27 Superbly Reliable Roast Chicken Recipes

Whether you’re craving a simple, easy roast chicken so you can have leftovers through the week or perhaps want to try something a little unconventional with your roast hen, we’ve got a recipe for you.

Ina Garten's lemon chicken roasted on top of a bed of bread croutons and lemon wedges ina cast iron pan.
Ina Garten’s lemon chicken is “the best roast chicken I’ve ever made.” That’s what we hear time after time from everyone we know who makes this roast chicken from the Barefoot Contessa. Tasting is believing.
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A whole roast chicken with Moroccan spices on an oval serving platter.
This roast chicken with Moroccan spices is an easy recipe that’s packed with earthy spices, including cumin, cinnamon, cloves, and paprika. Here’s how to make it.
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Tray of roast chicken pieces with pancetta, olives, and garlic cloves.
This roast chicken with pancetta and olives and garlic from Gourmet magazine is braised in white wine to keep the chicken tender. A LOT of folks are calling it the best chicken recipe they’ve ever made.
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Roast chicken with lemon slices under the skin in a oval metal pan
The secret to this flavorful, juicy roast chicken with lemon is a dry brine. The bird is rubbed with salt and sits overnight in the fridge. The next day, it’s rinsed, lemon slices are slid under its skin, and the whole shebang is roasted. A simple pan gravy knocks this over the top.
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A whole roast chicken in a roasting pan with halved citrus fruits around it
This roast chicken with citrus is made by stuffing a whole chicken with orange, lemon, garlic, and herbs and then roasting it until the skin is crisp and the meat infused with the lilt of citrus. Simple and elegant.
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A piece of crisp roast chicken in a skillet on a plate with crispy potatoes and charred lemon.
This crisp roast chicken in a skillet takes advantage of an extremely hot skillet and oven to make perfectly cooked chicken with shatteringly crisp skin.
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A whole roast chicken with rosemary and potatoes on a wooden table with four plates and a tray of roasted plums beside it.
Roast chicken with rosemary and potatoes is a sleeper of a supper, combining juicy roast chicken with meltingly tender potatoes that are crisp at the edges. Did we mention it comes together in a single pan?
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A sheet pan filled with roast chicken pieces, sweet potato chunks, dates, and a parsley garnish.
This roast chicken with sweet potatoes and dates is worthy of a Rosh Hashanah celebration, but is just as welcome at your next casual gathering or Sunday supper.
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A whole Chinese roast chicken on a white tray.
Change up your roast chicken game with this Chinese-inspired version that's seasoned with star anise, cinnamon, fennel, cardamom, and ginger.
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A serving platter topped with baharat roast chicken with sweet potatoes and a bowl of preserved lemon oil on the side along with a bottle of wine and a wine goblet.
Though the taste behind this single-pan roast chicken supper is revelatory, the approach to getting there couldn’t be simpler.
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A skillet with David Leite's best brined roast chicken in a cast iron Dutch oven surrounded by potatoes, mushrooms, carrots, and a halved head of garlic.olden brown brined chicken with vegetables around it.
This best brined roast chicken is the best method for brining your chicken, as far as I know. It blends aromatic vegetables and herbs to the brining solution before adding your chicken. The meat gets infused with lush flavors and juiciness beyond the average brined chicken.
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Pieces of roast chicken wth a small dish of pan gravy and a halved lemon and bulb of garlic on an oval metal tray.
This roast chicken and and pan gravy is seriously something we cannot get enough of. It’s got our heads spinning and everyone clamoring for more. Here’s how to make it.
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A whole simple roast chicken in a skillet, surrounded by grapes.
This simple roast chicken recipe, as the name implies, is ridiculously easy and turns out a superlative bird with shatteringly crisp skin and surprisingly juicy meat. No surprise that it’s the same technique that Thomas Keller uses.
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A white platter topped with roast chicken with sweet potatoes and brown butter with two serving spoons and a napkin on the side.
