Garlic Butter Roast Chicken with Lemon Cavolo Nero, Crispy Potatoes & Dijon Cream Sauce

Some nights you don’t want precision, you just want the smell of garlic in butter and the promise that dinner will taste better than your day went. This garlic butter roast chicken delivers exactly that, a buttery, lemony, crispy sort of comfort that makes you forget the emails, the dishes, even the timer you forgot to set.

This garlic butter roast chicken started because I opened the fridge at 6pm and found chicken legs staring back at me with that “use me or lose me” intensity. You know that moment when you’re holding half a glass of wine (already forgotten on the counter), trying to will dinner into existence?

Furthermore, I had cavolo nero wilting dramatically in the vegetable drawer and this stubborn craving for something garlicky, buttery, and shamelessly saucy. And the smell when garlic melts into butter, I stood there stirring longer than needed just breathing it all in.

Why This Garlic Butter Roast Chicken Works Every Time

Here’s what gets me about this garlic butter roast chicken, it tastes like you’ve been fussing all afternoon, but actually you’ve just shoved everything in the oven and made a quick sauce. The chicken legs get tucked with garlicky butter that melts through every single bite, while those new potatoes turn golden and crispy.

However, the real star is that Dijon cream sauce. Silky, tangy, with just enough mustard bite to cut through all the richness. The bit that gets me every time is when you’re whisking wine and cream together, thinking it looks too thin, then suddenly it coats the spoon and you realise you’ve been stirring for ages because the shallots smell incredible.

Shopping Notes for Perfect Garlic butter Roast Chicken

Let’s talk chicken first. I used legs because they stay ridiculously juicy, skin-on, bone-in, no arguments. Breasts will just disappoint you with their expensive cardboard texture. Meanwhile, legs give you actual flavor that makes this garlic butter roast chicken worth making repeatedly.

Here’s the thing about cavolo nero, it doesn’t turn to mush like spinach would. Nevertheless, kale works fine if that’s what’s lurking in your fridge. Just don’t skip the lemon squeeze at the end. I learned this the hard way after making sad, grey greens.

For the sauce, use whatever white wine’s already open. I usually have some random bottle that’s been sitting there since the weekend anyway. If you don’t have wine, chicken stock works perfectly, though you miss that lovely acidic tang when it bubbles down.

The Cooking Process

Right, potatoes first because they take longest and I always forget this detail. Halved new potatoes, olive oil, salt, pepper, nothing fancy but they need that scorching hot oven to get properly crispy. Meanwhile, I shove them in and try not to open the door too much (impossible, obviously).

Subsequently, the chicken situation gets messy. You’re sliding your fingers under that skin and smearing garlic butter absolutely everywhere. My technique is questionable but enthusiastic, half the butter under the skin, half slathered on top. Yes, you’ll wash your hands four times during this process, but trust me it’s worth it!

The chicken goes in skin-side up, don’t flip, don’t fuss, just let the oven work its magic. Although I usually check twice because watching that skin bronze is deeply satisfying.

When you’ve got about ten minutes left, heat butter in your biggest pan. The cavolo nero goes in with a dramatic hiss, and this is precisely when you add the lemon juice. Right when those leaves start wilting but are still brilliant green. Season generously.

The Secret Dijon Cream Sauce

The sauce happens while the chicken rests, which is when I typically realise I should have started it five minutes ago. Consequently, there’s slight panic. Shallots in butter until they smell sweet, then white wine splashing everywhere because I pour too enthusiastically.

Let it bubble, really bubble, then cream and mustards whisked in until it looks like something you’d actually want to drown your dinner in. I always taste it three times. By the time it reaches the table, I’ve probably eaten a spoonful already.

Hey Lolly’s Kitchen Notes

This garlic butter roast chicken has become my default “I need good food but don’t want to think too hard” dinner. It’s forgiving enough that you can’t mess it up, indulgent enough to feel like a treat, and delicious enough to remind you why cooking at home beats frequesting a restaurant sometimes!

When you finally collapse with a plate of garlicky chicken, crispy potatoes swimming in Dijon cream, you’ll understand why I keep coming back to this one. Sometimes the best recipes smell so incredible while cooking that you forget to set the timer!

If you loved this kind of meal chances are you’d like to try my Ceamy King Prawn Risotto or my Za’atar Chicken Thighs with Tomato and Anchovy Salsa

And don’t forget to follow me on TikTok where you can see absolutely everything I make here come to life!