Who doesn’t love a golden, tender, juicy, crispy skinned, perfectly roasted chicken? I think it is a difficult meal for many to resist. I roast a whole chicken quite often and so it is one of my go-to meals, which has also become one of our favorites.
Chicken is great for taking on the flavours of whatever spices and herbs you pair it with. The possibilities of spices and flavours are endless, each time creating a completely new sensation for your taste buds. But it also tastes wonderful with a simple sprinkling of salt and ground black pepper.
One of the main reasons why roasted chicken is one of my go-to meal is because of the little effort it takes to prepare. I conjure up the particular spice and/or herb mix I’m in the mood for, rub it all over the chicken, and plop it in the oven. Virtually forgetting about it until the savory scents draw me to the oven for a quick peek or when the timer goes off. It’s always easy, simple and most importantly, satisfying!
The inspiration for this roasted chicken came from our trip to the organic meat shop. This particular day they also had packets of fresh herbes de’Provence. Immediately I was inspired to pair them alongside lemon and garlic for our roasted chicken dinner. The package contained fresh thyme, sage, rosemary and tarragon. I’ve only ever used the dried herb mix so I was excited to work with the fresh herbs.
Instead of precise measuring I cooked by feel allowing my taste buds and nose to lead the way. Please feel free to adjust the amounts to your personal preference.
- Chicken Ingredients:
- 2 kilo or 4 lb whole chicken, excess fat removed
- 1 large lemon, juiced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- fresh herbes de'Provence*, finely chopped
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 500 gms fresh baby spinach, rinsed
- 6 garlic, thinly sliced or minced
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- lemon juice, optional
- Chicken Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 200c or 392 and prepare a large baking dish for the chicken, set aside. In a bowl combine the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, herbs, salt and black pepper. Mix it well and taste before rubbing it onto the chicken, adjust to desired taste.
- Rub the herb mix all over the chicken carcass, making sure to also flavor the cavity. A great way of adding extra flavor to your roasted chicken is by gently separating the skin away from the meat, then using your hand or a spoon rub the spices and/or herbs directly onto the skin. Next place the chicken onto the baking dish, roast in center of oven for 2 hours or until the juices run clear and the meat is tender and falls off easily. During the roasting time baste the chicken with it's juices and never allow it to dry out. If it begins drying out, cover with aluminum foil and continue to cook.
- Heat a little bit of olive oil in a large pan and once warm saute the garlic until soft. Add the rinsed baby spinach to the pan and cook until wilted. Sprinkle in some salt and black pepper to taste. If you'd like you can also add a little bit of lemon juice to the spinach -- it gives it a great taste.
- Once the chicken is cooked through allow it to sit for 10 minutes before carving. Serve with spinach and mashed potatoes, or vegetables of your choice.
The chicken tasted of lemon, garlic and a little bit of each of the herbs I used. This is one roasted chicken version that will definitely be on our dinner table again. (I prefer dark meat, it has so much more flavour.)
As a special treat for dessert we also purchased a couple of slices of this decadent chocolate cake. The bottom cake layer tasted just like a brownie and the top thick chocolate layer had nuts. To quote my husband “This is one of the best chocolate cakes I have ever eaten!” It truly was.
See not everything at the Spicie Foodie home is a spicy meal.:) Some days simple, comfort food like this really hits the spot. Have a great Wednesday amigos.
Oh yes! Roasted chicken is one of our go-to meals, as well. It’s easy, it’s “cheap” and everyone loves it. I never put it on parchment paper though. It doesn’t burn at the high heat? I made the mistake of using parchment paper for my salmon and I put it on broil to crisp up a little when the paper started to smolder! Duh.
My parchment paper is safe up to 220c, so I haven’t had it burn. Lol, yeah it’s not safe under the broiler.:) Thank Laura!
it is impossible not to lov eroast chicken. Yours looks very tasty! My favorite herbs…
Cheers,
Rosa
I agree Rosa, thanks and glad to hear these are your favorite herbs.:)
That looks to die for! The entire meal!
Thank you Ravie!:)
Gosh nancy you are torturing me with your chicken. I am out of chicken today otherwise I d be fine and go to my kitchen and make this now. I am all for the provencal flavors, in fact I am addicted to flavor combinations that involve lemon, garlic, olive oil and herbes de provence.
It’s a wonderful combination that brings out all of the flavours wonderfully. I hope you can get some chicken soon to give this a try. Thanks Helene!
I love roasted chicken, how mouthwatering!
Thanks Laura, glad to hear it:)
Ohhhh loved the red background. It’s makes the dish looks so vibrant!!! Loved the presentation and the photography :)
Thank you Nandita — red is my favorite color, maybe you’ve noticed.:)
Beautiful Nancy! I love those flavors and it’s a nice change up from the classic roast chicken (which happens a lot around here!)
