Roast Chicken with Herb Stuffing Recipe: Easy Sunday Dinner Classic

Introduction

There’s nothing quite like the smell of roast chicken with herb stuffing filling your home on a Sunday afternoon. This roast chicken with herb stuffing recipe has been bringing families together since the early 1900s, and it’s still one of the most loved dinners today. Making easy roast chicken with herb stuffing might seem hard, but it’s actually simple enough for anyone to try!

What Makes Roast Chicken with Stuffing So Special?

This old fashioned roast chicken recipe represents more than just dinner—it’s about family, tradition, and making people feel loved. Long ago, roasting a whole chicken meant something special was happening. Maybe it was Sunday dinner after church, or maybe the family was celebrating something important.

Recipe Quick Stats

Ingredients You’ll Need

For the Chicken:

• 1 whole chicken (5-6 pounds)
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 lemon, halved
• 3 cloves garlic
• Few sprigs of fresh thyme and rosemary

For the Herb Stuffing:

• 8 cups dry bread cubes
• ½ cup butter
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 teaspoons dried sage
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1½ cups chicken broth

How to Make Roast Chicken with Herb Stuffing Recipe

This family-friendly roast chicken with stuffing breaks down into easy steps that anyone can follow!

Making the Savory Herb Stuffing

Step 1: Get Everything Ready

Turn your oven on to 375°F so it gets nice and hot. This temperature cooks the chicken perfectly without drying it out.

Step 2: Cook the Vegetables

Melt the butter in a big pan on medium heat. Add the chopped onion and celery. Cook them for about 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until they get soft and smell wonderful. These vegetables give the stuffing amazing flavor!

Step 3: Mix the Stuffing

Get a really big bowl and put in the bread cubes, cooked vegetables, sage, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Pour the chicken broth over everything and mix it all together with a big spoon. The bread should be moist but not soaking wet. This roasted chicken with thyme and rosemary stuffing will taste incredible!

Preparing the Chicken

Step 4: Clean and Dry

Take your chicken out of the package and rinse it with cold water inside and out. Use paper towels to pat it completely dry. A dry chicken gets a beautiful golden brown skin when it roasts!

Step 5: Butter and Season

Rub the soft butter all over the outside of the chicken, covering as much as you can. Then sprinkle salt and pepper on all sides. This creates a delicious, crispy skin.

Step 6: Stuff the Chicken

Carefully spoon some of the stuffing mixture into the big opening of the chicken (called the cavity). Don’t pack it in too tightly—leave a little room. Push the lemon halves, garlic cloves, and herb sprigs in with the stuffing. These make the chicken taste amazing from the inside!

Step 7: Tie and Tuck

Use kitchen string to tie the chicken legs together. This helps the chicken cook evenly. Tuck the wing tips underneath the body so they don’t burn.

Step 8: Position for Roasting

Put the chicken breast-side up (the round part on top) on a rack inside a roasting pan. The rack lets hot air flow all around the chicken. Take the leftover stuffing and put it in a buttered baking dish—you’ll cook this separately.

Roasting to Perfection

Step 9: Roast the Chicken

Put the roasting pan in your hot oven. Let the chicken roast for 1½ to 2 hours. The exact time depends on how big your chicken is. You’ll know it’s done when you stick a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh (the top of the leg) and it reads 165°F. The skin should look golden brown and crispy.

Step 10: Bake the Extra Stuffing

During the last 30 minutes the chicken is cooking, put the dish of extra stuffing in the oven too. It will get golden brown on top and perfectly cooked inside.

Step 11: Let It Rest

When the chicken is done, take it out of the oven and let it sit for 15 minutes before cutting. This resting time lets all the delicious juices spread through the meat instead of running out when you cut it. This makes for truly juicy roast chicken with herbs!

Pro Tips for Perfect Roasted Chicken

1: For super moist and flavorful chicken breast meat, gently lift up the skin (don’t tear it!) and spread some soft herb butter directly on the meat underneath. This is an old restaurant secret!

2: If the chicken skin starts getting too brown before the chicken is cooked through, cover it loosely with aluminum foil. This protects it while the inside finishes cooking.

