne Jamieson says
Thanks Amanda 😊.