Description
Tender, juicy chicken with Ranch, au jus, butter, and pepperoncini peppers. An easy one-pan meal!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 (3-4 pound) whole chicken
- 1 packet (1 ounce) Ranch dressing mix
- 1 packet (1 ounce) au jus gravy mix
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pats
- 1/4 cup pepperoncini peppers, stems removed
- 1/4 cup pepperoncini juice from the jar
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Optional: Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Rinse chicken inside and out with cold water and pat completely dry with paper towels.
- Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper, both inside the cavity and all over the outside skin.
- Place the chicken in a roasting pan.
- Sprinkle the Ranch dressing mix evenly over the chicken.
- Sprinkle the au jus gravy mix evenly over the chicken, on top of the Ranch dressing mix.
- Arrange the butter pats evenly over the chicken.
- Scatter the pepperoncini peppers around the chicken in the roasting pan.
- Pour the pepperoncini juice over the chicken.
- Cover the roasting pan tightly with aluminum foil.
- Bake the chicken for 2 hours.
- Remove the foil and continue baking for another 30-45 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part of the thigh.
- If the skin is not as brown as you’d like, you can broil the chicken for a few minutes at the end of cooking, but watch it carefully to prevent burning.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for 10-15 minutes before carving.
- Carve the chicken and serve it with the pan juices spooned over the top.
- Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.
- Serve with your favorite sides.
Notes
- Patting the chicken dry is essential for crispy skin.
- Use good quality butter.
- Adjust the amount of pepperoncini peppers to your liking.
- For extra crispy skin, you can try air-drying the chicken in the refrigerator for a few hours before cooking.
- If you don’t have a roasting pan, you can use a large oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven.
- Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven or microwave.
- The pan juices can be used to make a delicious gravy. Simply strain the juices and thicken with a cornstarch slurry.
- Consider using bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces instead of a whole chicken. This will reduce the cooking time and is a great option for a smaller meal. Follow the same instructions, but reduce the cooking time accordingly.
- For a richer flavor, you can add a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce to the pan juices before cooking.
- If you’re watching your sodium intake, you can use low-sodium Ranch dressing mix and au jus gravy mix.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 150 minutes