Roasted Garlic, Lemon and Thyme Whole Chicken! Winner, Winner The Best Chicken Dinner
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • Meat thermometer
  • Kitchen twine
  • 1 whole fresh Chicken 3.50 to 4lb
  • 2 tbsp. Gourmet Garden roasted garlic paste
  • 2 lemons halved
  • 1 yellow onion quartered
  • 2 heads of garlic tops cut off
  • Bunch of fresh thyme
  • 2 cups unsalted chicken stock
  • For the Dry Brine:
  • 3 tbsp. kosher fine salt
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. fresh thyme
  • 2 tsp. lemon zest
  • For the Compound Butter:
  • 4 tbsp. unsalted grass-fed butter room temp
  • 1 garlic clove grated or minced
  • 1 tsp. fresh thyme
  • 2 tsp. lemon zest
Instructions
  1. Dry Brine the Chicken:
  2. Gently loosen the skin from the meat trying not tear. Using your hands rub the garlic paste between the skin and the meat all over the chicken.
  3. Mix the dry brine ingredients together in a small bowl. Place the chicken in the roasting pan on rack. Tie the legs together with the twine. Generously rub the salt brine all over the chicken. Place in the fridge uncovered or loosely covered with cheese cloth for at least overnight up to three nights.
  4. Roast the Chicken:
  5. Removed brined chicken from the fridge and let sit at room temp for half hour. Place the oven rack at the bottom third of the oven. Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees.
  6. Make the compound butter by mixing all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Rub generously all over entire chicken.
  7. Stuff half a lemon, a quarter onion, garlic head with top cut off and some fresh thyme into the cavity of the chicken. Place the rest of the onions, garlic and lemons around the chicken. Pour the two cups of water around the chicken in the roasting pan. If you have a meat thermometer that can go in the oven, stick the chicken in the thickest part of the breast. Set your thermometer timer to 160 degrees.
  8. Bake the chicken at 425 degrees for 20 minutes then reduce the oven temp to 350 degrees. Continue to bake the chicken for another hour to hour and 15 depending on the size. Start checking at 50 minutes if you don't have timer on your thermometer. If the skin is getting too dark, you can loosely tent with foil.
  9. Chicken is done when the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Remove from oven and allow the chicken to rest for about 10 minutes. The chicken will continue to cook to bring the temp up to 165 degrees.
  10. Slice and serve
  11. Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
  12. Enjoy!
Recipe by Social Buttercream at http://socialbuttercream.com/2020/01/11/roasted-garlic-lemon-and-thyme-whole-chicken-winner-winner-the-best-chicken-dinner/