This Herbes de Provence roasted chicken recipe has golden brown, crispy skin with juicy, tender meat. It's seasoned simply with Herbes de Provence and roasted in the oven with garlic cloves and lemon for a fragrant, delicious meal that's easy enough for a weeknight but impressive enough for a special occasion.
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Why You'll Love This Roast Chicken Recipe
Roast chicken is one of the most simple yet elegant meals you can prepare.
This herbes de Provence roast chicken employs the classic seasoning blend from the Provence region of France made from thyme, basil, rosemary, tarragon, savory, marjoram, and lavender.
Some spice blends use all of these spices, while others include only a few.
So, why will you love this roast chicken? This recipe is easy. All you really need to do is pat the chicken dry, rub it with oil, season the meat, and roast it. There are no special cooking techniques needed.
It's also incredibly versatile. You can serve the chicken with simple vegetable sides, salads, potatoes, or bread. You can make it for meal prep and use it throughout the week in different dishes, too.
And most importantly, it's delicious. The chicken's skin is crisp, perfectly seasoned and its meat is moist and tender. The flavorful Herbes de Provence, bright lemon, and savory garlic combine to create the most amazing bite.
Whether you're looking for a weeknight meal, a dinner party star, or a holiday main dish, this is the best chicken to serve!
What You'll Need for Herbes de Provence Chicken
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- Chicken This recipe calls for a 4-pound bird. If the giblets come with the bird, you can either discard them or save them for another recipe, like gravy or stock.
- Olive Oil This is to coat the chicken skin to make it crispy. You can also use a neutral oil like grapeseed or avocado oil for this purpose, but I prefer the taste of olive oil.
- Salt I recommend using Diamond Crystal kosher salt. It coats food evenly and it's harder to oversalt your food because it's less salty per teaspoon than table salt or sea salt.
- Pepper Freshly ground black pepper is best here.
- Herbes de Provence You will generally find this spice blend in the spice aisle of your local grocery store or spice shop. It is sometimes spelled herbs de Provence or herb de Provence, but herbes de Provence is the correct French spelling.
- Lemons Sliced lemons added to the roasting pan will create beautiful roasted lemons you can squeeze over the cooked chicken.
- Garlic Roasting garlic in the pan alongside the chicken makes the house smell amazing. I like to remove the roasted garlic from the head once roasted and use a knife to smear a bit on the chicken while you're eating it. Trust me, it's heaven.
Optional
- Fresh Herbs You can add a bouquet of fresh herbs to the cavity of the bird for even more flavor. Here I used thyme, but feel free to use any combination of rosemary, thyme, and sage.
How to Roast Chicken Provençal
Step One: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
Step Two: Put the chicken in a roasting pan, baking dish, or on a sturdy sheet tray and brush the chicken all over with olive oil.
Step Three: Stuff the cavity with the fresh herbs, if using.
Step Four: Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and Herbes de Provence. Halve lemons and place in the corners of the roasting pan.
Step Five: Halve a head of garlic. Brush with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, then place in the roasting pan.
Step Six: Roast the chicken for 30 minutes, then remove from the oven. Baste with the pan drippings and check the chicken for temperature. If you have used a small chicken or your oven runs hot, it may be done. If so, remove the chicken from the oven and set on a cutting board to rest.
Step Seven: If is it not done, return the chicken to the oven and let cook for an additional 15 to 30 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh shows an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step Eight: Let the chicken rest for about 10 minutes, then serve!
Recommended Equipment
Kitchen Knife or Boning Knife to carve the chicken
Variations
Cast Iron Skillet: You can cook your chicken in a large cast iron skillet. Ensure you have a skillet large enough to hold the chicken without it hanging over the side, or it will drip on the bottom of the oven and make the kitchen smoky.
Chicken Thighs: You can make this recipe with just chicken thighs instead of the whole bird. Roast at 400 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes.
White Wine: If you have lots of sticky, delicious drippings and pan juice on the bottom of the pan once the chicken has cooked, you use a tiny bit of white wine or vermouth to deglaze the pan and create a little sauce.
Trussed: It's not necessary to truss the chicken before cooking, but if you prefer the look of a trussed chicken, by all means, do!
Storage and Reheating
Fridge: Store leftover roast chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
Freezer: If freezing your chicken, I recommend picking the meat from the bones and freezing for up to 2 months.
Reheating: You can reheat your chicken in the microwave at 30-second intervals until heated through. I like to place the chicken in a pan over medium-high heat with a bit of oil to get the skin a bit crispy again.
