If you love a golden, crisp-skinned roasted chicken with juicy meat, this herb and garlic chicken with mandarin oranges is one to try. Butter, garlic, rosemary, thyme, and sweet orange slices are tucked under the skin so every bite is moist, tender, and bursting with flavor. Whether you’re cooking for a weeknight dinner or a special gathering, this roasted chicken looks beautiful and tastes even better.
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If you’re looking for an easy, delicious, and family-friendly meal, you’ll love this herb chicken recipe! The secret to this garlic butter roasted chicken is to stuff the fresh herbs, garlic, butter, and mandarin orange under the skin. This allows the flavors to seep into the meat as it roasts in the oven.
If you love chicken as much as we do, you will want to check out all of my delicious Gluten-Free Chicken Recipes.
Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Whole Chicken – You can use any size whole chicken or even bone-in chicken pieces. Just make sure the skin is intact so you can stuff the garlic butter underneath.
- Mandarin Oranges – Sweet and slightly tart, these pair beautifully with garlic and herbs. You can substitute other oranges or even tangerines.
- Butter – I used salted butter. You can substitute and use ghee if you prefer.
- Garlic – Minced garlic adds depth and aroma.
- Fresh Herbs – including rosemary, thyme, and sage.
If you love cooking with fresh herbs, check out my tips for growing herbs in your kitchen window so you always have some on hand!
A Note From My Kitchen
This roasted chicken recipe is one I come back to often. I’ve tested it a few different ways, and the version where you tuck garlic, fresh herbs, softened butter, and mandarin orange slices under the skin turns out the juiciest and most flavorful every time. You can use any oranges or fresh herbs you have on hand, but I love the combination of rosemary, thyme, and sage with the mandarins. It’s great for family dinners and pretty enough for when friends come over.
How to Roast Chicken with Mandarin Oranges (Step-By-Step)
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350º F. Chop the fresh herbs and add them to a small bowl. Mix well with the melted butter, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. This is the garlic butter mixture in which you will coat your garlic butter roasted chicken.
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Step 2: Take the raw chicken and make small cuts under the breast, skin, and legs. Take some of the herbed garlic butter and rub it all under the skin. This will allow the flavors to cook deeply into the meat. Rub the extra on the outside of the chicken.
Step 3: Next, slice a mandarin orange or tangerine. Add these orange slices under the skin as well. (Note: you can use any oranges, but I love the mandarin flavor in this recipe.)
Step 4: Bake the chicken in a large 12-inch cast-iron pan or roasting pan. Serve hot. Use a digital thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken, ensuring it reaches 165°F.
Sandi Says: Make this homemade Gluten-Free Gravy with your pan drippings!!
Ways to Use the Leftover Chicken:
This chicken is just as good the next day! Try it in:
- Chopped Chicken Salad – Toss some of the roasted chicken into this salad.
- Add some shredded chicken to this Gluten-Free Chicken tetrazzini recipe.
- Make stuffed baked potatoes by adding chicken, cheese, and sour cream.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Yes! A roasting pan, 9×13 baking dish, or casserole dish all work well.
The internal temperature should be 165°F in the thickest part of the thigh. Use a meat thermometer for accuracy.
Store cooked chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also shred it and freeze it for up to 3 months.
Easy Side Dish Recipes:
Pair your roasted garlic butter chicken with:
- Mashed Creamy Rutabagas
- Roasted Bacon Potato Roses
- Kale and Apple Salad
- Christmas Dinner (roast and vegetable sides!)
- Creamy Gluten-Free Kugel
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this garlic butter-roasted chicken, I would be grateful if you could leave a comment and star rating below. Your feedback helps other readers, and it lets me know what kinds of recipes you want more of!
Roasted Chicken with Garlic, Herbs, and Citrus
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 pound whole chicken
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 cloves fresh garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 mandarin or orange sliced
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375º F.
- In a small bowl, combine the chopped rosemary, thyme, sage, melted butter, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir until well mixed.
- Use clean fingers or a small spoon to gently lift the skin from the breast and leg area of the chicken. Rub the garlic herb butter generously under the skin, then spread any remaining mixture over the outside of the chicken.
- Thinly slice one mandarin orange and tuck the slices under the skin alongside the garlic butter mixture.
- Place the chicken in a cast-iron skillet or roasting pan. Roast uncovered for about 20 minutes per pound, or until a digital thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F. Let rest for 10 minutes before carving.
- Serve hot.
Notes
- You can use any size whole chicken, just note a larger chicken will take longer to bake.
- You can use fresh herbs or dried, I definitely think the fresh herbs add a lot more flavor.
- Bake in a 12-inch cast-iron pan, a roasting pan, or a 9×13 pan.
- To make gravy, add your pan drippings to a saucepan. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and some leftover herbs. Simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes. Put 2 tablespoons potato starch or tapioca starch into a small bowl, add 1/4 cup of the gravy, and whisk. Pour it into the gravy pot and whisk.
- Serve hot.
- This herb-roasted chicken will keep up to 4 days in the refrigerator, or put in a ziplock freezer bag and freeze it. It will keep up to 4 months in the freezer.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, my rule of thumb is to add more flour if your dough or batter is wet and add more liquid if the dough or batter is too dry!
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
This post was updated from an older December 2017 post with more recipe details.
I truly hope you enjoy this recipe. I have been testing and creating gluten-free recipes for over 15 years. Creating gluten-free recipes that do not taste gluten-free is my goal for every recipe. Sometimes I only have to test a new recipe a couple of times, and others it takes multiple times. I do this so you get reliable, delicious results every time!
Just made it! Amazing!!!!
I am so glad you loved the recipe. Thank you so much.
Sandi, I just made this. Kitchen smells wonderful. Waited a bit for chicken to cool down a bit. Mine doesn’t look as fabulous as yours, but it is delicious! Thank you for posting this. Nan
Hi Nan, I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe. This roasted chicken is almost a weekly staple in our family.
Wow! This was such a great recipe. My kids loved how flavorful and moist the chicken was. I used chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken and added some oregano.
I am so glad everyone loved the chicken recipe, Karen! Thank you for coming to let me know.
When I look at a recipe for a whole chicken, I am also thinking about the leftovers. With this combination of herbs and the mandarins, I have already come up with the dishes to serve the next day. All of this is assuming that there even are any leftovers! This chicken sounds amazing!
That is too funny. My kids are teens so we never have leftovers. Thank you for pointing this out, I bet it would be great as a leftover too 🙂