Simple and Juicy Roasted Chicken with Thyme

If there is any dish worth presenting to your family straight out of the oven, it must be a whole roast bird. They are shockingly easy to get right, but also shockingly easy to get wrong! I spent most of my young adult life shying away from attempting to roast a whole bird in the oven. This includes numerous Thanksgivings where I chickened out (haha) of roasting the turkey, and let my Mum do it. At least, that was true until I worked out this simple recipe for roasted chicken with thyme.

In this case what I actually mean is my husband made this recipe for me! After watching him turn out this delicious, succulent roasted chicken with 5 minutes of prep, and just popping it in the oven, I realized everyone should have this “wow-factor” supper recipe in their back pockets, to impress dates & friends alike! Follow along as we make this Simple and Juicy Roasted Chicken with Thyme!

Organic? Free Range? Kosher? Which is Best for a Roast Chicken Recipe?

The first thing you want to consider is your bird. Should you go for the supergigantic-mart water-and preservative-injected chicken? Or, do you buy the smaller, and yes, probably more expensive, organic or kosher bird that looks a wee bit runty in comparison to her mass produced farmed cousins? It’s not even a real question – go with the little one! For this recipe, a 3-pound chicken is ideal.

In my mind, it’s worth the bit of extra money to have a chicken that actually tastes like a chicken! I swear, once you try a locally raised bird, or something organic from a store like Whole Foods, you’ll never go back! Are you expecting more guests than a 3 pound chicken can feed? Grab two small chickens, rather than one monster. The cooking time is much lower and more consistent with two smaller birds.

How do I Infuse Flavor into my Roasted Chicken with Thyme?

If you’ve bought a good quality chicken, it’s already in there! All you really need to showcase it is some salt & pepper, and a sprinkling of thyme; That’s pretty much it. You can play with different herbs like rosemary or sage, oil up the skin for a bit more color, or even brine your bird for a boost of flavor, but we keep going back to this super simple roasted chicken with thyme. It’s just perfect for us in its simplicity!

This recipe is so easy, I think the hardest part might be trussing up the chicken to hold the body together (and stop the breast from overcooking through the cavity) Still, even that is a breeze and requires only a bit of butcher’s twine. This is truly the best recipe for roast chicken!

What Easy Side Dishes go Well with this Simple Thyme Roast Chicken Recipe?

We often serve this recipe with a roasted balsamic Brussels sprout & red grape hash, or a Quick Sourdough Stuffing with Sausage & Cranberry. I like to pair it with a nice white wine, or Grapefruit Basil Smash cocktail. This is a chicken dish that will leave your guests raving about your kitchen skills, and is, beyond a doubt, a third-date wonder meal to show that you can cook! The crispy skin, moist meat, and the aroma of herbs is enough to make you start drooling while setting the table. This is a chicken dinner to remember!

How Long Does it Take to Roast a Whole Chicken in the Oven?

Practically no time at all! This is basically a hands-off recipe once it’s in the oven. The ideal temperature to roast a chicken so it stays moist on the inside, and gets that delicious crispy skin on the outside, is about 400F. Using a medium sized cast iron skillet, dutch oven, or oven safe frying pan, this impressive-yet-easy chicken dinner idea is ready in about 45-50 minutes!

Do I Cover the Chicken with Foil When Roasting in the Oven?

You don’t have to with such a small bird! By trussing the chicken, we’re bringing in the bits that might cook faster (ie burn) back toward the main body. This regulates the cooking time. Meaning, there’s no need to cover the chicken with foil!

What do I do With any Leftover Roasted Chicken?

This is a meal that keeps on giving! Besides the traditional chicken sandwich, you can make a fabulous Thai Green Curry with Chicken using the leftover meat, or boil the bones for a delicious chicken soup (just reserve the extra meat. Add the already cooked chicken at the end). I am a big fan of this whole roast chicken recipe because you can do so much with the entire chicken, even after the first meal! Just before writing this, we used the leftover chicken from this photo shoot to add some protein to our Blueberry & Goat Cheese Salad with Creamy Basil Dressing!

Whole Roast Chicken with Thyme

makes: A cooked chicken!

