RECIPE VIDEO ABOVE. Slathered with a garlic-herb-lemon butter, this roast chicken is juicy on the inside with crispy golden skin on the outside. An all round flavour bomb with the most incredible liquid gold pan juices to use as the sauce! See notes for gravy option and cook times for other chicken sizes.
Recipe by Nagi | RecipeTin Eats on January 18, 2019
1 cup / 250 ml dry white wine (, or low sodium chicken broth)
1 onion (, quartered (Note 2))
1 garlic bulb (, halved horizontally (Note 2))
Categories
Dinner
Roasts
Steps
Take the chicken out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.
Preheat oven to 220C/450F (standard) or 200C/430F (fan/convection). Put shelf in the middle.
Mix together Butter ingredients. Add juice from 2 wedges of lemon.
Place chicken in a roasting pan. Use a dessert spoon to loosen skin from chicken (see video). Do the top (the breast) and the drumsticks – not the underside.
Prop chicken upright, drizzle butter under skin, using most of the garlic/herb sludge, but saving a bit of butter for the skin (Note 3).
Drizzle / smear remaining butter all over surface of the chicken. Squeeze over juice of 2 lemon wedges.
Stuff used lemon wedges and rosemary inside chicken.
Tie drumstick ends with string and tuck wing tips under the chicken.
Sprinkle all over with salt and pepper.
Place onion and garlic in the pan, place chicken on top. Pour wine around, drizzle chicken with oil.
Transfer to oven. Roast for 10 minutes, then turn oven down to 180C/350F (all oven types). Roast for a further 1 hr 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 75C/165F or until juices run clear when pierced at the join between the drumstick and the body. Baste twice (30 min then at 1 hr), spooning pan juices over skin.
Rest for 15 minutes – don’t cover, skin becomes wet.
Serve with pan juices (see video for how to carve). I discard onion but use the garlic in the pan. See notes for side suggestions & how to use carcass for incredible homemade broth!
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 399 g
Calories: 505 kcal
Reviews
Karmel Dowd on 2026-09-18 (4 stars): Somewhere between pan juices and gravy. Pour off the fat, put the remaining pan juice in a small saucepan, season with salt and ground pepper, bring to a simmer then swirl in a bit of cream.
Lisa on 2026-09-13 (5 stars): Yikes David, seems like you might be the problem
Delphia Barnes on 2026-09-12 (5 stars): No idea why I've waited so long to make this. I snagged a Steggles 3kg chook for $10 & can't believe how good this was.
Jennifer Moritz on 2026-08-26 (5 stars): LOVE this recipe. I probably cook this once a week. It’s delicious every time. I follow the directions almost exactly, except for subbing out a few herbs here and there when I don’t have one of the things in the recipe. It turns out perfect.
Tracey Jones on 2026-08-22 (5 stars): This is my go to roast chicken recipe. Subtle flavour & moist. I made the gravy this time. Absolutely delightful.
Sarah D. on 2026-08-17 (5 stars): It was my first roast in our new oven so bit nervous but I knew I could trust Nagi. OmG!!!Those herbs?!
My mother-in-law said it was the best roast chicken she'd ever had-enough said.
Thank you Nagi,our hown grown Australian kitchen goddess x
Louise on 2026-08-16 (5 stars): I’m a pretty basic cook and learning more recipes. But this is the roast chicken of my childhood, just like my mum used to make. And I do an excellent job of it if I don’t say so myself!! Thanks Nagi!!!
Leonora Bellhouse on 2026-08-09 (5 stars): This is SO delicious. My partner makes it, not me!
That said, partner had one point of criticism for @Nagi: the step 3 2tbsp lemon juice is not listed in the butter preparation ingredients.
For me? I can tune out partner complaint and just enjoy the mouth watering chicken. Turns out amazing every time.
Caroline Raphael on 2026-07-22 (5 stars): Yummy tummy! Five stars ! I would give it 10 stars if I could says an 8 year old :-)
David on 2026-07-21 (2 stars): I also lodged a complaint about you & your comments with RTE
David on 2026-07-19 (2 stars): Of course I made it and it's an honest review. I suggest you restrict your comments to the recipes and not insult and accuse other reviewers.
Olivia on 2026-05-29 (5 stars): Wow! My track record with whole roast chickens hasn’t been great, but this was actually a success! My husband loved it too. Super tender and juicy. I added thyme because I had fresh on hand. This is how I’ll make it from now on!
David on 2026-05-09 (2 stars): Not possible to get a crispy skin chicken with so much liquid. Oven temps are also too low. Chicken is definitely cooked at 75 degrees but skin is still pale & limp. Crank everything up and wait until the bird is like you get from a chicken shop.
David on 2026-05-09 (2 stars): Not possible to get a crispy skin chicken with so much liquid. Oven temps are too low. Chicken is definitely cooked at 75 degrees but skin is still pale & limp. Crank everything up and wait until the bird is like you get from a chicken shop.
John stephens on 2026-04-12 (5 stars): This was great and beautifully juicey.
Top marks
Mary on 2026-04-06 (5 stars): Thank you for sharing this DELICIOUS and easy to make roast chicken recipe. Absolutely the best roast chicken I have ever made! Your recipes are always outstanding winners! Thank you so much for helping me excel my cooking abilities! Nagi, you work very hard at creating a great répertoire of delicious foods and sharing your recipes through so many avenues -- we are so fortunate! I have shared many of your recipes with friends and family and they have gone on to using your website and making more great foods!! Love you and your creations! Thank you so much!!♡♡♡♡♡
