Lemon Herb Roast Chicken Recipes

ROASTED LEMON-HERB CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Generously salt and pepper the inside cavity of the chicken, and add 4 rosemary sprigs, thyme, garlic, and half of the lemon. Slice the remaining lemon half into thin slices and slide them under the exterior skin of the chicken breasts. Take the remaining 2 rosemary sprigs and slide them down along each side of the breast bone under the skin. Tuck the wings back and under the chicken and tie the legs together for even cooking.
• Place the chicken, breast side up, on a rack in a roasting pan and brush the top and sides with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Roast chicken in the oven, basting with drippings at least once, until juices run clear and leg bone easily pulls away from the meat, about 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes.
• Remove chicken from oven and cover with foil. Allow to rest for juices to redistribute, at least 15 minutes.
• Carve the chicken and place on serving platter.

LEMON HERB ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a roasting pan with a rack, set aside. Rub chicken all over with garlic and then with 2 tablespoons butter. Season inside and out with salt and pepper. Place garlic cloves and lemon pieces inside the cavity. Tie legs together with kitchen twine.
• Place chicken on rack in prepared pan and tuck the wing tips under. Roast until the juices run clear when the thigh is pierced, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Transfer chicken to a platter, and discard twine. Keep warm.
• Place roasting pan on the stove over medium-high heat, and stir in the wine, thyme, and any accumulated juices from the platter. Bring to a boil, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon; cook until sauce thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. If desired, stir in 1 tablespoon butter. Pass through a fine mesh sieve. Serve sauce with the chicken.

ROASTED LEMON HERB CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Combine the seasoning, salt, mustard powder, garlic powder and black pepper; set aside. Rinse the chicken thoroughly, and remove the giblets. Place chicken in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons of the spice mixture inside the chicken. Rub the remaining mixture on the outside of the chicken.
• Squeeze the juice of the 2 lemons into a small bowl or cup, and mix with the olive oil. Drizzle this oil/juice mixture over the chicken.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours, or until juices run clear, basting several times with the remaining oil mixture.

LEMON & HERB ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• NOTE: This chicken does best when prepped 24 hours in advance. If that's not doable, season and chill at least 8-10 hours before cooking for crispier skin and more flavorful chicken.
• Set chicken on a clean plate then wash hands with hot soapy water. Melt butter and drizzle over the skin of the chicken and brush to distribute evenly. Season the exterior and interior cavity of the chicken with salt and pepper (as the recipe is written, about 3/4-1 Tbsp sea salt and 1-2 tsp black pepper). This sounds like a lot of salt, but there should be a generous layer of seasoning on the chicken so it flavors the meat well. (For a roughly 4 lb. chicken, we used about 1 Tbsp salt and 2 tsp black pepper total.)
• Insert the lemon and fresh rosemary into the cavity - this infuses more flavor and also makes for a more flavorful broth (if making broth afterward).
• Set the chicken in the fridge uncovered (this allows the chicken to dry out a bit, which helps it crisp more when roasting). Wait 24-36 hours (ideally) or at least 8-10 hours to cook. At this time, be sure to wash hands with hot soapy water again and clean all surfaces well to avoid spreading bacteria.
• Once you're ready to cook your chicken, preheat oven to 450 degrees F (232 C). Get out a large rimmed roasting pan or cast-iron skillet (we like this baking dish). If adding veggies (optional) add carrots and potatoes to the pan. Drizzle with a bit of oil and season well with salt and pepper. Then toss to combine.
• Arrange the veggies around the perimeter of the dish, then add the chicken (breast side up) in the center (if not baking with veggies, just place chicken in center of pan).
• Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes (UNCOVERED) or until the exterior is crispy and golden brown and the internal temperature of the thickest part of the thigh reads 165 F (74 C). I also like to measure the breast temperature to ensure it's done in the center as well (also 165 F / 74 C). For an accurate read, be sure the thermometer is not touching bone.
• Remove from oven and let chicken rest for about 10-15 minutes before serving. This ensures the juices redistribute to keep the chicken moist.
• To slice the chicken, use a sharp knife to remove the wings and the thighs (option to cut the leg/drumstick from the thigh for easier serving portions). Then slice down either side of the breast bone and thinly slice the breasts into 1/4-inch serving portions. Use hands to carefully remove any other parts of meat from the bones. Lastly, if opting to make bone broth, save the bones (including the legs and wings after meat has been removed).
• To serve, arrange the carrots and potatoes on a serving platter and top with pieces of chicken. You will likely have a generous portion of cooking juices left over in the roasting pan, which I recommend transferring to a small dish and serving on the side to add more flavor as a lazy but delicious form of "gravy."
• Enjoy hot. Save cooled leftover meat and veggies covered in the fridge up to 2-3 days. Transfer meat up to the freezer after that and store up to 1 month (veggies won't freeze). Leftover meat can be enjoyed cold or hot (warm in the oven or microwave) on its own, or shredded and added to soup.

