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A roast chicken with crispy skin with holes in the skin that have been stuffed with bay leaves and garlic. The chicken is on a wire rack in a roasting tray and there is also garlic and a bay leaf in the cavity of the chicken and a MEATER thermometer is inserted in the chicken.

Crispy Garlicky Roast Chicken Recipe

Grace Stewart
This Crispy Garlicky Roast Chicken Recipe is easy and delicious! Your family will be fighting over the roasted garlic cloves and crispy skin!
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Resting time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 6 people
Calories 404 kcal

Equipment

  • Roasting tray with wire rack
  • meat thermometer can use an instant read meat thermometer or my favorite which is the MEATER +

Ingredients
  

  • 5 lb whole chicken
  • 3 tablespoon butter melted
  • 6 bay leaves
  • 12 cloves garlic crushed; feel free to increase the amount of garlic if you like!
  • ½ tablespoon salt
  • 1 ts black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Remove the chicken from your fridge and allow to sit out on your counter for 1 hr prior to roasting and preheat your oven to 400F a few minutes before you start prepping your chicken.
  • Pat the chicken dry using paper towels. Place the chicken on a wire rack in a roasting tray that is lined with aluminum foil for easier cleanup. Then insert crushed garlic cloves both under the skin and into the cavity. To insert under the skin, cut a slit into the skin. You'll want to do this both on top and underneath the chicken (on both the right and left sides) and insert 2 garlic cloves and a bay leaf into each side (total of 8 cloves and 4 bay leaves) and place the remaining garlic and bay leaves in the cavity.
    An uncooked whole chicken on a wire rack in a roasting tray lined with foil. There is a hand poised over the chicken holding a bay leaf and wholes were cut in the skin in which bay leaves and garlic were inserted.
  • Now baste the chicken with melted butter and then sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Be sure to add salt and pepper to the cavity and pour a bit of the melted butter into the cavity of the chicken as well. Insert your wireless or bluetooth meat thermometer if you are using one at this time.
    An uncooked whole chicken seasoned with salt and pepper on a wire rack in a roasting tray lined with foil. There is a MEATER thermometer inserted into the chicken and holes in the skin into which bay leaves and garlic have been inserted.
  • Place the chicken breast side down on the wire rack to begin roasting. Roast the chicken breast side down in a 400F oven for around 30 minutes.
    A roasting tray containing an uncooked whole chicken on a wire rack in the oven.
  • Remove the roasting tray after 30 minutes and turn the chicken over so that it is breast side up. By this time, the underside of the chicken should be lovely and crispy. Baste with some of the drippings.
    A whole chicken on a wire rack in a roasting tray lined with foil. There is a blue silicone baster with wooden handle basting the chicken with butter.
  • Then turn the chicken so that it is breast side up. Now baste this side with the drippings. Return the chicken to the oven with the breast side up.
    An uncooked whole chicken on a wire rack in a roasting tray lined with foil. There is a blue silicone baster with wooden handle basting the chicken with butter.
  • We're going to continue roasting until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165F. Baste the chicken occasionally during the remainder of the roasting time. the heat to 450F for the last 20 minutes or so of roasting. This increase will help to crisp up the skin even more and shorten the cooking time. Keep a close eye on your chicken during this time to ensure it doesn't burn.
    A roast chicken with crispy skin with holes in the skin that have been stuffed with bay leaves and garlic. The chicken is on a wire rack in a roasting tray and there is also garlic and a bay leaf in the cavity of the chicken.
  • After you are finished roasting your chicken, allow it to rest for around 10 minutes so that the juices in the chicken reabsorb and redistribute back into and through the meat. This will ensure a lovely juicy and moist chicken! Reserve the drippings from the roast chicken which is absolutely delectable! I love to pour some of the drippings over my chicken once it's sliced and served for extra indulgence!
    A roast chicken with crispy skin stuffed with garlic and bay leaves on a white plate. There is a plastic container with chicken fat drippings in the foreground.

Nutrition

Calories: 404kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 34gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 137mgSodium: 717mgPotassium: 380mgFiber: 0.2gSugar: 0.4gVitamin A: 274IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 41mgIron: 2mg
Keyword Chicken, Roast chicken
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