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Hungry Healthy Happy » Recipes » Chicken

Christmas Chicken

Dec 4, 2024 · Written by Dannii Martin · This post may contain affiliate links which earn us commissions if purchases are made · Leave a Comment

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Diet: Gluten Free / Low Carb
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Christmas chicken with a text title overlay.
Christmas chicken with a text title overlay.

This isn't just any roast chicken, it's a roast chicken that is special enough for Christmas dinner. This Christmas chicken is moist and juicy on the inside, with a hint of citrus flavour, with a delicious crispy herb butter skin. A real show stopper!

A wooden serving board with a roast chicken on it.

About this Christmas Chicken Recipe

I think roast chicken can be passed over when it comes to a Christmas dinner meat, but we are big fans of chicken for Christmas dinner. It's usually pretty cheap, it's big enough to feed a big family without too much leftovers and everyone likes it (in our house at least).

You can make a Christmas roast chicken a little more special with a good butter rub and a few extra ingredients. Chicken at Christmas can be a real crowd pleaser with this recipe.

If you are looking for some more Christmas roast meat recipes, why not try our Honey Roast Duck or Roast Turkey Breast?

Jump to:
  • About this Christmas Chicken Recipe
  • Ingredients and Substitutions
  • How to Make Christmas Chicken - Step by Step
  • Roast Chicken Cooking Time
  • Top Tip
  • How to Carve a Chicken
  • Serving Suggestions
  • Storage
  • Extra Tips
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • More Chicken Recipes
  • Recipe
  • Feedback

Ingredients and Substitutions

All the ingredients needed for this recipe with text overlay labels.

A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.

  • Chicken - We used a 2kg chicken for this Christmas roast chicken recipe and that will give enough enough for about 6 portions. A different sized chicken would need cooking times adjusted. Try to get the best quality chicken that you can, as you really can taste the difference. A free range organic chicken is the best option, however a high welfare chicken is a good affordable option.
  • Butter - This is what the rest of the ingredients are mixed into, to coat the chicken and give it a real rich flavour.
  • Orange and lemon - These add that lovely citrus flavour that feels really festive. They are stuffed into the chicken and give the chicken a wonderful infused citrus flavour.
  • Carrots and onion - These are chopped and put in the baking tray so the chicken can sit on it.
  • Garlic - Fresh cloves of garlic to stuff inside the chicken.
  • Rosemary, thyme and parsley - The perfect mixture of herbs for a Christmas chicken. The woody rosemary and thyme blend well with the freshness of the parsley.
  • Salt and pepper - Generously season.
  • Stock - You can use vegetable or chicken stock, but we find that chicken stock gives a much richer flavour. The stock just adds to the juices which makes a delicious gravy.

More ingredient substitutions and variations can be found in the recipe card.

How to Make Christmas Chicken - Step by Step

Prep: Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C(fan)/400°F/Gas 6.

A bowl with butter, chopped herbs and orange zest in it.
  1. Step 1: Mix together the butter, herbs and orange zest.
Two shot collage of chopped carrots and onions on a baking tray then with a chicken on top.
  1. Step 2: Put the carrots and onions on a baking tray (a). Put the chicken on top of the and use your fingers to carefully loosen the skin by sliding it under the skin (b). Season with salt and pepper.
A whole chicken smothered in herb butter.
  1. Step 3: Spread half of the herb butter under the skin of the chicken and the rest all over the skin. Push the oranges, lemons and garlic into the bird's cavity. Pour the stock into the tray.
Roast chicken on a baking tray.
  1. Step 4: Roast for 2 hours.

Roast Chicken Cooking Time

The time your chicken takes to roast will depend on the size of your chicken. We used a 2kg chicken, which took 1 hour and 55 minutes at 200°C/180°C(fan)/400°F/Gas mark 6.

You will know that your chicken is cooked when it has an internal temperature is 75°C/165°F (get yourself a good Meat Thermometer as they are a kitchen essential) or until juices run clear.

As a general rule, if cooking at gas mark 5, you cook a chicken for for 25 minutes per pound (450g) plus 10-20 minutes extra.

