Follow our easy, step-by-step, photo illustrated instructions to learn how to make our Garlic Roast Chicken Recipe. An easy, one pan chicken roasted in the oven. Printable recipe included.
Moist and delicious, this Garlic Roast Chicken is quick and easy to prepare. Roast some vegetables along with it and you’ve got a complete one pan meal on the table in no time.
Many years back, my family started attending a large church about an hours drive from our home. We loved the church and soon became members. About 40 people joined the church the same day we did.
Since we were out of town, we often ate out following the church service as opposed to waiting until we could drive back home. We always looked forward to trying new restaurants and this town had a lot of them.
We learned that a good number of the church members would go to this one restaurant in particular, so we decided to check it out. It wasn’t a Greek restaurant, but it was owned and operated by a Greek family that were also members of our church.
The first time we visited, the pastor saw us come in and told us that we were going to really love the food there.
I asked him what he would suggest, and without hesitation, he said, “The Garlic Roast Chicken.” He was right, it was awesome and we went back many a Sunday and enjoyed some great food at this little place.
This is my version of what we often had. It’s basically a one pan dinner if you decided to toss in some vegetables to roast while the chicken is cooking. I had some potatoes, and an ear of fresh corn, so I decided to add those to the pan. I also was blessed to have some fresh Vidalia Onions which made it even better.
Please share a Comment with us below if you decide to try our recipe. I always enjoy reading those. I do hope you’ll like it should you decide to give it a try.
Ready to cook some chicken? Alright then, let’s head on out to the kitchen, and… Let’s Get Cooking!
Garlic Roast Chicken – You’ll need these ingredients.
The vegetables are optional. But, you can prepare a complete meal in one pan if you have them available. Just use what you have on hand.
Prepare your vegetables first. I sliced my onion into rings and cut the corn into four pieces. I washed the potatoes and will add them whole, with the skin on, to make this a complete one pan meal.
Slice the bulbs of garlic in half. I had three small bulbs here. Just slice them in half and don’t worry about trying to peel them. We’re going to add them to the inside of the chicken just like this.
Place one Tablespoon of bacon grease and three Tablespoons of butter in a small bowl. Place this in the microwave for about 10 seconds at a time until the butter has melted. Stir everything together and set aside for now.
Line a sheet cake style pan with aluminum foil. You’ll need something with sides about 3 inches high because it will make a lot of juice while it’s roasting.
Separate the onion slices into rings and spread them all over the bottom of the foil lined pan.
Carefully open your package of chicken and drain the liquid out straight down the drain. Check the inside and neck cavity in case you have any giblets included. Remove them if you have them. They can be used for making giblet gravy or you can freeze them and use them later. The chicken I purchased did not have any giblets included.
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Most sources these days say its not necessary to rinse the chicken before you cook it. I’m trying to follow the new suggestions, but it’s kind of tough when you’ve always done it before. Supposedly, not rinsing the chicken will keep you from cross contaminating other items in your kitchen.
Place the chicken on the onion rings, then stuff the pieces of garlic inside the chicken, paper shell and all.
Gently slip your fingers under the skin of the chicken over the breast meat. Add a couple of Tablespoons of the butter and bacon grease mixture under the skin all across the breast meat of the chicken.
The bacon grease just adds another layer of flavor to the chicken while it’s roasting.
Using kitchen twine, secure the legs of the chicken together. This will help the chicken to cook more evenly.
Fold the tip of the wing back and under the chicken. This will keep the wings from burning while the chicken is in the oven.
Brush the remainder of the butter and bacon grease combination over the top of the chicken. Coat the breast, legs, thighs and wings well. A silicone brush works great for this.
Drizzle a few drops of the lemon juice over the top of the chicken.
Shake a bit of salt over the top.
Finally, sprinkle the top of the chicken with black pepper.
If you’re using them, spread the vegetables around the outside edge of the baking pan.
Place the chicken in an oven that has been pre-heated to 375F degrees.
Let the chicken roast for 45 minutes, then use a clean basting brush to brush liquid from the pan over the top of the chicken. Repeat this again about every 15 minutes until the chicken is done. It will take about 90 minutes to roast the chicken. Mine took about 10 minutes longer than that.
The chicken is done when a digital thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh meat and breast meat reaches a temperature of 165F degrees. I like to test in a couple of different areas to be sure the chicken is fully done.
Remove the chicken from the oven when it’s done, and place it on folded towels on your counter top.
The chicken needs to rest for about 15 to 20 minutes before carving and serving. This allows the juices to evenly redistribute themselves throughout the chicken and helps to keep the chicken moist.
Enjoy!
