If you're craving all the flavor of the holidays but skipping the turkey chaos, this Thanksgiving Chicken Recipe delivers those same festive notes in a simpler, weeknight-friendly way. With herb butter, citrus, and roasted veggies, it brings comfort to the table without the fuss.
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I know a long-standing tradition for Thanksgiving is Herb Butter Turkey, but sometimes you don't want to deal with such a large bird. With this recipe, you have all the tasty flavors of herbs, citrus, and lemon, but without the wait of cooking a giant turkey!
In the past I've shared my beer can chicken, smoked spatchcock chicken, smoked chicken legs and smoked chicken quarters, and these favorite grilled chicken sandwiches. Chicken is definitely one of my favorite meats to cooks, simple because it's easy and versatile!
Why This Recipe Works
- Flavorful: The garlic herb butter seeps into the meat for deep, savory notes.
- Moisture-Locked: Rubbing butter under the skin and letting the chicken rest helps keep it juicy.
- Aromatic Base: Roasting over onions, carrots, and celery infuses aromatics into the drippings for extra depth.
- Manageable Size: Using a whole chicken gives you similar Thanksgiving vibes on a smaller scale that's easier to cook and carve.
What This Thanksgiving Chicken Recipe Needs
- Butter: Acts as the delivery vehicle for herbs, helps brown the skin, and imparts richness.
- Garlic: Adds aromatic punch and savory depth to the herb butter.
- Rosemary, Thyme, Sage (fresh or dried): Classic Thanksgiving herbs that bring warmth, earthiness, and herbal complexity.
- Whole Chicken: I like to use one that is 4-6lb. Make sure it is fully thawed.
- Onion & Lemon: Aromatics stuffed into the cavity help flavor from the inside out.
- Onion, Celery, Carrots: These form a flavor base and soak up drippings for gravy potential.
- Equipment: Metal or Glass Roasting Pan, Thermometer- I like to have one in the chicken as it bakes and then another to spot check when it's done baking., Sharp Knife for Carving.
If you miss seeing a turkey on the table, try making this fun Turkey Cheese Ball for a tasty, fun treat!
Decide you want to try a tasty turkey recipe instead? Check out my smoked turkey breast recipe for a tasty recipe.
Thanksgiving Chicken Substitutions
- Butter Alternative: Use ghee or a high quality plant-based butter for a dairy-free version.
- Herb Mix: Swap fresh herbs for ⅓ measurement of dried if you don't have fresh.
- Citrus Alternative: Replace lemon with orange or a mix of lemon + lime for different brightness.
- Veggie Bed Swap: Use parsnips, fennel, or leeks instead of, or in addition to, carrots, onions, and celery.
How to Make Thanksgiving Chicken?
- Step 1: Allow the butter to come to room temperature, then mix it with the minced garlic, rosemary, thyme, sage, salt, and pepper.
- Step 2: Remove the neck and giblets from the cavity of the chicken and any trussing on the legs. Not all store-bought chickens will have these. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. This helps make a crispier skin.
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- Step 3: Put a quarter of a chopped onion and a lemon inside the chicken cavity.
- Step 4: Gently separate the skin from the breast muscle. It's easy to peel it back and then work your fingers in between the two to pull them apart.
- Step 5: Take ⅓ of the herb butter and rub it between the skin and muscle. Then rub the remaining butter over the entire outside of the turkey. You don't need to worry about getting the bottom.
- Step 6: Coarsely chop the onion, celery, and carrots, and place them in a roasting pan. If you have a roasting rack, you can set it over the veggies and then put the chicken on top. However, if you don't have a roasting rack, you can place the chicken directly on top of the veggies.
- Step 7: Bake chicken at 325°F until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Once baked, allow the chicken to rest for 15-20 minutes.
Thanksgiving Chicken Variations
- Spiced Version: Add a pinch of smoked paprika, cayenne, or ground nutmeg to the herb butter for a more robust profile.
- Citrus-Herb Twist: Use orange zest + fresh parsley in the herb butter mix.
- Butter & Wine Roast: Add a splash of dry white wine or chicken broth to the roasting pan for pan juices that cook into a sauce.
- Cranberry Molasses: Try my recipe for Cranberry Molasses Smoked Spatchcock Turkey for a delicious twist on a Thanksgiving Chicken.
