Copycat Kenny Rogers Roasted Chicken

This copycat Kenny Rogers Roasted Chicken recipe will take you back to the 90s and the tender, flavorful, juicy chicken the chain restaurant was famous for. The chicken is dry brined, marinated, and dry rubbed before being roasted and basted to golden perfection.

I like to serve the chicken with a creamy broccoli salad, sweet corn fritters, brown sugar and bourbon baked beans, and lemon shortbread cookies for a meal that’s a hit with the whole family.

Kenny Rogers Roasters

I was so excited when I first discovered this ‘new’ chicken place right around the corner from my home. It was perfect to pop in after work to grab dinner for my family and not feel guilty for feeding them fast food junk.

The restaurant was formed in 1991 by Kenny Rogers and a former KFC CEO as a healthier fast food alternative. Their fire-roasted chicken and homey sides made the restaurant an instant hit. 

It even became part of pop culture when the restaurant became a Seinfeld storyline. It was one of my favorite episodes!

What Makes The Chicken So Good?

“It’s The Wood That Makes It Good“. Even without the wood fire roasters, this chicken recipe is amazing.

This chicken recipe isn’t one you can whip up on a weeknight night. This recipe is a labor of love. It isn’t difficult, just a bit involved.

The chicken is first dry brined with a salt rub and then rested in the refrigerator overnight.

Then the bird is marinated in a citrusy marinade for another 6-8 hours.

As if that isn’t enough love on this chicken, it gets massaged with a savory dry rub before getting roasted and basted to golden perfection.

The result is a tender and juicy chicken that’s full of flavor.

What Is A Dry Brine?

Dry brining is basically salting meat, which adds flavor and changes the structure of the muscle proteins so that they retain more of their own juices.

Contrary to the belief that you shouldn’t salt meat or poultry right before cooking because the salt will draw out the moisture leaving the meat dry and tough, dry brining does just the opposite.

When salt is applied to raw meat, the juices inside the meat come up to the surface, mix with the salt, which creates its own brine and is reabsorbed into the meat fibers. The dry brine process takes at least six hours for a small chicken up to four days for a turkey or large brisket.

Dry brining also allows the surface of the meat to stay dry, thus allowing it to brown and caramelize better – to get…you know…crispy chicken skin. It’s a good thing. Dry brining your chicken will get you crispy skin a lot better than using a wet brine. Besides, who has room in their fridge for a chicken and all of that water?  Not me!

Marinade Safety

This chicken recipe uses a marinade to give even more flavor to the chicken. The same marinade is boiled and used as part of a basting liquid, but is this safe?

Using a marinade is great, but it seems such a shame to waste all that good flavor after you remove the chicken. 

Raw meat, poultry, or fish have bacteria on their surfaces that will contaminate a marinade and cause some pretty nasty foodborne illnesses.

However, you can still use the leftover marinade as long as you take the time to boil it. Bacteria is killed at 165 degrees, so this is the target temperature. Use a meat thermometer to check the temp just to ensure everyone is safe.

Ingredients Needed

• Whole chicken – look for a roaster chicken, which has a thicker layer of fat under the skin, so that the meat remains moist while roasting.
• Kosher salt
• Liquid smoke
• Dijon mustard – I like using Malle, but any will work.
• Soy sauce – I used low sodium.
• Honey
• Ketchup
• Chili sauce
• Olive oil
• Onion and garlic powder
• Poultry seasoning, sweet paprika, thyme leaves, and black pepper
• Chicken fat (schmaltz)
• Onions, lemons, and limes

Steps To Make This Recipe

1. Rub the chicken with salt and chill for 6-12 hours. Rinse and pat dry.
2. Make the marinade by combining all of the ingredients in a large zip-top bag.
3. Place chicken in marinade and chill for another 6-8 hours.
4. Stir together the dry rub and rub all over the chicken. Chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
5. Boil the reserved marinade for 6-8 minutes.
6. Roast the chicken for four hours, basting with the boiled marinade.
7. Let the meat rest for 15 minutes.
8. Slice and serve.

More Chicken Recipes To Consider

• Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken
• French Chicken Vinaigrette
• Italian Chicken Francese
• Classic Chicken Piccata
• Chicken Vesuvio
• Chicken Marbella

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