Roast Chicken with Shallots & White Wine
Golden shallots, thyme and simple white-wine pan juices.
- Prep
- 20 minutes
- Cook
- 1 hour 15 minutes
- Total
- 1 hour 35 minutes
- Serves
- 4–6
What You'll Need
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken, 4 to 4½ pounds
- 10 to 12 medium shallots, peeled and halved lengthwise
- 1 whole head garlic, halved crosswise
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 8 to 10 fresh thyme sprigs, plus more for serving
- ½ lemon
- ¾ cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, for finishing
Equipment
- Large roasting pan or oven-safe skillet
- Instant-read thermometer
- Cutting board
- Small whisk or wooden spoon
The Simple Method
Dry the Chicken
Heat the oven to 425°F.
Pat the chicken very dry, including inside the cavity.
Let it sit at room temperature while you prepare everything else.
Build the Pan
Scatter the shallots, garlic and thyme in the roasting pan.
Drizzle with olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper.
Season the Chicken
Rub the chicken all over with the softened butter.
Season with the kosher salt and pepper, including a little inside the cavity.
Tuck the lemon half and a few thyme sprigs inside.
Set the chicken breast-side up over the shallots.
Start It Hot
Roast for 20 minutes at 425°F, until the skin begins taking on good color.
Add the Wine
Reduce the oven to 375°F.
Carefully pour the wine and chicken stock into the pan around the chicken, not over the skin.
Continue roasting for approximately 45 to 55 minutes, depending on the size of the bird.
The chicken is ready when the thickest part of the breast reaches about 160°F and the thickest part of the thigh reaches at least 165°F.
Temperature, rather than the clock, is the important measure here.
Let It Rest
Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and rest for 15 minutes before carving.
This is not optional if you want the juices to stay in the chicken.
Finish the Shallots
While the chicken rests, inspect the pan.
The shallots should be deeply golden and soft enough to almost collapse under a fork.
If the juices are thin, place the roasting pan over medium heat if it is stovetop-safe, or transfer the liquid and shallots to a skillet.
Simmer for several minutes until lightly reduced.
Make It Glossy
Remove from the heat and swirl in the tablespoon of cold butter.
Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.
Bring It to the Table
Carve the chicken and arrange it with the caramelized shallots and roasted garlic.
Spoon the white-wine pan juices over everything and finish with fresh thyme.
A Few Things That Make This Easier
Dry skin matters.
Moisture works against beautifully browned chicken skin. Pat the chicken thoroughly dry before seasoning.
Use drinking wine.
This is not the place for bottled cooking wine. A dry, crisp white wine you would actually drink gives the pan juices a much cleaner flavor.
Pour around, not over.
Once the chicken starts browning, pour the wine and stock around the chicken so you don’t wash that beautiful color from the skin.
Use a thermometer.
Whole chickens vary too much in size for cooking time alone to be reliable.
Don’t rush the rest.
Those 15 minutes allow the juices to settle back into the chicken and give you time to finish the sauce.
There is something wonderfully old-fashioned about putting a whole chicken in the middle of the table.
It doesn’t need much arranging. It doesn’t need to look perfect.
A loaf of bread, something green, and a spoon for passing those shallots around is plenty.
Save the pan juices.
Tomorrow, spoon whatever is left over warm bread, potatoes or rice.
Sometimes the second meal is almost better than the first.
More from the Kitchen
Hidden & Seen
Roast Chicken with Shallots & White Wine
Golden shallots, thyme and simple white-wine pan juices.
- Prep
- 20 minutes
- Cook
- 1 hour 15 minutes
- Total
- 1 hour 35 minutes
- Servings
- 4–6
What You'll Need
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken, 4 to 4½ pounds
- 10 to 12 medium shallots, peeled and halved lengthwise
- 1 whole head garlic, halved crosswise
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 8 to 10 fresh thyme sprigs, plus more for serving
- ½ lemon
- ¾ cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, for finishing
Equipment
- Large roasting pan or oven-safe skillet
- Instant-read thermometer
- Cutting board
- Small whisk or wooden spoon
The Simple Method
01 · Dry the Chicken
Heat the oven to 425°F.
Pat the chicken very dry, including inside the cavity.
Let it sit at room temperature while you prepare everything else.
02 · Build the Pan
Scatter the shallots, garlic and thyme in the roasting pan.
Drizzle with olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper.
03 · Season the Chicken
Rub the chicken all over with the softened butter.
Season with the kosher salt and pepper, including a little inside the cavity.
Tuck the lemon half and a few thyme sprigs inside.
Set the chicken breast-side up over the shallots.
04 · Start It Hot
Roast for 20 minutes at 425°F, until the skin begins taking on good color.
05 · Add the Wine
Reduce the oven to 375°F.
Carefully pour the wine and chicken stock into the pan around the chicken, not over the skin.
Continue roasting for approximately 45 to 55 minutes, depending on the size of the bird.
The chicken is ready when the thickest part of the breast reaches about 160°F and the thickest part of the thigh reaches at least 165°F.
Temperature, rather than the clock, is the important measure here.
06 · Let It Rest
Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and rest for 15 minutes before carving.
This is not optional if you want the juices to stay in the chicken.
07 · Finish the Shallots
While the chicken rests, inspect the pan.
The shallots should be deeply golden and soft enough to almost collapse under a fork.
If the juices are thin, place the roasting pan over medium heat if it is stovetop-safe, or transfer the liquid and shallots to a skillet.
Simmer for several minutes until lightly reduced.
08 · Make It Glossy
Remove from the heat and swirl in the tablespoon of cold butter.
Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.
09 · Bring It to the Table
Carve the chicken and arrange it with the caramelized shallots and roasted garlic.
Spoon the white-wine pan juices over everything and finish with fresh thyme.
A Few Things That Make This Easier
Dry skin matters.
Moisture works against beautifully browned chicken skin. Pat the chicken thoroughly dry before seasoning.
Use drinking wine.
This is not the place for bottled cooking wine. A dry, crisp white wine you would actually drink gives the pan juices a much cleaner flavor.
Pour around, not over.
Once the chicken starts browning, pour the wine and stock around the chicken so you don’t wash that beautiful color from the skin.
Use a thermometer.
Whole chickens vary too much in size for cooking time alone to be reliable.
Don’t rush the rest.
Those 15 minutes allow the juices to settle back into the chicken and give you time to finish the sauce.
Christina's Note
The shallots might be my favorite part.
By the time the chicken comes out of the oven, they’ve softened into the wine and pan juices until they’re somewhere between an onion and a sauce.
Put more of them on the table than you think anyone will want.