LEMON-HERB ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Combine butter, rosemary, thyme, garlic and lemon peel in small bowl and stir to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Herb butter can be prepared 3 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before using.)
• Preheat oven to 450°F. Rinse chicken; pat dry. Slide hand under skin of chicken breast to loosen skin form meat. Reserve 2 tablespoons herb butter for gravy. Rub half of remaining herb butter over chicken breast under skin. Spread remaining herb butter over outside of chicken. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Truss chicken to help hold shape.
• Place chicken in heavy large roasting pan. Roast 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Roast chicken until meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of inner thigh registers 175°F. and juices from thigh run clear when chicken thigh is pierced with skewer, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Lift chicken and tilt slightly, emptying any juices from cavity into roasting pan. Transfer chicken to platter. Tent with aluminum foil to keep warm.
• Pour pan juices into large glass measuring cup. Spoon fat off top. Add wine to pan. Place pan over high heat; bring wine to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Pour wine mixture into cup with pan juices. Add enough broth to same cup to measure 2 1/4 cups liquid. Melt reserved 2 tablespoons herb butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour; whisk until smooth and beginning to color, about 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in pan juices. Boil until thickened to sauce consistency, whisking occasionally, about 7 minutes. Season gravy with salt and pepper. Arrange lemon and rosemary around chicken on platter. Serve with gravy.

LEMON-HERB ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Pat the chickens very dry with paper towels. Season inside the cavities with salt and pepper. Combine the butter, lemon zest, parsley, chervil, chives, tarragon, 2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper in a mini food processor; pulse until almost smooth. Gently loosen the skin on the chicken breasts and thighs with your fingers. Rub half of the herb butter evenly under the skin of both chickens, then rub the remaining herb butter all over the chickens. Refrigerate, uncovered, at least 30 minutes to dry out the skin.
• About 30 minutes before roasting, bring the chickens to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Stuff the lemon quarters into the chicken cavities. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine and tuck the wings under the body. Arrange the chickens breast-side up on a rack set on a rimmed baking sheet or in a shallow roasting pan, leaving a bit of space between them; scatter the lemon wedges on the rack around the chickens.
• Roast until the breasts and tops of the legs are golden, about 30 minutes. Rotate the pan and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Continue roasting until the skin is golden and crisp all over and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F, 40 to 50 more minutes.
• Remove the chickens from the oven; let rest 15 minutes in the pan. Remove the twine and carve the chickens (see below); serve with the roasted lemon wedges.

LEMON HERB ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Remove giblets and excess fat from the chicken cavity. Dry chicken thoroughly with paper towels. Season chicken cavity with salt and pepper, to taste. Place chicken, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan; tie drumsticks together with kitchen twine; set aside. In a small bowl, combine butter, rosemary, thyme, parsley, garlic and lemon zest; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Using your fingers, carefully loosen the skin from the breast meat, spreading half of the butter mixture under the skin. Secure skin over the butter with wooden picks. Spread remaining half of the butter mixture over the chicken; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Place into oven and roast until the chicken is golden brown and completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 1 hour. Let rest 10-15 minutes. Serve immediately.

LEMON AND HERB ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425° and position a rack in lower third of the oven.
• In a small bowl, mix the butter with the minced garlic, minced herbs, lemon zest and season with salt and pepper.
• Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels.
• Rub half of the herb butter under the skin and the rest over the chicken; season with salt and pepper.
• Set the chicken breast-side-up on a rack in a roasting pan.
• Scatter the onion, lemon, garlic cloves and herb sprigs and add 1/2 cup of water to the pan.
• Roast for 30 minutes, until the breast is firm and just beginning to brown in spots.
• Using tongs, turn the chicken breast-down and roast for 20 minutes longer, until the skin is lightly browned.
• Using tongs, turn the chicken breast-side-up.
• Add another 1/2 cup of water.
• Roast for about 20 minutes longer, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the inner thigh registers 175° to 180°.
• Tilt the chicken to drain the cavity juices into the pan; transfer the bird to a cutting board.
• Remove the rack from the pan and spoon off the fat.
• Set the pan over high heat.
• Add the stock and cook, scraping up any browned bits.
• Press the lemon to release the juices.
• Carve chicken and serve with pan juices.