You can also reheat it in the air fryer. Place chicken pieces in the air fryer basket and cook at 390 degrees for about 6 minutes or until 165 degrees Fahrenheit and crisp.
How to Serve Roast Chicken with Herbes de Provence
I love serving roast chicken with these sides:
Salad A simple Greek green salad is delicious, or you can try this peppery arugula caprese or fresh cucumber and beet salad.
Roasted Vegetables These spicy roasted vegetables or asparagus and Brussels sprouts are favorites to pair with chicken, and this roasted baby broccoli is a classic pairing. I also love this whole roasted cauliflower.
Potatoes Try these crispy air fryer fingerling potatoes or these spicy, lemony Calabrian potatoes.
Sweet Potatoes These sauteed sweet potatoes are a quick favorite. This butternut squash is another easy and flavorful side.
Thanksgiving Sides If you're making this chicken for a holiday, try some sides like sage and bacon stuffing, sweet potato biscuits, and Thanksgiving fruit salad. We also love this air fryer acorn squash. And be sure to try pairing your meal with apple cider sangria!
Sauteed Cruciferous Veg This garlicky cruciferous crunch is a blend of cabbage, kale, and Brussels sprouts that I love making with roast chicken.
Looking for the perfect dessert? Try these delicious Biscoff mug cake, mini cheesecake bites, apple cider cake, or end your evening with an espresso martini. We also love this easy 2 ingredient peanut butter fudge!
Expert Tips
- Confirm your chicken is fully cooked. In addition to measuring the temperature of your chicken with a thermometer, you can ensure the chicken is cooked by cutting between the leg and the thigh to see if the juices run clear.
- Make sure the skin is dry. You'll want to pat the chicken all over with paper towels to ensure it is dry before adding the olive oil for the crispiest skin. The importance of dry skin can't be underestimated when you roast chicken.
- Want extra decadent chicken? Loosen the skin of the chicken, then rub a few tablespoons of butter under the skin for an even more rich flavor.
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More Chicken Dinners to Try
📖 Recipe
Herbes de Provence Roasted Chicken
Equipment
- Roasting Pan or Large Sheet Tray
Ingredients
- 1 (4-lb) whole chicken giblets removed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ tablespoon kosher salt see note 1
- freshly ground black pepper a few grinds of the pepper mill, to taste
- ½ tablespoon Herbes de Provence
- 2 lemons
- 1 head garlic
Optional
- 1 bunch fresh thyme or a mixture of thyme, rosemary, and sage
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
- Put the chicken in a roasting pan, baking dish, or on a sturdy sheet tray and brush the chicken all over with olive oil.
- Stuff the cavity with the fresh herbs, if using.
- Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and Herbes de Provence.
- Halve lemons, remove the seeds, and place in the corners of the roasting pan.
- Halve a head of garlic. Brush with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, then place in the roasting pan.
- Roast the chicken for 30 minutes, then remove from the oven. Baste with the pan drippings and check the chicken for temperature. If you have used a small chicken or your oven runs hot, it may be done. If so, remove the chicken from the oven and set on a cutting board to rest.
- If is it not done, return the chicken to the oven and let cook for an additional 15 to 30 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh shows an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Let the chicken rest for about 10 minutes, then serve!
Notes
- If you are not using kosher salt, you'll need to dial back on the salt in the recipe and taste for seasoning once cooked.
- Investing in an inexpensive oven thermometer can be very helpful when roasting. Oven temperature readings can be off by 100 degrees or more. A reliable oven thermometer will help you ensure your oven is at the right temperature.
- You can also make this recipe with chicken thighs. Roast at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 to 45 minutes.
- Fridge: Store leftover roast chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
- Freezer: If freezing your chicken, I recommend picking the meat from the bones and freezing for up to 2 months.
- Reheating: You can reheat your chicken in the microwave at 30-second intervals until heated through. I like to place the chicken in a pan over medium-high heat with a bit of oil to get the skin a bit crispy again.
- You can also reheat it in the air fryer. Place chicken pieces in the air fryer basket and cook at 390 degrees for about 6 minutes or until 165 degrees Fahrenheit and crisp.
Peace Adisa Diaab says
Roasted a 5lb bird tonight with new potatoes, leeks, fennel, zucchini, yellow squash, carrots and 2 halved garlic cloves. I roasted the potatoes and carrots in a separate roasting pan. It came out moist and deliciously tasty. I love ratatouille herbes de provence and herbs de provence on my lamb but this was next level!
Genevieve says
I am so happy you enjoyed this recipe!