Lemon, thyme, garlic, and butter flavor this simple roast chicken in the oven with both tender meat and crispy skin for a simple cozy meal.

There are few things in life more cozier than coming home to the warm savory scents of garlic, lemon and thyme roasting in the oven. A roast chicken in the oven is such a simple and inviting meal. All of the herbs play their part to flavor the chicken in the most beautiful and natural way. It's these types of one pot meals that fill the home with such wonderful aromas and creates the memories that come back to us years later. Even if it is just a chicken dinner.
Here is how I roast a chicken in the oven. You will find no complicated method of prepping the bird overnight or switching temperatures in the oven. Just straight forward and delicious. A lemon, thyme either fresh or dried, a few garlic cloves, half an onion, butter and a bit of salt and pepper. Although, simple enough, it is these few herbs and ingredients that create the most delicious chicken. Below you will find a few of my tips and tricks for the perfect roast chicken in the oven.
Cozy Tips For Roast Chicken In The Oven
- Always use a fresh or defrosted chicken. Never frozen into the oven.
- Remove the giblets if there are any before cooking.
- For sanitary reasons, I always prep my ingredients first so that I do not have to go back and forth between washing my hands when prepping the chicken.
- Usually, a 4.5 pound chicken will take 1.5 to 2 hours of cooking time.
- Remember to baste the chicken with the juices at least once during the cook time and when you take it out of the oven. This creates that great golden color.
- You can use a thermometer to check if the chicken is cooked at 165 degree Fahrenheit or cut into a side of the chicken and make sure the meat is white and the juices run clear.
- Keep the bones of the chicken to make a homemade chicken broth! Check out my simple recipe for chicken broth.
- Make a roast chicken on a Sunday and then use the left over meat for meals during the week. This makes meal planning simple and affordable.
- Place the juices over the chicken to keep it moist when serving and when storing the leftover meat.
- Pair a roast chicken with rice and a salad or cooked veggies for a simple and cozy dinner!

Why a Whole Chicken
So why a whole chicken and not just the breasts or legs or thighs? Well there is always a time and place for just roasting chicken pieces in the oven, but there is something unique and special when roasting a whole chicken. The flavor is more intense and the meat is more tender when cooked properly. Plus, you can use the bones to make a wonderful homemade chicken broth and the leftover meat to create additional meals!
Best Temperature to Roast a Chicken In The Oven
After making this roast chicken for nearly every Sunday for years, I have found the perfect balance between tender meat and crispy skin is to have the oven set to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. This is not too high to where just the skin crisps but the meat is not tender. It is also not too low to where the skin does not become crisp. We are looking for that perfect balance.
Cover or Not Cover Chicken When Roasting
In my experience, I have not found that covering the chicken before roasting has made a difference. Personally, it's too much for me to have fuss over with very little benefit. If you find for whatever reason that your chicken is browning too much and not cooking through then you can cover it, but if that is happening then usually it is due to the temperature being too high or the rack position is too high.
Simple Trussing
Here is how truss the chicken. First, I take the wings and tuck them under the bird itself. This prevents them from burning and looks better. Second, I pull up the legs together and loop a string or kitchen twine around them once and then simply tie it together. Nothing complicated here.

Easy Way To Get Crispy Skin
The balance between crispy skin and overcooked chicken can be tough. For me, I have found the best way is to cook the chicken at a temperature that allows for both the inside of the chicken to cook tenderly and for the chicken's skin to become roasted enough to crisp. 375 degrees does just that. However about half way through the cooking time, I pullout the chicken and tilt the pan a bit. This allows the juices to drain to the side and I spoon on the juices onto the chicken. I will do this about three times throughout the cooking process and once when I take the chicken out of the oven. Spooning the juices over the chicken provides a nice golden crisp skin.
Towards the end of the cook time, around the last 20 minutes of roasting, I will move the chicken to the top rack of the oven to obtain a crispier skin. Basting and moving the chicken up a rack will allow you to achieve a nice crispy skin.
Ingredients for Roast Chicken In The Oven
- Whole Chicken
- 1 Lemon
- 2 Garlic Cloves
- Sprigs of Thyme
- Half an Onion
- Butter
- Salt and Pepper
- Roasting Pan or Cast Iron Skillet
- Kitchen Twine

