Roasted with a ginger orange butter and served with tender sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts, this orange roast chicken is a simple, yet impressive way to make roast chicken for a holiday dinner!

Something about a cozy roast chicken dinner just brings out all the cozy holiday vibes.
And I’m here to tell you that this ginger orange roast chicken is going to be an ESSENTIAL part of your holiday dinner agenda!
Even though holiday gatherings are smaller this year, the food is still an essential part!
This roast chicken is just one of several new cozy holiday dinners I’ve got planned for you this holiday season. Get excited!!

Never roasted a whole chicken before? It’s SO much less intimidating than you might think and a sweet little trick to have up your sleeve for holiday dinner guests.
Plus we’ve got a lovely mess of sweet potatoes + brussels sprouts dressing up this pretty bird. Add some dinner rolls on the side and your dinner game is set!
This Ginger Orange Roast Chicken features…
- A flavorful ginger orange butter rubbed on the chicken prior to roasting
- An INSANELY juicy and flavorful chicken interior
- Tender, golden roast sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts

Making the Roast Chicken
(scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe!)
Preparing the Chicken
First off, we’re going to make our ginger orange butter! Combine grated fresh ginger + orange zest, a little orange juice, and fresh thyme with softened butter until creamy.
Let’s talk chicken weight. I typically go for a 5 lb whole chicken because this feeds a medium-sized crew with decent leftovers.
You can go smaller with a 2 lb or bigger with an 8 lb, but be aware you’ll need to decrease and increase roast time accordingly. (general rule of thumb is 15 minutes per pound to cook)
To prepare the whole chicken, first remove the neck and any giblet packages and discard. Rub the chicken completely dry with paper towels and place breast side-up in a roasting pan.
Tie the legs together with kitchen twine and tuck the wings underneath the bird.
Season all over with salt and pepper then begin rubbing the orange butter all over, using your fingers to loosen the skin and rub underneath.
We’re ready to roast! The first step is roasting the chicken at 425F 25 minutes. (the high heat for these 25 minutes helps get a crispy, golden skin!)
Reduce the heat to 375F and continue roasting the chicken an additional 35-45 minutes.
For resting the chicken, I recommend at least 30 minutes and closer to 60 minutes if you have the time.
Why are we resting the chicken? While it might seem unnecessary, the resting step is essential to keeping the juices IN the chicken and not have them spill out of the chicken on your cutting board when you’re carving.
Juices in chicken = juicier, moister chicken! Don’t be tempted to skip this step.
Sweet Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts
Toss your sweet potato wedges and halved brussels sprouts with a little fresh garlic, olive oil, and s&p to taste.
I like to roast the veggies alongside the chicken once the chicken is done with it’s 25 minute 425F roast. The veggies should take around 35 minutes to roast but test them with a fork to make sure they’re tender.
While the chicken rests, I recommend keeping the vegetables in a serving dish tightly wrapped in foil or in a slow cooker set on the warm setting.
Alternatively, you can also roast the vegetables while the chicken rests so everything is ready around the same time once the chicken has rested. Completely up to you.

Seriously, roast chicken dinner doesn’t get much easier and better than this. The chicken roasts up UNBELIEVABLY juicy and brimming with herby, orange ginger flavors!
It’s just a down-home cozy dinner that you’re going to want over and over again. Plus the leftovers are BOMB reheated!
And it’s just plain impressive, y’all. YOU can make this with confidence!

Check out these other holiday-worthy dinner ideas!
- Rosemary Garlic Butter Beef Tenderloin
- Skillet Creamy Spinach Feta Stuffed Chicken
- Pesto Cream Cheese Stuffed Shells Bolognese
Ginger Orange Roast Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts
This recipe may included paid links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
Ginger Orange Butter
- 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme plus more for stuffing
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
Roast Chicken and Vegetables
- 1 (5 lb) whole chicken, neck and giblets removed
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 large orange, sliced
- 3 medium sweet potatoes (about 2 lbs) cut into 2-in wedges
- 1 lb brussels spouts, trimmed and halved
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Ginger Orange Butter
- In a small bowl, combine ginger, orange zest, juice, thyme, and butter until creamy. Set aside.
Roast Chicken and Vegetables
- Preheat oven to 425F. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and place breast side-up on a wire rack in a roaster pan. Use kitchen twine to tie legs together and tuck wings under bird. Season chicken all over with salt and pepper to taste.
- Begin rubbing ginger orange butter all over chicken, loosening skin slightly to rub underneath. Stuff chicken with a few orange slices, and thyme sprigs. Arrange remaining orange slices around chicken. Roast chicken at 425F 25 minutes.
- While chicken is roasting, combine sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, olive oil, and garlic in a large bowl. Toss to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste. Lay in a single layer on a large baking sheet.
- Once chicken has roasted 25 minutes, reduce oven heat to 375F. Place pan of vegetables in oven alongside chicken (or on the bottom rack) and roast chicken and vegetables an additional 35-45 minutes until vegetables are tender and chicken registers 165F. (be aware that vegetables may be done before the chicken – check them around the 35 minute mark)
- Keep vegetables warm, cover chicken lightly with tin foil and let rest 30-60 minutes. (try to let it rest closer to 60 minutes if you have time!) Carve chicken and serve with vegetables. Enjoy!
Gayle says
This recipe looks interesting this recipe looks interesting, and something that I want to try. But I find the part of “resting the chicken” for 50 minutes as odd or unusual. Even a Turkey only has to rest 15 minutes.
Sarah says
Hi! Through my recipe testing with this recipe and other whole bird recipes, I’ve found that letting the meat rest 30-60 minutes allows the juices to stay in the meat when you carve it, resulting in a much more juicy and moist meat. I have also experimented with a shorter rest of time of only 15 minutes and I found that all the juices came out of the meat onto the cutting board, rather than staying in the meat. If you’re running short on time and can’t do a full 50 minutes of rest time, you can certainly cut it short, but the meat might not be as juicy as it otherwise would have been. 🙂
Gayle says
Thank you! That completely makes sense.
Rahul Yadav says
I’ve been looking for some sheet pan recipes to try out so I’m really excited about this one! So many of my favorite flavors on one sheet pan.
Zamile says
Your chicken is wow it look amazing,
Sarah says
Thanks so much, Zamile! 🙂
Janet says
I tried this recipe a few weeks ago at home. I am visiting family in California and making it for them this evening.