Blackberry Butter Roasted Chicken

Blackberry Butter Roasted Chicken is subtly sweet, wonderfully aromatic and a comfort food through and through. This recipe is over-the-top delicious, and it presents beautifully for a casual or elegant dinner party.

Right off the bat, you might not think to pair blackberries with chicken, but I’m here to tell you it’s an incredibly delicious combination. 

You’ll get rave reviews when you serve Blackberry Butter Roasted Chicken!

Roasted to perfection, the chicken skin is beautifully caramelized, making it a beautiful centerpiece, surrounded by fresh blackberries and thyme.

These ingredients in this recipe are simply dreamy together!

Can you use frozen blackberries?

Yes, but thaw them first, and drain any excess liquid.

Can you substitute dry thyme for fresh?

Yes you can. You should use two-thirds the amount.

Fun fact: Did you know blackberries are one of the most most nutrient dense fruits on the planet? It’s true! Find more information about that here.

How to Perfectly Roast a Whole Chicken

This applies to this Blackberry Butter Roasted Chicken, and any time you roast a whole chicken. The below timing is for an approximately four pound chicken.

1. Once the chicken has been basted (according to whatever recipe you’re using), truss it, place it breast side up in a greased roasting pan with at least a couple inches of space around it.
2. Place the pan in a 500°F oven, and roast until the surface of the chicken is golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.
3. Remove the chicken from the oven and reduce the heat to 350°F.
4. Now flip the chicken over so it’s breast side down, and with the back facing up, baste it again.
5. Continue to roast until internal temperature is 155°F, about 40 minutes. (Baste the chicken every so often.)
6. Once you remove the chicken from the oven, crumple up a few sheets of foil and place it under the chicken, beneath the legs. This will let all of the juices flow into the breasts while it rests. Let it rest this way for 15 minutes.
7. The final internal temperature should be about 165°F, as the chicken will continue to cook for several minutes outside of the oven. It should be nicely browned, the juices should run clear and the legs should move easily when it’s done.

I hope you love this Blackberry Butter Roasted Chicken as much as I do!

More roasted chicken recipes:

• Apple-Bacon Roasted Chicken Recipe
• Herbs de Provence Orange Roasted Chicken
• Simple Honey-Lemon Roasted Chicken
• Greek Yogurt Roasted Chicken

Blackberry Butter Roasted Chicken

Valentina K. Wein

Subtly sweet, wonderfully aromatic and a comfort food through and through, this recipe is over-the-top delicious.

Print

Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 1 hr

Resting Time 15 mins

Total Time 1 hr 45 mins

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Servings 4

Calories 492 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• about 1⅓ cups fresh blackberries, washed and dried, divided
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme, washed and dried
• ¼ teaspoon minced garlic
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 (approximately 4 pound) whole chicken
• a few sprigs of fresh thyme for garnish

Instructions

 

• Set the oven and make the blackberry butter. Preheat the oven to 500°F.

  In a small bowl, combine the softened butter with ⅓ cup of the blackberries, and use the back of a small fork to mash them. Then add the lemon zest, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix until it's relatively smooth (there will be pieces of blackberries throughout). Set aside.
• Prep the chicken and baking dish. Remove the insides of the chicken, and pat dry with paper towels.

  Spread about 2 tablespoons of the blackberry-thyme butter on the bottom of a small roasting pan that's at least a couple of inches larger than the chicken, on all sides.
• Baste and truss. Place the chicken in the pan, on top of the butter, breast side up. Rub the blackberry-thyme butter mixture under the skin. (This should include the breasts and legs.) Work your way under as much of the skin as possible -- if you're very gentle, it won't tear.

  Now truss the chicken with butcher's twine. (Here's How to Truss a Chicken.) (It's also okay to just tie the ends of the legs together if trussing it becomes tricky.)

  Rub the remaining blackberry-thyme butter mixture on top -- all over the skin of the chicken.
• Begin roasting. Being sure the chicken is breast side up, place the pan in the preheated 500°F oven and roast until the surface of the chicken is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven and reduce the heat to 350°F.
• Flip. Very carefully, using tongs, placing one part inside the cavity and one gently on the top of the breast side, flip the chicken over so it's breast side down.
• Continue roasting. Once the oven has cooled to 350°F, continue to roast the chicken until internal temperature is 155°F -- this should take about an hour, but focus only on the temperature and not the time. (For an accurate reading of the temperature, place the thermometer deep into the flesh, away from bones.) During the roasting process, every 15 or so, use a spoon to baste the chicken with the butter and juices from the bottom of the pan.

  The final internal temperature will be about 165°F, as the chicken will continue to cook for several minutes outside of the oven. It should be nicely browned, the juices should run clear and the legs should move easily when it's done. (If you think it's getting too brown before the chicken is cooked, lightly cover it with foil in the oven.)
• Let the chicken rest. When you remove the chicken from the oven, baste it again, and then use a few pieces of crumbled foil to tilt it (place them beneath one end), so the breast end is down. This allows all of the juices to flow to the breasts. Wait at least 15 minutes before carving.
• Garnish. Use the remaining 1 cup of the blackberries and the thyme sprigs for garnish.

Notes

Calorie count is only an estimate.

Keywords chicken for family dinner, fall comfort food recipes

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