1 chicken, weighing about 3 pounds. 

salt 

ground black pepper 

fresh thyme   

butcher twine

Preheat your oven to 400F (convection) or 425F (regular bake).   

Take your chicken out of the bag and wash it off in the sink. Pat dry with a paper towel. Make sure there are no giblets inside the bird! If the neck is present, you can trim it off.  

Next are the wings: in order to keep the chicken body off of the pan, the wings will be tucked under the bottom of the body to ‘prop up’ the chicken – this will keep the good bits out of the juices that will collect in the pan/skillet.

Twist the wings around 180 degrees and tuck them under the body so it looks as it does in the photo. This will keep the back of the chicken (the non-breast side!) a bit elevated.

Using kosher salt, generously salt the inside and outside of the carcass. This helps flavor the meat directly, but also will draw out water for a more intense chicken-y experience!

How to Truss   

There are many ways to truss a bird, but I have found that this simple way works beautifully: Take the twine and place under the ends of the drumsticks, crossing the twine over to ‘pull’ the legs together tightly.

Next, tuck the twine around the wings, then turn the bird over, cinching tightly again, then tying a knot in the midline. Trim the excess string. That’s it.

The legs are pulled in and ‘hugging’ the side of the bird, which helps even the cooking by making the chicken into one large, single ‘mass’ instead of a series of attached, differently shaped, parts.

For a helpful visual, please see the video at the end of the recipe card. 

Season & Roast

Add freshly ground pepper and thyme leaves over the top and sides of the chicken.

Place the chicken in an oven-safe pan and into the oven.  

Cook for about 45 minutes at 400 degrees (for 3 pound bird) on convection cook. If you are using normal baking mode, raise the temperature to 425F.

Rest 5-10 minutes outside the oven.

Remove twine and serve.

Print Recipe

5 from 17 votes

Simple and Juicy Roasted Chicken with Thyme

If there is any dish worth presenting to your family straight out of the oven, it must be a whole roasted chicken! They are shockingly easy to make and even more delicious to eat! Season with fresh herbs, salt & pepper. you family and friends will be raving about you kitchen skills with this easy chicken dinner recipe!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Total Time55 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, British, French

Servings: 4 people

Cost: $9

Equipment

• Butcher's twine

Ingredients

• 1 chicken weighing about 3 pounds.
• salt
• ground black pepper
• fresh thyme
• butcher twine

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 400F (convection) or 425F (regular bake).
• Take your chicken out of the bag and wash it off in the sink. Pat dry with a paper towel. Make sure there are no giblets inside the bird! If the neck is present, you can trim it off.
• Next are the wings: in order to keep the chicken body off of the pan, the wings will be tucked under the bottom of the body to ‘prop up’ the chicken – this will keep the good bits out of the juices that will collect in the pan/skillet.
• Twist the wings around 180 degrees and tuck them under the body so it looks as it does in the photo. This will keep the back of the chicken (the non-breast side!) a bit elevated.
• Using kosher salt, generously salt the inside and outside of the carcass. This helps flavor the meat directly, but also will draw out water for a more intense chicken-y experience!

HOW TO TRUSS

• There are many ways to truss a bird, but I have found that this simple way works beautifully: Take the twine and place under the ends of the drumsticks, crossing the twine over to ‘pull’ the legs together tightly.
• Next, tuck the twine around the wings, then turn the bird over, cinching tightly again, then tying a knot in the midline. Trim the excess string. That’s it.
• The legs are pulled in and ‘hugging’ the side of the bird, which helps even the cooking by making the chicken into one large, single ‘mass’ instead of a series of attached, differently shaped, parts.

For a helpful visual, please see the video at the end of the recipe card.

SEASON & ROAST

• Add freshly ground pepper and thyme leaves over the top and sides of the chicken.
• Place the chicken in an oven-safe pan and into the oven.
• Cook for about 45 minutes at 400 degrees (for 3 pound bird) on convection cook. If you are using normal baking mode, raise the temperature to 425F.
• Rest 5-10 minutes outside the oven.
• Remove twine and serve!

Video

Your embed Jumprope code:

How To Truss & Season A Simple & Juicy Roasted Chicken by straighttothehipsbaby on Jumprope.