Expert Tips
- Thawing Chicken: If you buy your whole chicken frozen, make sure to thaw it in the refrigerator. This may take several days, depending on the size of the chicken. A general rule of thumb is 24 hours of thawing in the fridge for every 5lbs.
- Dry the Skin Well: Pat the chicken thoroughly before applying butter so the skin can crisp.
- Work Under the Skin: Gently separate skin from meat (especially on the breast) and rub some herb butter underneath for deeper flavor.
- Use a Thermometer: Monitor internal temp (165 °F in thickest breast/thigh) to avoid overcooking.
- Tent If Needed: If the skin browns too quickly, loosely tent with foil partway through baking to prevent burning.
- Rest Before Carving: Let the chicken rest 15-20 minutes after roasting so juices redistribute.
- Gravy: Use the juices from the chicken to make my turkey gravy without drippings.
Frequently Asked Questions
A 4-to 6-pound chicken will feed 4 to 6 people. Keep in mind, they won't each get a 1lb of meat, though.
No. Rinsing the chicken ,spreads the bacteria from the chicken to other areas of your kitchen. When you properly bake the chicken all the bacteria will die.
Absolutely - use about one-third the amount of dried herbs compared to fresh.
Plan for about 15-18 minutes per pound, but always go by internal temperature rather than time alone.
When your chicken is halfway to three-quarters of the way through baking, check to see if the skin is browning too much. If that's the case, carefully cover it with foil, then continue baking until done.
Chicken lasts 3-4 days when cooked and refrigerated.
Yes! Freeze leftover chicken in a freezer-safe container for up to three months!
If you are eating this chicken for Thanksgiving, you might not have any leftovers- but if you do, I recommend using it in sour cream chicken enchiladas or chicken street tacos!
More Related Recipes
If you like this recipe, make sure to check out all my Thanksgiving recipes, but especially my cream cheese green beans, Thanksgiving corn, cranberry relish or easy cranberry sauce, rack of lamb recipe, and these tasty sour cream mashed potatoes!
If you like this recipe make sure to give it a 5-star review and leave a comment down below!
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Video
Thanksgiving Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
Herb butter
- ½ cup butter softened
- 1 ½ tbs garlic minced
- 1 tbs fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1 tbs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1 teaspoon fresh sage or ⅓ teaspoon dried
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Chicken
- 1 Whole Chicken 4-6lbs*
- ¼ onion
- ¼ lemon
Roasting Pan Veggies
- ½ onion chopped
- 2 celery ribs chopped
- 2 carrots chopped
Instructions
Herb Butter
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine softened butter, garlic, rosemary, thyme, sage, salt, and pepper. Set aside.½ cup butter, 1 ½ tbs garlic, 1 tbs fresh rosemary, 1 tbs fresh thyme, 1 teaspoon fresh sage, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper
Chicken
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Peel and cut your onion, celery, lemon, and carrots.
- Remove chicken from packaging. Check the chicken cavity for the neck and giblets, set them aside for making gravy, or toss them.1 Whole Chicken 4-6lbs*
- Pat the outside of the chicken dry and remove the trussing around the legs (usually a bit of plastic or twine).
- Place ¼ of an onion and ¼ of a lemon inside the chicken.*¼ onion, ¼ lemon
- Gently separate the skin from the breast by lifting it up and then pushing your hand between the skin and the muscle.
- Rub about ⅓ of the herb butter under the skin.
- Rub the remaining butter over the outside of the chicken. Make sure to get the drumsticks and wings.
- Place your remaining onion, celery, and carrots in your roasting pan.½ onion, 2 celery ribs, 2 carrots
- Place your chicken on top of the veggies or on top of a roasting rack placed over the veggies. Tuck the wings under the body if you can (to prevent burning).
- Bake in a preheated oven until the internal temperature reaches 160°F. You will want to cook the chicken for 15 minutes per pound of weight. Check the chicken frequently once it's ¾ done baking. If the top is browning too much, cover it with aluminum foil. Stick the thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh, making sure you don't hit any bone or go through to the cavity. Also, check the thickest part of the breast.
- Once the temperature reaches 165°F, remove the dish from the oven. Allow chicken to rest for 15-20 minutes, then carve and enjoy!
Notes
- If you have fresh rosemary, sage, and thyme, you can put some of that in the chicken cavity along with the onion and lemon.
- Cooking: Plan for about 15-18 minutes per pound, but always go by internal temperature rather than time alone.
- Leftovers: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
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