Thyme Roast Chicken

Roast chicken with thyme on white plate with potatoes and lemon wedges.

5 from 1 vote

Thyme Roast Chicken is a fragrant flavor packed Winner Winner Chicken Dinner! This easy family meal will fast become a family favorite.

Prep Time10

Cook Time1 30

Total Time1 40

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Western

Keyword: thyme roast chicken

Servings:

Calories: 446kcal

Author: Adrianne

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