This Christmas roast chicken recipe has crispy skin dusted with holiday spices, and juicy, tender meat. It's the perfect festive main dish for Christmas day!
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Why You'll Love This Dish
This easy Christmas chicken recipe is impressive. When planning your Christmas feast, having a juicy roast chicken as your centerpiece is sure to impress your family and friends.
It's also super delicious! Warm spices, savory garlic, sweet brown sugar, a hint of heat from the chipotle and ginger powder, and a bright, citrusy orange zest butter combine to create the perfect roast chicken for Christmas.
Cooking a whole roast chicken is much simpler than you think, and the brown sugar coating and butter under the skin a wonderfully crisp exterior with juicy chicken on the interior.
As far as holiday dinners go, this chicken roast is relatively quick. The cooking time is only an hour, most of which is hands-off time in the oven.
Plus, it makes amazing leftovers. Just like Thanksgiving turkey, this holiday roast chicken makes delicious sandwiches. You can also add the leftover chicken to soups, chicken pot pies, or salads.
What You'll Need
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- Whole Chicken This recipe calls for a 4-pound bird for 4 people. If you have a larger crowd, you can make a larger bird with a longer cook time or more than 1 bird.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil California Olive Ranch is my favorite brand.
- Butter I recommend unsalted butter.
- Fresh Oranges You'll want the zest of one whole orange. Halved oranges in the roasting pan will add a beautiful aroma while cooking.
- Ground Cinnamon
- Ground Cloves
- Chipotle Powder If you are sensitive to spice, you can swap this for chili powder, paprika, or omit it.
- Garlic Powder
- Ginger Powder
- Salt I always recommend using kosher salt.
- Fresh Thyme
- Fresh Rosemary
- Fresh Sage If you can't find one or more of these three fresh herbs, you can just use one.
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How to Make Roast Christmas Chicken
Step One Let the chicken come to room temperature, about 30 minutes to an hour. Pat the chicken dry.
Step Two Mix the spice blend together.
Step Three Mix the zest of one orange with softened butter.
Step Four Spread the orange zest butter under the skin of the chicken using a spatula or your fingers.
Step Five Sprinkle the top of the chicken with salt, spices, and sugar. Pat down on the chicken skin.
Step Six Stuff the chicken cavity with fresh sage, rosemary, and thyme.
Step Seven Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Truss (tie the legs together with kitchen twine), add some olive oil or butter to the roasting pan or a large sheet tray, and place the chicken in breast side up.
Step Eight Cook for the chicken uncovered for 30 minutes, then remove from the oven and check for doneness. Baste with pan juices.
Step Nine Cook for another 15 to 30 minutes. The chicken is fully cooked when a meat thermometer inserted into the thicket part of the thigh has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit and the juices run clear.
Step Ten Taste a small piece of the bird for seasoning, adding salt if needed. Allow the chicken to rest for about 15 minutes. Carve the chicken and serve!
Variations
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- For an easier Christmas dinner, you can make just one cut of chicken. Buy bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and cook at 400 degrees F for 30 to 40 minutes.
- For a simple roast chicken, simply season the chicken with salt and pepper in place of the holiday spices in this recipe. It will be delicious and easy.
- Add garlic cloves to the roasting pan in their skin. You can then spread the roasted garlic on the finished chicken or onto bread or rolls.
How to Store
Fridge Store leftover roast chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
Freezer In order to freeze, remove the chicken skin and remove the cooked chicken from the bone. Shred the chicken or leave in small whole pieces. Place in a freezer-safe bag and store for up to 4 months.
Reheating From the fridge, you can reheat whole chicken parts (thighs, drumsticks) in a 400 degree-Fahrenheit oven for about 15 minutes. You can also reheat shredded chicken or smaller pieces in the microwave.
From the freezer, you can reheat shredded frozen chicken on a covered plate with a bit of water in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes, or until heated through.
FAQ
The most popular Christmas dinner meats are chicken, turkey, ham, beef, and lamb.
