Jump to Recipe

Rosemary Roasted Chicken with Delicious Gravy is everything you want when enjoying a roast chicken dinner. A whole chicken is brushed with butter, fresh rosemary, salt, and pepper, and placed on a bed of vegetables and broth or stock, so the gravy is made in the bottom of the pan while the chicken roasts.

A whole roasted chicken viewed from overhead with lemon halves

There’s nothing better than an easy chicken dinner, and this one is made all in one pan with a few simple ingredients. The vegetables and gravy just add to the comfort, just add mash. This is comfort food for the whole family.

When you serve up juicy and moist sliced chicken dinner with vegetables, gravy is an absolute must, and I’m going to tell you how to get the most delicious and easy chicken gravy recipe with little effort.

Sliced chicken on a board pouring gravy on top

Preparing a chicken for roasting

The first important step is to dry the skin using paper towels. If I have time, I like to leave it in the fridge for a couple of hours, uncovered, to dry out the skin of the chicken and make it crispier. I then tie up the legs with oven-proof kitchen twine, season with butter or olive oil, herbs, salt, and pepper on the skin, under the skin, and inside. This is done before it is added to the pan.

Time saving roast chicken

An excellent way to cut down the roasting time for chicken by about 15 minutes is to butterfly the chicken. You can read about my easy step-by-step guide on How to Spatchcock a Chicken.

​Achieving the best flavor

When you roast a chicken or turkey in a dry pan, the juices (or pan drippings) drip onto the pan and can evaporate in the heat of the oven. This is how I alleviate that problem…

The secret to making pan gravy in the oven is adding carrots, celery, parsnip (this adds a lovely, natural sweetness to the gravy), onion, and garlic to a shallow roasting pan. Chicken broth or chicken stock is added, and the chicken is set on top of the vegetables. As it roasts, its juices drip into the broth/stock, and as the vegetables cook, they add so much flavor to the gravy. It’s so easy, right?

A browned, roast chicken in a cutting board with fresh herbs

Best pan to use for roast chicken

One that fits the size of your chicken is important. You don’t want to crowd the pan, or the chicken will steam instead of roast. You can also use a cast-iron pan (like I did when I roasted my roast Cornish hens).

The gravy is thickened with cornstarch instead of flour. Adding raw flour to a sauce before allowing it to cook in the pan with butter or oil will result in pasty, flour-tasting gravy. Cornstarch thickens perfectly with no adverse effect on the delicious taste of the gravy.

I am a fan of crispy skin and love to season whole chicken with fresh herbs. Whether it’s chicken skin or turkey skin, I enjoy both. Before slicing the birds, I usually remove the skin to keep it crispy, or you can crisp it up in the oven.

A closeup of a roasted chicken leg seasoned with fresh rosemary

Meat thermometer is very important for roasted meats

If you are roasting any type of meat, you should invest in an instant-read thermometer. The most accurate reading is obtained by inserting it into the thickest part of the thigh without hitting a bone. The cook times provided in recipes are only guidelines because every oven cooks at a different rate. The only accurate way to determine if meat is cooked is by checking the internal temperature. I discuss this in more detail in my post on the perfect roast turkey.

It’s important to let a roast chicken rest on a cutting board after coming out of the oven so the juices stay in the meat.

If you’ve made this Rosemary Roasted Chicken with Delicious Gravy or any other recipe, please leave a star rating in the recipe card. In addition, you can leave a comment or ask a question below.

Yield: 6

Rosemary Roasted Chicken with Delicious Gravy

Rosemary roasted chicken with delicious gravy fresh out of the oven

Chicken is brushed with butter, fresh rosemary, salt and pepper. This is placed in a roasting pan of vegetables and stock that is the basis for the gravy.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 5 pound (2.2 kg) roasting chicken
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces
  • 1 parsnip, peeled and into large pieces
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • 1 whole onion, peeled and quartered
  • 2 whole garlic cloves, peeled
  • 2 cups (473 ml) chicken stock or broth (plus more if needed)
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch/corn flour

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F/220°C.
  2. Dry the skin of the chicken with a paper towel.
  3. To a bowl, add the butter, rosemary, salt and pepper, mix well. Brush the butter all over and under the skin.
  4. Tie the legs together and tuck the wings under the breast.
  5. To the bottom of a roasting pan place all the vegetables evenly and pour in the chicken stock. Set the chicken on top of the vegetables.
  6. Roast the chicken on a low oven shelf for 40 minutes, reduce heat to 375°F/190°C and roast for 40 minutes more. If the skin is browning to quickly, turn the temperature down sooner.
  7. To check for doneness, a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh should read 160°F/71°C.
  8. Remove the chicken from the roasting pan, place on a cutting board loosely tented with foil, allow to rest for 10-15 minutes.
  9. Remove the carrots, parsnip and celery, set aside to serve.
  10. Strain the broth into a fat separator and add to a saucepan. Discard the onion and mash the garlic into the liquid. Mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of cold broth until dissolved.
  11. Whisk into the gravy over medium heat and simmer until thickened stirring often to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pan. Taste for seasoning, add more salt if needed (this depends on how salty your stock is).
  12. Slice the chicken and serve with the gravy, vegetables and mash.

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 447Carbohydrates 1.4gFiber 2gSugar 4gProtein 26g
© Janette
Cuisine: American / Category: Dinner Ideas