Roast the Perfect Holiday Chicken

Crispy skin, tender texture, and the best savory flavor you can imagine!

A Chicken Roasting Worthy Of Boasting.

That’s what we’re aiming for. There’s something magical about serving a beautifully roasted chicken at the center of your holiday table. With a little prep and this tasty recipe, you can transform a humble bird into a show-stopper with crispy skin, tender texture, and the best savory flavor you can imagine.

Now let’s learn how to brine and roast the perfect holiday chicken, using this delicious Cider Brined Roasted Whole Chicken recipe. Plus you’ll get roasted apples and cider sage gravy out of it too!

Here are the ingredients you will need:

FOR THE BRINE

FOR THE CHICKEN

  • ½ cup butter, softened
  • 1 tbsp chopped thyme
  • 1 tbsp chopped sage
  • ½ lemon, zested
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 ½ cups apple cider
  • 6 apples, thickly sliced, seeds removed

FOR THE BRINE

OK, LET’S GET ROASTING.

Step 1Brining – The Secret to Juicy Chicken

Brining helps chicken stay moist and flavorful throughout the roasting process. It’s one of the guarded secrets to a successful roasted chicken.

Start by creating your brine in a saucepan on the stovetop with apple cider, fresh thyme, peppercorns, and a touch of brown sugar. Submerge your chicken in this mixture in the fridge for 12–24 hours. We like to put the brine and chicken in a resealable plastic bag with the air squeezed out and place it inside a large bowl in the event of any spillage. But you can also put the chicken directly in a covered bowl or bin as long as the brine fully covers the chicken. The brining process infuses the meat with subtle sweetness and herbaceous notes, making every bite mouthwatering.

PRO TIP: Chill the brine with ice before adding the chicken to avoid partially cooking it.

Step 2Preparing for Roasting

An hour before you plan to roast, remove the chicken from the brine, rinse it, and pat it dry. Let it air-dry at room temperature while you prepare a simple herbed butter with thyme, sage, lemon zest, and pepper.

Pretend you’re a Swedish masseuse and rub the herbed butter generously over the chicken, including under the skin, for maximum flavor. We know it can be kind of icky, but trust us you’ll want to stuff the chicken’s cavity with lemon halves and sprigs of the fresh herbs to add moisture and flavor from within.

Step 3Roasting to Perfection

Preheat your oven to 400°F and arrange onion slices and garlic cloves in a roasting pan. Place the chicken on top, tuck the wings under its body, and tie the legs with twine to make sure the chicken cooks evening and doesn’t get up to run away (jk on that last part!). Add a splash of apple cider to the pan for extra moisture.

Roast the chicken uncovered, basting it occasionally with cider, like you’re giving it a sweet and tangy autumnal sponge bath. Coat thickly sliced apples in your reserved herbed butter and add them to the pan during the last 10 minutes of roasting.

To make sure your chicken is done, aim for an internal temperature of 165°F in the thickest part. You can use an oven-safe meat thermometer to monitor the temperature while cooking. Or those new-fangled wireless thermometers that connect directly to your phone, like you’re getting a text message from your chicken while it’s in the oven. Technology is wild!

Step 4Resting and Serving

Once roasted, let the chicken rest for 15–20 minutes to lock in the juices. Meanwhile, whip up a velvety cider sage gravy using the flavorful pan drippings, apple cider, chicken stock, and fresh sage.

Arrange your chicken atop a bed of the roasted apples and onions on a platter. You may choose to carve the chicken before serving or make a spectacle about it after you trot your beautiful chicken out to the table. Serve with gravy in a boat for a presentation that will make your guests swoon.

Congrats, you’re a pro roaster now.

With your new expertise, you’ll have a new holiday tradition that everyone will look forward to year after year! Folks will be inviting you to all their festive gatherings saying “Hey, can you bring that amazing roasted chicken you made that one time?” So, you’ll need to have this recipe bookmarked—click below for an “official” link. Then try your hand at this collection of roasted chicken recipes too. Happy roasting!