In order to achieve crisp skin, it is best to leave your chicken uncovered when roasting.
For smaller birds, 400 is best. This will help you achieve a lovely crispy exterior.
No. This can effectively steam the exterior of the bird, leaving you with rubbery skin. If you would prefer to add liquid to the bottom of your pan, use a roasting rack to prevent the chicken from sitting in the liquid.
Expert Tips
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- Be sure to test for temperature in the thickest part of the chicken thigh, not the chicken breast, without touching the bone or you will receive an inaccurate reading.
- Purchase a chicken with the giblets and neck removed. This will make your life easier! If you purchase a chicken with these parts, remove them before cooking.
- Save your chicken bones in a freezer-safe bag and use to make homemade chicken broth or stock at a later date.
How to Serve
This is a wonderful main dish for Christmas dinner. Serve it alongside some other traditional holiday favorites.
This Sage and Bacon Stuffing is a favorite in our house, as are these Calabrian Potatoes!
Roasted Tenderstem Broccoli is a popular vegetable side, as are these Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Garlic, and who doesn't love mac and cheese? This Mac and Cheese without Milk is rich, creamy, and delicious.
Cranberry Sauce is a must, and you have to try these Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream!
Looking for dessert? Try this Fruit Salad with Walnuts, a wonderful No Bake Chocolate Pie, or some Traditional Rum Balls!
This easy Christmas cocktail is a wonderful addition to the meal, too.
A slice or two of this chicken would also be super delicious in place of the turkey on this Turkey Egg and Cheese Sandwich.
Other Recipes You'll Love
Looking for some more chicken dishes? Try these recipes!
📖 Recipe
Christmas Roast Chicken with Orange Butter
Equipment
- Roasting Pan or Large Sheet Tray
Ingredients
Orange Butter
- 1 orange zest of
- 2 tablespoons butter softened, unsalted
Roast Chicken
- olive oil or butter for greasing the pan
- 1 (4-pound) whole chicken
- 2 to 3 sprigs fresh sage
- 2 to 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 to 3 springs fresh thyme
- 2 oranges halved
Spice Mixture
- ½ teaspoon chipotle powder
- ½ tablespoon garlic powder
- ½ tablespoon kosher salt
- ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ tablespoon ground cloves
- ½ tablespoon ginger powder
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
Instructions
Orange Butter
- Mix the zest of one orange with 2 tablespoons of softened butter.
Spice Blend
- Mix the chipotle powder, garlic powder, kosher salt, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and brown sugar together.
Roast Chicken
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Let the chicken come to room temperature, about 30 minutes to an hour. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
- Spread the orange zest butter under the skin of the chicken using a spatula or your fingers.
- Sprinkle the top of the chicken with the spice blend.
- Stuff the chicken cavity with fresh sage, rosemary, and thyme.
- Truss the bird, add some olive oil or butter to the roasting pan or a large sheet tray, and place the chicken in breast side up.
- Cook for the chicken uncovered for 30 minutes, then remove from the oven and check for doneness. Baste with pan juices.
- Cook for another 15 to 30 minutes. The chicken is fully cooked when a meat thermometer inserted into the thicket part of the thigh has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit and the juices run clear.
- Taste a small piece of the bird for seasoning, adding salt if needed. Allow the chicken to rest for about 15 minutes. Carve the chicken and serve.
Notes
- If you are sensitive to spice, you can replace the chipotle powder with chili powder or paprika, or omit entirely.
- Fridge Store leftover roast chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
- Freezer In order to freeze, remove the chicken skin and remove the cooked chicken from the bone. Shred the chicken or leave in small whole pieces. Place in a freezer-safe bag and store for up to 4 months.
- Reheating from fridge: You can reheat whole chicken parts (thighs, drumsticks) in a 400 degree-Fahrenheit oven for about 15 minutes. You can also reheat shredded chicken or smaller pieces in the microwave.
- From the freezer: You can reheat shredded frozen chicken on a covered plate with a bit of water in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes, or until heated through.
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