Ina Garten’s Perfect Roast Chicken
Updated April 15, 2025
- Total Time
- About 2¼ hours
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- About 2 hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1whole (5- to 6-pound) roasting chicken
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1large bunch fresh thyme
- 1lemon, halved
- 1head garlic, cut in half crosswise
- 2tablespoons butter, melted
- 1Spanish onion, thickly sliced
- 1cup chicken stock
- 2tablespoons all-purpose flour
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
936 calories; 65 grams fat; 20 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 26 grams monounsaturated fat; 13 grams polyunsaturated fat; 17 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 68 grams protein; 1207 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outside dry. Place the chicken in a roasting pan just large enough to hold it.
- Step 2
Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both lemon halves and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper.
- Step 3
Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Scatter the onion slices around the chicken. (See Tip for cooking instructions if you'd like to also roast potatoes and carrots with the chicken.)
- Step 4
Roast the chicken for 1½ hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove to a platter and cover with aluminum foil while you prepare the gravy.
- Step 5
Remove all the fat from the bottom of the roasting pan, reserving 2 tablespoons in a small cup. Add the chicken stock to the pan and cook on high heat for about 5 minutes, until reduced, scraping the bottom of the pan.
- Step 6
Combine the 2 tablespoons of chicken fat with the flour and add to the pan. Boil for a few minutes to cook the flour. Strain the gravy into a small saucepan and season it to taste. Keep it warm over a very low flame while you carve the chicken.
- Step 7
Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve immediately with the warm gravy.
- If you want to roast vegetables with the chicken, add 8 whole new red potatoes and 4 carrots, cut diagonally into quarters, to the onions. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables for roasting.
Private Notes
Comments
I've found that salting and peppering the chicken a day ahead and letting it dry brine in the fridge overnight immensely improves flavor.
I am an overseas huge fan of NY Times recipes. This one is a good recipe, but I prefer the simple way french make it, if I may suggest. Instead of a gravy with flour, you just use the juice and fat the chicken has rendered during cooking, and make it lighter by adding a bit of hot boiled water to the cooking dish you used, and make sure scrapping all the brown bits on the edges, and mix well, simply with a spoon. You also add a few unpeeled garlic cloves at middle stage of cooking, or at the beginning, depending on how high the oven temperature is. With the thyme, it makes just the perfect, nicely scented roast chicken sauce you fill find in French restaurants. Serve with mash potatoes, or french fries. A classic over here. And of course no one washes their chicken here. Not sure anyone would ever have heard of it. Since only the heat kills the bacterias, I would avoid wasting time and spreading them all over your sink. But, cultural differences …
Instead of making gravy, I serve the chicken with the jus from the pan. Easier and still delicious. And I always add carrots with the onion.
I had a 4lb chicken so I cooked it at 425 for about 30 and then at 375 for another 30. Amazing. Probably the best chicken I’ve ever had. I did not make the gravy because I have a newborn who was crying, but next time I’ll try to make that too. I cooked it over 4 quartered golden potatoes, carrots and onions. So good.
How do I make sure the chicken skin is crisp all the way around? I usually add a cooling racking to the roasting pan but it still isn’t crisp on the bottom. Thx in advance! 🩷🐓
I followed the directions and the chicken was gorgeous and delicious. So was the gravy. I set the timer for 90 minutes. I checked it with a thermometer 12 minutes earlier. It read 165 to 172. I covered it and let it rest for 20 min before cutting it.. It was moist with crispy skin.