3: Save the drippings from the bottom of the roasting pan! These make the most amazing gravy. Just pour them into a small pot, add a little flour and chicken broth, and stir until thick.

Classic Roasted Chicken with Garlic Herb Stuffing

This roasted chicken with garlic herb stuffing is authentic and traditional. The garlic cloves inside the chicken become soft and sweet as they roast, adding amazing flavor to the meat and stuffing. Fresh herbs like thyme and rosemary smell wonderful and taste even better. This is real comfort food that grandmothers have been making for over 100 years, and it’s just as delicious today!

Comforting Roast Chicken Dinner for Your Family

This comforting roast chicken dinner is perfect when you want to make your family happy. There’s something special about putting a beautiful golden roasted whole chicken with herb stuffing on the table. Everyone smiles when they see it! The chicken is tender and juicy, and the stuffing is savory and warm. This is the kind of meal that makes everyone want to sit down together, talk about their week, and enjoy being a family.

Serving Suggestions

Serve this delicious roasted chicken with:

• Creamy mashed potatoes
• Homemade gravy from the pan drippings
• Steamed green beans or peas
• Warm dinner rolls with butter
• Cranberry sauce (especially during holidays)
• A simple green salad

Storage and Leftover Advice

Store leftover chicken and stuffing in separate containers in the refrigerator. They’ll stay good for up to 3 days. Make sure everything cools down before you put it away. To reheat, put chicken in a 325°F oven for about 15 minutes, or warm it in the microwave. The leftover chicken makes amazing sandwiches! You can also use it in chicken soup, chicken salad, or chicken casseroles. The stuffing tastes great reheated with a little extra butter.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Do I have to stuff the chicken, or can I cook the stuffing separately?

You can cook all the stuffing in a baking dish if you want! Some people prefer this because it’s easier and the stuffing gets crispy on top.

2. How do I know when the chicken is completely cooked?

The best way is to use a meat thermometer. Stick it into the thickest part of the thigh without touching bone. When it reads 165°F, your chicken is safe to eat and perfectly cooked.

3. Can I use a smaller chicken?

Yes! A 4-pound chicken will work fine but will cook faster—probably 1 to 1½ hours. Always check the temperature to be sure.

4. What if I don’t have fresh herbs?

Dried herbs work great! You can skip the fresh thyme and rosemary sprigs for inside the chicken and just use the dried herbs in the stuffing.

5. Can I make this ahead of time?

You can prepare the stuffing the night before and keep it in the refrigerator. Stuff the chicken and roast it the day you want to serve it for the best results.

A Note from Author

This roast chicken with herb stuffing recipe represents love, care, and family traditions. In the early 1900s, most families didn’t have much money, but they still wanted Sunday dinner to feel special. Roasting a whole chicken was a way to create something wonderful from simple ingredients. Mothers and grandmothers would start cooking early in the morning, filling the house with incredible smells that brought everyone home.

The tradition of gathering around the table for roast chicken dinner taught important lessons: good food takes time and care, meals taste better when shared with people you love, and even simple ingredients can create something magical. At NostalgicEats.com, we keep recipes like this alive because they connect us to the past while creating new memories for the future.

Conclusion

This easy roast chicken with herb stuffing shows that homemade roast chicken with herbs is simpler than you think! This classic roast chicken with stuffing is a simple roast chicken with herb stuffing for beginners that creates roasted chicken with savory herb stuffing perfection.

Whether you make this old fashioned roast chicken recipe for Sunday dinner or herb stuffed roast chicken for holidays, this juicy roast chicken with herbs delivers a family-friendly roast chicken with stuffing that everyone will love. The roasted chicken with thyme and rosemary creates a comforting roast chicken dinner, while the roasted chicken with garlic herb stuffing makes every bite special. Try this roasted whole chicken with herb stuffing and bring a beloved tradition to your table!

Ready to create a memorable family dinner? Make this roast chicken with herb stuffing recipe and enjoy a classic meal that has brought families together for generations! Visit NostalgicEats.com for more timeless recipes that taste like home!