Top Tip

Remove the chicken from the fridge 30 minutes before you are going to start prepping it, to allow it to come to room temperature.

Wedges of orange and lemon inside a chicken's cavity.

How to Carve a Chicken

  1. To carve this Christmas chicken, take off the wings and set aside (you can add them to gravy for extra flavour which is a tip that I picked up from Jamie Oliver). Using a sharp knife, carefully cut down between the leg and the breast of the chicken. Cut through the joint and pull the leg off.
  2. Do the same on the other side of the chicken, and then cut each leg between the thigh and the drumstick. You will end up with four portions of dark meat and this can be moved onto the plate you will be serving all the chicken on.
  3. You now need to carve the rest of your chicken. Angle the knife along the breastbone and carve one side off, and then repeat with the other breast.
  4. Whatever you are left with, use your fingers to pull all the meat off as it will be easier than using a knife. Don't throw the carcass away, as this can be used to make homemade chicken stock.

Serving Suggestions

This epic Christmas chicken recipe is a must when it comes to a Sunday roast dinner. But, what is a Sunday roast without all the sides? And do we have some side dishes for you! Take a look of some of these that go perfectly with a roast chicken:

  • Easy roast potatoes in a large round serving bowl.
    Easy Roast Potatoes
  • A wooden plate with a large serving of Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
    Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
  • A bowl of Vegetable Mash on a wooden surface.
    Vegetable Mash
  • Make ahead mashed potatoes in a large round bowl.
    Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes
  • Easy cauliflower cheese in a round white bowl.
    Easy Cauliflower Cheese
  • A bowl of slow cooker red cabbage topped with two crossed cinnamon sticks.
    Slow Cooker Red Cabbage
  • A wooden plate with white and purple roasted cauliflower on it
    Balsamic and Garlic Roasted Cauliflower
  • A bowl of minted peas.
    Minted Peas
  • Honey Roasted Parsnips on a blue plate.
    Honey Roasted Parsnips
  • Roasted Brussels sprouts on a large serving spoon.
    Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Garlic
  • A baking dish full of Brussels sprouts gratin
    Brussels Sprouts Gratin
  • Garlic and Parsley Roasted Carrots in a white bowl.
    Garlic and Parsley Roasted Carrots

Also, take a look at our Christmas Dinner Meal Plan for more serving suggestions.

Storage

Store: You can store leftovers of Christmas chicken in an air tight container and it will keep well for up to 3 days.

Freeze: You can also shred the chicken and put it in a freezable container and it will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Defrost: You can defrost in the fridge overnight.

Reheat: Heat a little oil in a pan and heat through. You can also stir it into something like a pasta sauce and it will heat through in that.

Extra Tips

  • Use a really good quality butter, as it's one of the main flavours for the rub.
  • Try to always use fresh herbs if you can as they will have the best flavour. Dried herbs can be used if that's all you have though.
  • Make sure to put the butter mixture under the skin and in the cavity as well. Don't just put it on top of the skin.
  • Don't skip putting the chicken on top of the onion and carrot. This is so the air can circulate under the chicken and make sure it is evenly cooked.
  • If your chicken starts to brown too quickly on top, you can add some foil loosely on top of it.
  • For some extra flavour, add a splash of white wine to the bottom of the baking tray before it goes in the oven.
A roast chicken with part of the breast sliced off.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I make a gravy?

See all those amazing juices in the pan that the chicken has been cooking in? Don't you dare throw them away! They are liquid gold and make the most amazing, rich, full of flavour gravy.
For a simple, quick and easy gravy we use really good quality store bought gravy granules. We then add the juices from the chicken pan to them and then top it up with the water from the boiled vegetables that we serve with the chicken, until it gets to your desired consistency (we love thick gravy).
You could also add some butter and flour to the juices in the pan and make your own homemade gravy from scratch. Or why not try our Onion Gravy recipe?

