Easy Roasted Garlic Butter Chicken Recipe
Easy Roasted Garlic Butter Chicken is a comforting and flavorful dish featuring tender, juicy bone-in, skin-on chicken thigh cutlets roasted to golden perfection with a luscious garlic butter and thyme marinade. This economical recipe delivers crispy skin and a delicious sauce made from chicken stock, perfect served with mashed potatoes and steamed greens. It can also be adapted for air fryer cooking, offering versatility for quick and easy meal prep.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 5 servings
- Category: Roasting
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: Western
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 80 g (2¾ oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1½ tsp sea salt flakes
- ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper, plus extra to serve
- 1 tbsp freshly minced garlic
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 tsp thyme leaves plus extra to garnish
- 1.25 kg (2¾ lb) bone-in, skin-on chicken thigh cutlets
- 125 ml (½ cup) chicken stock
To Serve:
- Freezer-friendly Mashed Potatoes
- Steamed asparagus or greens of choice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Set your oven to 200°C (400°F) or 180°C (350°F) if using a fan-forced oven, ensuring it reaches the right temperature before cooking.
- Make the marinade: In a small bowl, mix the room temperature butter, sea salt flakes, freshly cracked black pepper, minced garlic, honey, and thyme leaves until well combined to form a flavorful butter marinade.
- Coat the chicken: Arrange the chicken thigh cutlets skin-side up on a baking tray with sides. Using your hands, spread the garlic butter mixture generously all over the chicken, focusing mainly on the skin for maximum flavor and crispiness. Pour the chicken stock around (not over) the chicken thighs to keep the marinade from burning and to create a savory sauce during roasting.
- Oven-roast the chicken: Place the tray in the preheated oven and roast for 55–60 minutes, until the chicken is golden brown and fully cooked (internal temperature of 75°C/165°F). Halfway through cooking, baste the chicken with the pan juices to keep it moist.
- Serve: Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest briefly. Serve hot with mashed potatoes and steamed asparagus or other greens, drizzling some of the flavorful tray juices over the top. Garnish with additional thyme sprigs and a sprinkle of black pepper.
Notes
- Thyme can be substituted with rosemary or oregano if preferred.
- Patting chicken dry before applying marinade helps achieve crispier skin, especially when air frying.
- This recipe can also be cooked in an air fryer at 190°C (375°F) for 25–30 minutes, flipping halfway, for a quicker alternative.
- Make sure to baste the chicken halfway through cooking in both oven and air fryer methods for best flavor and moisture.
- Use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs for juicier and more flavorful results compared to boneless cuts.
