Garlic & Rosemary Roast Chicken

I purchase a good portion of our meat through ButcherBox and keep a roasting chicken in my monthly rotation. I love cooking a whole bird and having roasted chicken on hand for quick weeknight meals. The leftover bones and kitchen scraps go straight into a pot for homemade stock. It’s one of those simple rhythms that makes dinner easier all week.

I recently picked up It’s Not Complicated by Katie Lee Biegel and was intrigued by her roasted chicken, particularly the unique roasting method. I’ve roasted plenty of chickens over the years, so when one stands out, I notice. This one did and it’s a keeper.

Why I Love This Recipe

Carved garlic and rosemary roast chicken served with toasted baguette slices and a simple green salad

It uses a whole head of garlic, fresh rosemary, and generous seasoning. The result is aromatic, deeply flavorful, and incredibly versatile. The chicken was juicy, beautifully seasoned, and absolutely worthy of repeating. My daughter claimed an entire leg for herself, which is always a good sign.

The roasting method calls for placing the chicken on slices of buttered baguette so the bread absorbs the drippings and becomes croutons. It’s a clever idea and very useful in theory.

Whole raw chicken placed on buttered baguette slices in a cast iron skillet before roasting

In my kitchen, though, my cast iron skillet ran a little too hot and the bread burned on the bottom. The burnt bread didn’t take away from the bird – the chicken was excellent – but I’ll tweak that part next time (spoiler…add some chicken stock to the pan).

Recipe Credit

This recipe comes from It’s Not Complicated by Katie Lee Biegel.
You can also find the recipe and video online through Food Network here. (You can find more of her recipes at her site, Katie Lee Kitchen).

This recipe has received excellent reviews, and rightfully so.

Open copy of “It’s Not Complicated” by Katie Lee Biegel with ingredients for roast chicken arranged on the kitchen counter

Notes From My Kitchen

Watch the video. The written instructions are clear, but the video helped me catch small details I might have missed.
Butter the bread generously and make sure every piece sits directly under the chicken so it can soak up juices.
If using cast iron, consider adding a splash of chicken stock to keep the baguette from burning. Some reviewers suggested this, and I plan to try it next time.
This took about an hour and a half in my oven, so build in extra time for roasting and resting.

I paired it with a simple side salad, as suggested, using homemade dressing I had on hand. We used the leftover bones and vegetables to make stock overnight and made my Go-To Chicken Orzo Soup with the leftover chicken meat.

Cooked From the Book