This roast chicken with sweet potatoes and brown butter is an elevated version of chicken and vegetables where a roasted spatchcocked chicken is served atop sweet potatoes and the whole shebang drizzled with a rosemary-infused brown butter vinaigrette.
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A black platter with golden brown herb butter chicken, roasted onion, a lemon wedge, and sprigs of thyme and oregano by Dorie Greenspan
A roast chicken is one of the easiest, and most rewarding, dinners you can make. This version, with its mix of parsley, rosemary, thyme, basil, cilantro, sage, tarragon, chives, and/or oregano comes together quickly and is truly satisfying.
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Two whole chickens and whole garlic heads in a cast iron pan
This dish has a devoted following at Balthazar and is a favorite among regulars who don’t bother to look at a menu before ordering. In the restaurant, the chicken is served with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and a selection of Pan-Roasted Root Vegetables.
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A white casserole dish with a roasted, spiced chicken it in, flanked by a dish of avocado salad and a bowl of lime wedges.
This Peruvian roast chicken borrows its Latin American accent from a marinade of paprika, cumin, lemon, and garlic, creating an amazing Technicolor Dream Coat color and a really quite spectacular taste.
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An oval dish filled with Baharat spiced chicken pieces and a bowl of couscous and plate of couscous and chicken on the side.
Baharat roast chicken draws on a traditional Middle Eastern spice rub to lend an easy flourish to everyday roast chicken.
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Four roast chicken thighs with lemon in a cast-iron skillet set on a wooden board with a meat fork resting beside it.
These roast chicken thighs with lemon rely on a simple technique that ensures shatteringly crisp skin and exceptionally juicy meat. Tart citrus and olives lend a subtle, simple flair.
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An oval pan filled with a whole roast chicken with sumac, surrounded by roasted carrots, garlic, lemon wedges; a bowl of yogurt, sumac, and olive oil nearby
This classic roast chicken takes on Middle Eastern flair with the addition of a sumac rub and creamy labneh sauce.
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A whole spicy roast chicken on a rack set inside a baking dish with a brush lying beside the chicken.
Prince’s chicken is so hot, it can make a body see things. Speak in tongues. Change lives. This chicken is also fried chicken—it’s a bad boyfriend you've just got to give up. But this hot chicken here? You can eat my chicken whenever you like, and it’s a friend you keep around. You feel me?
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A blue enamel roast pan with a maple roast chicken, trussed and stuffed with lemon halves, sitting on a bed of fingerling potatoes. Glasses of red wine and salt and pepper in the background.
Maple syrup makes this roast chicken shine. It's a simple meal that will impress your family and friends. I love Grade B (Grade A–Dark Color and Robust Flavor) maple syrup, I think the flavor is a little deeper and more complex than Grade A. Give it a try!
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A pan of harissa roasted chicken sitting on top of sliced roasted potatoes, nearby a cutting board and knife.
This harissa roast chicken is a richly, deeply flavored dinner. Chicken is coated with a spice mix, sauteed, then slathered with harissa, cilantro pesto, lemon, garlic, and chiles before being baked to perfection atop potatoes.
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A whole cooked wheat beer roasted chicken in a deep oval baking dish.
This beer roasted chicken draws its unique flavor from European-style beer, orange zest, and coriander. And it’s a one-pot meal, which makes it a cinch to both toss together, forget about while it’s in the oven, and not to mention clean up afterward.
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A deep roasting pan filled with roast chicken and vegetables
This Moroccan-spiced roast chicken is seasoned with paprika, cumin, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, and then cooked on a bed of sweet potatoes, cauliflower, and red onions.
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Pieces of sheet pan roast chicken with za'atar with onion wedges, halved garlic heads, and lemon slices.
This sheet pan roast chicken with za’atar is an easy meal of tender, marinated chicken that’s roasted on a bed of onion, garlic, and lemon slices. The result? A sum of SO much more than its parts.
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