Roasted Garlic Chicken

Roasted garlic chicken recipe, whole chicken, brined in a garlic salt brine, then roasted.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
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Updated March 16, 2022
Elise Bauer
Roasted Garlic Chicken
Elise Bauer

Would you like to know a trick to tender, succulent, roast chicken?

Overnight brining.

We usually roast chickens breast side down to ensure tender breast meat. But with the overnight brining in a roasted garlic and lemon juice marinade, the breast meat was perfectly moist, even cooked breast up.

The garlic flavor is subtle, not strong or overwhelming, due to roasting the garlic first.

Roasted Garlic Chicken

Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 60 mins
Total Time 65 mins
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup roasted garlic cloves

  • 2 cups water

  • 1 tablespoon salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

  • 1/2 lemon, cut into 4 wedges

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 1 (3 to 4 pounds) whole roasting chicken

Method

  1. Make the brine:

    Prepare the brine by combining garlic, water, salt, pepper and olive oil in a blender. Squeeze the juice from the lemon wedges into the brine, blend. Stir in the bay leaves.

  2. Brine the chicken overnight:

    Place chicken in a large, resealable plastic bag, or in a large non-reactive bowl. Pour the brine all over the chicken in the bag, or in the bowl. Add the (already squeezed) lemon wedges.

    Squeeze out all the air from the bag and seal, or place plastic wrap over the chicken in the bowl. Refrigerate overnight - 12 to 24 hours.

    roasted-garlic-chicken-method-1
    Elise Bauer
  3. Roast the chicken:

    Preheat the oven to 375°F. Remove the chicken from the brine. Pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle salt and pepper all over the chicken.

    Place the chicken on a rack, in a roasting pan, breast side up. Roast for about an hour, until the juices run clear from the thigh when pierced with a fork. (Thigh meat should have an internal temperature of 165°F when tested with a meat thermometer.)

    Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving and serving.

Recipe adapted from The Marshall Field's Cookbook 2006. (Sometimes available on eBay.)

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
1201 Calories
66g Fat
25g Carbs
127g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 1201
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 66g 84%
Saturated Fat 18g 89%
Cholesterol 399mg 133%
Sodium 1970mg 86%
Total Carbohydrate 25g 9%
Dietary Fiber 6g 20%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 127g
Vitamin C 103mg 517%
Calcium 152mg 12%
Iron 7mg 40%
Potassium 1361mg 29%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.