The Cozy Details
Step 1: Gather all of your ingredients together and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Slice the onion in quarters and slice the lemon in halve. You can keep the garlic cloves whole. Cut the butter into slices, as well. Finally, cut a piece of string over that is about 5 inches long.
Step 2: Place the chicken into a large pan or roasting pan. You will want to remove any giblets that may be inside the chicken. Then place the onion and garlic into the cavity of the chicken. Squeeze one half of the lemon over the chicken and place that lemon halve into the bird. Lastly, place the sprigs of thyme into the chicken.
Step 3: Squeeze the other half of the lemon all over the chicken and place the lemon half next to the chicken. After washing your hands, salt and pepper the chicken. You will want to liberally salt the outside of the chicken.
Step 4: Next, take the butter slices and place a few under each side of the breast of the chicken skin. The rest of the butter slices you can rub onto the outside of the chicken. Make sure to include the legs and sides of the chicken.
Step 5: For the last step to prep the chicken, you will want tie the string around the two legs.

Step 6: Place the chicken into the oven and cook for about 1.5 to 2 hours. About 45 minutes into the cook process, you can pull the chicken out and spoon over the juices onto the top of the chicken by carefully tilting the pan and scooping up the juice. I will baste the chicken a total of 3 times during the cook process. The length of time between the basting does not matter. The third time is when the chicken is cooked and pulled out of the oven.
Step 7: Once at the temperature of 165 degrees or the meat is white and the internal juices run clear, you can remove the chicken out of the oven. I usually allow the chicken to rest 10 minutes before cutting into it.

You can serve this right away or allow to fully cool and store in the refrigerator for any later uses. A roast chicken in the oven is the perfect, simple meal for any time of the year. Pair with veggies or a salad and either rice or potatoes for an easy dinner that everyone will love!

Roast Chicken In The Oven
Lemon, thyme, garlic, and butter flavor this simple roast chicken in the oven with both tender meat and crispy skin for a simple cozy meal.
Ingredients
- 1 Whole Chicken
- 1 Lemon
- 2 Garlic Cloves
- ½ Onion
- 4 Sprigs of Fresh Thyme
- 3 Tablespoons Butter
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Gather all of your ingredients together and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Slice the onion in quarters and slice the lemon in halve. You can keep the garlic cloves whole. Cut the butter into slices, as well. Finally, cut a piece of string over that is about 5 inches long.
- Take your chicken and place it into a large pan or roasting pan. You will want to remove any giblets that may be inside the chicken. Then place the onion and garlic into the cavity of the chicken.
- Squeeze one half of the lemon over the chicken and place that lemon halve into the bird. Lastly, place the sprigs of thyme into the chicken.
- Place the lemon half next to the chicken. After washing your hands, salt and pepper the chicken. You will want to liberally salt the outside of the chicken.
- The butter slices and place a few under each side of the breast of the chicken skin. The rest of the butter slices you can rub onto the outside of the chicken. Make sure to include the legs and sides of the chicken.
- For the last step to prep the chicken, you will want to take the two legs together and tie the string around them and into a simple bow.
- Place the chicken into the oven and cook for about 1.5 to 2 hours. About 45 minutes into the cook process, you can pull the chicken out and spoon over the juices onto the top of the chicken by carefully tilting the pan and scooping up the juice. I will baste the chicken a total of 3 times during the cook process. The length of time between the basting does not matter. The third time is when the chicken is cooked and pulled out of the oven.
- Once at the temperature of 165 degrees or the meat is white and the internal juices run clear, you can remove the chicken out of the oven. I usually allow the chicken to rest 10 minutes before cutting into it.