
This strategy to roast rooster is sort of a French girl’s strategy to tossing a shawl round her neck. With little effort however simply the appropriate approach, one thing extremely easy and commonplace is abruptly made refined.
That’s what occurs while you slip some lemon, herbs, and root greens in together with your plain outdated hen: a extra stunning roasted chook. And nobody has to know simply how easy it’s. Simply nod and graciously settle for the compliments.


Why Our Testers Cherished This
My testers gushed over this easy French roast rooster recipe that “has all of it–tender, juicy meat bursting with taste and fantastic, crisp pores and skin, and the roasted veggies bathed in wealthy buttery-lemon-garlic-chicken juices!” Makes you need to attempt it, doesn’t it?
Notes on Elements


- Root greens–Use any mixture of your favourite root veggies, together with potatoes, carrots, parsnips, or turnips. Reduce them into similar-sized items in order that they cook dinner evenly.
- Hen–Purchase a rooster between 3 and 4 kilos, typically labeled as a fryer rooster. Bigger roasting chickens present extra meat however take longer to cook dinner, and you could find yourself with overly crispy rooster or greens.
- Lemons–These add taste to the rooster whereas it roasts. Leaving them in massive wedges retains the lemon taste refined.
- Salted butter—Utilizing salted butter saves you the step of salting the rooster. Should you’re utilizing unsalted butter, sprinkle a giant pinch of salt contained in the cavity of the rooster and season the surface of the rooster properly after rubbing it with butter. Room-temperature butter will probably be a lot simpler to unfold than chilly butter, so you’ll want to take it out of the fridge a few hours earlier than cooking.
- Garlic—Smash the cloves of garlic cloves of their skins by laying each on its aspect and urgent firmly on it with the flat aspect of a giant knife. Holding them of their skins permits the garlic to infuse the rooster and butter with taste with out overpowering it.
The best way to Make French Roasted Hen


- Mix the greens, onions, oil, lemon zest, thyme, salt, and pepper in a roasting pan. Combine properly to coat every thing, then organize in a single layer.
- Pat the rooster dry utilizing paper towel.


- Quarter the lemons and stuff them contained in the rooster cavity with the smashed garlic and a few thyme.
- Rub half of the butter beneath the rooster’s pores and skin, then unfold the rest over the surface. Sprinkle herbes de Provence and pepper over the rooster.


- Place the rooster on prime of the greens.
- Soften the butter in a small saucepan. Add the smashed garlic and hold heat.
- Roast the rooster at 425°F till the pores and skin begins to brown. Scale back the warmth to 400°F and cook dinner, basting each 20 minutes with the garlic butter, till it reaches an inner temperature of 165°F.


Frequent Questions
One of the simplest ways to find out doneness is with a meat thermometer. Insert it into the thickest a part of the thigh, avoiding any bone. When it reads 165°F (74°C), the rooster is completed.
Start by laying your cooked rooster on a flat floor. Utilizing a pointy knife, reduce between the leg and the breast till you attain the hip joint. Press firmly to chop via the joint whereas gently pulling the leg away. Reduce between the drumstick and thigh, and repeat with the second leg.
To carve the breast, slice into the highest of the breast subsequent to the breastbone. Information the knife alongside the bone in direction of the ribs whereas gently pulling the breast away from the bone. Comply with the ribs till you attain the wing joint, and press firmly to chop via the joint, then separate the wing from the breast.
Slice the rooster breast, if desired, and repeat with the remaining breast.
It’s as much as you. Trussing the rooster may help it to cook dinner extra evenly, nevertheless it’s not required for this recipe.
What to Serve with This Recipe
Because you’ve received juicy, tender rooster and caramelized root greens in a single dish, all that you must add is a crisp inexperienced salad drizzled with tangy lemon French dressing. That mentioned, I’d by no means flip down a loaf of crusty artisan bread for sopping up the buttery juices. Or, if you wish to add a contact of indulgence to your French meal, serve potatoes Dauphinoise on the aspect. It makes a nice Mom’s Day recipe, too!
Professional Suggestions
- With so few elements, it’s essential to search out the highest quality rooster you’ll be able to.
- In case your rooster is browning too rapidly, cowl it loosely with aluminum foil.
- Save your rooster carcass for making gradual cooker rooster inventory.
Storage and Reheating
Leftover rooster could be saved in a sealed container within the fridge for as much as 4 days. Reheat it in a 300°F oven till warmed via.