What to do with leftovers

We love having leftovers of this chicken in the fridge as it has SO many uses. Sometimes we just roast a chicken to carve it up and keep in the fridge for meals. You can shred it up and add to sandwiches/wraps and salads or throw it into pasta dishes like our Leftover Chicken Pasta.
Why not use leftovers to make a chicken version of our Leftover Turkey Curry? You can also put it in our BBQ Chicken Salad, Chicken and Leek Pie, BBQ Chicken Pizza or Chicken Pasta Salad.

Can I make this in advance?

Yes, and if you are making this for Christmas then you are going to want to do as much in advance as you can. You can coat the chicken in the rub and put it in a roasting time and keep in the fridge. Remove it from the fridge 45 minutes before putting in the oven though.

More Chicken Recipes

  • Sticky chicken meatballs on a plate with rice and broccoli.
    Sticky Chicken Meatballs
  • Creamy chicken orzo in a large silver pan.
    Creamy Chicken Orzo
  • Marinated Chicken Breasts on a plate with rice and slaw.
    Tomato, Chilli and Basil Marinated Chicken
  • Lemon Basil Chicken and spaghetti on a blue plate.
    Lemon Basil Chicken

If you’ve tried this Christmas chicken recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.

Recipe

Christmas Chicken on a wooden serving board.

Christmas Chicken

By: Dannii Martin
This Christmas chicken recipe is moist, juicy, flavourful and has a delicious crispy herb butter skin. Perfect for a Christmas dinner feast!
A circular logo saying GF.
Gluten Free
The words low carb in a white circle.
Low Carb
5 from 3 votes
Pin Print Save recipe Saved!
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: British, Christmas
Prep: 5 minutes mins
Cook: 2 hours hrs
Total: 2 hours hrs 5 minutes mins
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 447kcal
Allergens:
An illustration of a carton of milk.
Dairy
An illustration of a cow's head.
Meat

Ingredients

  • 2 kg (4.4 lb) Chicken
  • 4 tablespoon Butter - room temperature
  • 1 Lemon - quartered
  • 2 Oranges - quartered
  • 1 tablespoon Orange zest
  • 2 Carrots - chopped
  • 1 Onion - peeled and quartered
  • 2 cloves Garlic - peeled
  • 1 sprig Rosemary - finely chopped
  • 1 sprig Thyme - finely chopped
  • 2 g (0.5 tablespoon) Parsley - finely chopped
  • 1 pinch Sea salt and ground black pepper
  • 200 ml (0.75 cups) Chicken stock

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C(fan)/400°F/Gas 6.
  • Mix together 4 tablespoon Butter, 1 sprig Rosemary, 1 sprig Thyme, 2 g Parsley and 1 tablespoon Orange zest.
  • Put 2 Carrots and 1 Onion on a baking tray. Put 2 kg Chicken on top of the and use your fingers to carefully loosen the skin by sliding it under the skin. Season with 1 pinch Sea salt and ground black pepper.
  • Spread half of the herb butter under the skin of the chicken and the rest all over the skin. Push 2 Oranges, 1 Lemon and 2 cloves Garlic into the bird's cavity.
  • Pour 200 ml Chicken stock into the tray.
  • Roast for 2 hours.

Recipe Tips

  • Use a really good quality butter, as it's one of the main flavours for the rub.
  • Try to always use fresh herbs if you can as they will have the best flavour. Dried herbs can be used if that's all you have though.
  • Make sure to put the butter mixture under the skin and in the cavity as well. Don't just put it on top of the skin.
  • Don't skip putting the chicken on top of the onion and carrot. This is so the air can circulate under the chicken and make sure it is evenly cooked.
  • If your chicken starts to brown too quickly on top, you can add some foil loosely on top of it.
  • For some extra flavour, add a splash of white wine to the bottom of the baking tray before it goes in the oven.

Nutritional Information

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 447kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 141mg | Sodium: 234mg | Potassium: 464mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 3905IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 5mg

The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.

As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.

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My name is Dannii. Here you will find easy family recipes with a healthy twist.

Established in 2011, Hungry Healthy Happy has become one of the UK's most popular food blogs, with two successful recipe books published.

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