Thank you Alyssa! It’s such an easy meal so I’m sure it happens a lot in many homes.:)
I always love all the herbs you use in your cooking!
Thank you Ms Yummychunklet!:)
I love roast chicken! I don’t make one every week, but many. It’s a great meal, and the leftovers are so useful. Lovely photos & good stuff – thanks so much.
Yes, we always have leftovers and it’s always fun creating new meals out of them. Thank you John:)
Oh a roastd chicken is such a treat, one I do not make enough. I never used a fresh mi of herb de Provence, very cool. Is that a HUGE piece of butter on the mashed potatoes :-D ?
That’s too bad Evelyne, maybe you can change that.:) Lol, it’s actually a thin slice, since it’s so wide. But you do have to have a good chunk of butter on mashed potatoes.:)
Babby spinach! Love it! This looks like a simple, quick, yet spectacular meal; will do it this weekend! I use organic chicken. Look forward to it!
Thank you!
Al the best.
Enjoy your roasted chicken meal! That’s great that you use organic chicken.:) Thanks!
I love baked chicken! It looks absolutely delicious and I am hungry now!
Me too, thank you Julia!:)
Looks like a beautiful roast chicken. I have never worked with herbs de’provence…but with a chicken this delicious … I must.
You should give them a try sometime, thanks Ramona!
G’day! I can almost smell this now, TRUE!
Love the use of fresh herbs too!
Cheers!
Joanne
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Thanks Joanne!
Well if that isn’t the perfect meal from start to finish! Love the chicken, especially!
Thank you:)
What a perfectly roasted chicken! I usually make up my own herb mix, but I just bought a jar of herbs de provence, so it looks like I know what I’ll be using it on this week. We’re planning on grilling our chicken so I might have to adapt this recipe for the grill instead of the oven. It looks too wonderful to pass up!
I do too MJ, that way I know exactly what’s going into the mix. Saying that I do always keep a pre-mixed pack of herbs de’Provence. Enjoy your chicken this weekend –grilled would be awesome! xx
Your chicken look fabulous Nancy…love the spices…and yes finishing this wonderful meal with a slice of chocolate cake is just perfect.
Hope you are having a lovely week :)
Thank you Juliana, have a fab weekend!
What a healthy meal Nancy…its bursting with flavours. That’s my kind of comfort food ;-)
Thank you so much Taruna!:)
Love all the herbs used in the roasted chicken recipe. So fresh!
Thank you Kiran!
Oh really, it looks roasted to perfection Nancy, yum
I have to say that it was Tania:) Thanks!
this is a gorgeous and complete meal if ever I’ve seen one! LOVE that cake!
Thank you Joanne! The cake was awesome, wish I could have shared a piece with you:)
Whoa! Nancy, your first picture totally looks like a magazine cover!!! I love roasted chicken especially on weekends, and I will be trying this recipe for sure. Making me hungry already!
Thank you so much Nami! Enjoy the recipe and chicken.
Love roasted chicken with fresh herbs and make it a few times a month, thanks for your recipe to try-it’s just looks so good for dinner!
Your photos are gorgeous Nancy and now I’m also dreaming of having that perfect piece of chocolate cake for dessert tonight ;-)
Thank you so much Patty! Sweet chocolate dreams:)xx
That looks like a perfect roasted chicken! We eat very little chicken now since I started buying responsibly raised, it’s so expensive to feed Organic a family of 6! When I do buy a whole chicken we really make it stretch by serving lots of veggies on the side and using the bones to make a broth.
That cake looks heavenly ;}
That’s too bad about the price being so high, I really believe good quality and ethically raised food shouldn’t be affordable to everyone. But that’s great that you stretch it out with veggies. Besides vegetables are healthier than meat, right?:) Thank you Gwen!
I am totally with you on that – a roast chicken is one of the best meals, and it’s a go-to of mine as well. Love your spice blend!!
Glad you agree Trixie, thanks:)
I love roasted chicken! This one looks perfect!
Thanks Angie!
What a delicious looking meal.
Thank you Karen!
This entire meal looks so delicious and satisfying… the color on your chicken is gorgeous and I love wilted spinach. I have recently resurrected mashed potatoes – what a timeless classic ;-).
Thanks Kelly!
There is no better meal than roast chicken and this is beautiful! With a meal like this I wouldn’t need dessert but I wouldn’t refuse that cake either. :)
Thank you Maureen! Yeah after eating the chicken I was so full but the cake kept calling to me, hehe:)
It’s 3 am and I want it so badly. Do I have to wait till lunch or dinner?
Nope you don’t;)
Hi Nancy, I sure love your roasted chicken, look extremely good. I like the charred part, must be very delicious and fragrant. The chocolate is awesome, very chocolatey.
Best regards.
Thank you so much Amelia!:)