Write a Evaluate
Should you make this recipe, or any dish on LC, think about leaving a assessment, a star ranking, and your finest photograph within the feedback under. I really like listening to from you.–David
This was wonderful. It was really easy to make, and the roasted greens within the juices have been out of this world. We could by no means return to grocery-store roast rooster once more.
Karen W.
Make the rooster
Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
Scatter the chopped greens and onions in a roasting pan and drizzle with the oil. Add the lemon zest, thyme, salt, and pepper to the greens and, utilizing your palms, combine till all of the greens are coated after which unfold right into a single layer.
Utilizing paper towels, pat the rooster utterly dry, in and out.
Reduce each lemons in quarters and tuck them within the cavity of the chook with the smashed garlic and some sprigs of contemporary thyme. If all of the lemon quarters don’t match, you’ll be able to pop them within the pan with the greens—simply don’t overlook to take them out while you serve the rooster.
Reduce about half the butter into small items and place the items beneath the pores and skin of the chook. To do that, begin on the cavity finish of the rooster and slide one or two fingers between the meat and the pores and skin. Work slowly, separating the pores and skin from the meat so far as you’ll be able to attain. Squish the butter items barely and match them beneath the pores and skin as finest you’ll be able to.
Unfold the rest of the butter over the surface of the pores and skin. The best method to do that is together with your palms. Season the chook with the herbes de Provence or dried thyme and a contact of pepper.
Place the chook straight on the greens within the roasting pan and place within the oven on the underside rack for 20 minutes, till the pores and skin begins to brown properly.
Make the basting combination
In a small saucepan, soften the butter. Add the smashed garlic and place over very low warmth. You’ll use this to baste the rooster whereas it’s roasting.
Flip down the oven to 400˚F (200˚C) and roast the rooster for 60 to 70 minutes extra, or till a meat thermometer inserted into the excessive a part of the thigh registers 165˚F (74˚C). Usually you’ll be able to rely on about 20 minutes’ cook dinner time per pound (454 g) of rooster however to be completely positive, a meat thermometer is the way in which to go!
Whereas the chook is cooking, baste it each 20 minutes or so with the melted butter and smashed garlic. This may season the chook much more.
To serve
As soon as the rooster is cooked, take away it from the oven (depart the greens within the roasting pan), place it on a slicing board (ideally one which has a drain ridge to catch any juices), cowl it loosely with aluminum foil and permit it to relaxation for about 10 minutes earlier than you carve it.
Give the greens a very good stir and place the roasting pan again within the oven till you’re able to serve the meal. If the greens aren’t crisp sufficient, you’ll be able to set the broiler to excessive (round 400˚F/200˚C, in case your broiler has a temperature show) and broil them for about 5 minutes, however do keep watch over them as they may burn.
- Selecting your rooster–With so few elements, it’s essential to search out the highest quality rooster you’ll be able to.
- Tenting the rooster–In case your rooster is browning too rapidly, cowl it loosely with aluminum foil.
- Make inventory–Save your rooster carcass for making gradual cooker rooster inventory.
Serving: 1 portionEnergy: 585 kcalCarbohydrates: 22 gProtein: 23 gFats: 47 gSaturated Fats: 20 gMonounsaturated Fats: 18 gTrans Fats: 1 gLdl cholesterol: 142 mgSodium: 1449 mgFiber: 6 gSugar: 6 g
Diet data is routinely calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.
Recipe © 2018 Mardi Michels. Photographs © 2024 David Leite. All rights reserved.
Recipe Testers’ Opinions
This French roast rooster dish has all of it—tender, juicy meat bursting with taste, fantastic, crisp pores and skin, and roasted veggies bathed in wealthy buttery lemon-garlic rooster pan juices! I’m nonetheless interested by it!
The dish takes a little bit of time from begin to end, however what an ideal meal to make for friends when all of the work is completed forward. After friends arrive, all it’s important to do is peek within the oven and baste every so often when you’re having fun with some cocktails with your pals.
The one accompaniment you want for this dish is a crisp salad with a bracing French dressing to chop via the richness of all that butter and a extremely good baguette.
This French roast rooster recipe turned out to be one I’ll attain for time and again. The consequence was a rooster stuffed with taste with crisp pores and skin and moist flesh–even the chicken. However the star of the dish was the greens. The mixture of lemon zest with contemporary herbs, salt, and pepper was scrumptious and made me sorry there weren’t extra morsels of carrot and potato to eat.
A traditional and well-written roast rooster recipe! It simply goes to point out that primary elements cooked properly can flip into a superb most important course!
Don’t skip the basting with the garlic butter; it helps produce an attractive golden brown, crispy pores and skin. And positively use a thermometer so that you don’t overcook your chook! I made this on Monday for lunch and am wanting ahead to having fun with the remainder of it throughout the week—so many potentialities!
This poulet roti is a superb dish to serve for dinner and is a giant hit with adults and youngsters. The rooster is extremely moist with a scrumptious taste.