Maple. Butter. Roasted. Chicken. Is a big wordy description really necessary?
With a moist, juicy interior and sweet, crispy skin this is a truly fabulous way to roast a chicken and although it looks good enough to be the centerpiece of any dinner table, the process is very simple.
Let’s get started…
The first step is to set your chicken out about 30 minutes before you want to prepare it. This is a critical step in getting the chicken cooked evenly. When you put a cold chicken into a hot oven, the outer parts will cook before the interior is done. Since we have to be absolutely sure that a chicken is fully cooked, portions of the chicken usually dry out, while we are waiting for the last interior portion to cook through. This issue is avoided by giving the chicken time to come to room temperature before placing it into the oven.
While the chicken is coming to room temperature, gather 3 tablespoons of butter, 3 tablespoons of maple syrup and some salt and pepper.
I also like to add peeled and quartered yellow onions, some garlic, some fresh herbs and a few lemon wedges under the chicken in the baking dish. They add flavor to the basting liquid and are quite delicious themselves, but they are optional. You can add anything under your chicken! Some potatoes, carrots, celery… if you like it and want it with your chicken, toss it in the baking dish.
Once your chicken has rested, remove anything stashed inside the cavity and rinse it out with cool water. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, transfer it into your baking dish and season generously with salt and black pepper.
Did you know that you can roast a chicken breast side up or “upside down”? Breast side up is more classic and results in a more aesthetically beautiful chicken, but breast side down results in a more juicy chicken. Yep and once you start roasting them with the breast side down, you may never go back…
Place your baking dish onto a center set rack of a 375 degree oven.
We are going to let the chicken roast uncovered and unbasted for the first 20 minutes or so. During this time, combine 6 tablespoons of butter and 3 tablespoons of a good quality maple syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until the butter has melted and then transfer the saucepan off of the heat.
Now that our maple butter is ready to go, brush some of the mixture over the chicken every 15 minutes or so until the chicken is golden brown, crispy skinned and cooked through.
Note: The sugars in the maple syrup will caramelize and darken as the chicken roasts. If any areas begin to get too dark, lightly cover the chicken with foil to prevent the skin from burning.
The average whole chicken takes approximately 20 minutes per pound to cook through. Today, I am roasting a 5 pound chicken and it took right at 100 minutes (an hour and 40 minutes) to cook through to an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
A meat thermometer is the best way determine when your chicken is fully cooked. Often times, a chicken dries out while we wait to “make sure” that it is cooked through. This is unnecessary if you use a meat thermometer to tell you exactly when the chicken is ready to go.
Once your chicken is cooked through, pull it out of the oven and let it rest for a while before you slice into it. The longer you wait, the less juice you will lose when you slice into it.
If you want to use the absolutely fabulous juices that are chilling at the bottom of your baking dish for a simple pan gravy, transfer the chicken onto a cutting board while you harvest all that delicious goodness.
Just so you know, this chicken is every bit as delicious as it looks. The meat is tender, juicy and full of flavor and that crispy maple butter skin is absolute perfection.
Once your maple butter roasted chicken has rested, carve it up and enjoy one of the most delicious roast chickens you’ll ever eat.
This chicken pairs really well with mashed potatoes or mashed rutabagas, some crispy brussel sprouts and a big salad. It can also be shredded up to use in everything from chicken soup to tacos.
If you are looking for a simple way to deliciously roast a chicken then this maple butter roasted chicken is exactly what you need…
Maple Butter Roasted Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 - 5 pound whole chicken
- 6 tablespoons of butter
- 3 tablespoons of pure maple syrup
- salt and black pepper
- fresh rosemary, thyme or oregano (optional)
- yellow onion, peeled, quartered (optional)
- whole garlic bulb, top removed (optional)
- lemon wedges (optional)
Instructions
- Let the chicken sit at room temperature for 30 minutes
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees
- Place some quartered onions, garlic bulbs and lemon wedges in a deep braising dish or cast iron skillet and set aside for now
- Rinse your chicken under cool water and remove the neck and giblets from the inner cavity
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and tie the legs together with kitchen twine
- Place the chicken over the onions, garlic and lemons, season generously with salt and black pepper and add fresh herbs around the chicken
- Place the chicken on the center rack of a 375 degree oven uncovered
- Place 6 tablespoons of butter and 3 tablespoons of maple syrup into a small saucepan over medium heat and simmer until the butter is melted then transfer off of the heat
- Brush the maple butter mixture over the chicken every 15 minutes or so while it bakes for 75-100 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees and is deeply golden brown
- If the chicken is becoming too dark, lightly cover with foil to prevent burning
- Transfer the chicken carefully onto a cutting board, cover lightly with foil (to heat trap the heat) and allow the chicken to rest for 15 minutes before slicing
