This whole chicken is oven roasted with fresh lemons, garlic, and garden picked herbs like rosemary like rosemary and thyme. The skin is crispy and the meat is juicy!
Herb and Lemon Chicken
Can we all agree that cooking a whole chicken is not as intimidating as it appears? In fact, I prefer roasting a whole chicken. Not only does it make my house smell amazing, but everyone enjoys it and there’s always left overs.
I’ve been know to shred the leftover chicken and toss it into soup, quesadillas, or enchiladas. I love that one chicken can become two night’s worth of meals!
Roasted chicken has become a staple in my house, and my mission is to make it one in yours, too! Whether your preparing a whole bird with some root vegetables, or seasoning it with your favorite Mexican spice blend, this dinner is so versatile.
After scarfing a half bird down in one sitting, I ask the family to save the bones. I have a bunch of zip lock bags in my freezer stuffed to the brim with bones, vegetable scraps, and loads of garlic. The next natural step is to make bone broth!
My Bone Broth helps me reduce and budget in my kitchen. Gone are the days that I need to add chicken broth to my grocery shopping list. Look at me, saving a whole $1.34. Look, I’m not saying it’s life changing money, but at least the bird is being use to full capacity!
Lemon Roasted Chicken
Ingredients for oven roasted chicken:
- 1 whole chicken
- 3 TBS butter
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 lemon
- fresh rosemary
- fresh thyme
- salt & pepper
How to roast a chicken
Look, in all fairness, I did not state that this was not mess free. You’re going to have to get your hands a bit dirty. Preparing the chicken for roasting is going to set you up for success… or just a really juicy bird with crispy skin and BOMB pan drippings. Either way, you’ll walk away happy.
- Take the chicken out of the package. Discard the gizzards (I have so many better ideas than just throwing them away. Give them to your dogs. Or toss them in your zip lock bag for bone broth later on). Turn the chicken upside down, and make sure the cavity is empty of fluid and gizzards. Pat dry the chicken with paper towels.
- Separate the skin from the meat with your hands. Bring your hands along the chicken breasts, thighs, and underneath. This allows for you to put the seasoning directly on the meat for the best flavor and crispiest skin.
- Preheat the oven to 450 ° F.
- Melt the butter, squeeze the lemon, dice the garlic, thyme, and rosemary, then add a dash of salt and pepper. Using a brush, slather all over the bird between the skin and meat.
- Once the bird is coated in the buttery goodness, give a quick glaze over the skin with the brush,
- Place the bird in a cast iron pan, and place it in the oven. Roast for 20 minutes, then bump the oven temperature down to 350 ° and cook the bird for another hour, or until the internal temperature has reached 165 ° F.
Which herbs to use for roasting a chicken
Can you ever go wrong with fresh herbs in your dinner? It’s wildly under looked and under appreciated. Kitchen gardens are becoming more rare, and with that, people are relying more and more on dried herbs. Fresh herbs hold great nutritional value, all while providing robust flavors. My favorite herbs to cook a whole chicken with are thyme, oregano, rosemary, marjoram, parsley, basil, sage, cilantro, and on and on and on. Seriously, I could bore you with all my favorite herb names, but I suggest just getting out there and seeing that your palate prefers!
What temperature do I cook a chicken to?
No matter how you cook your chicken, whether it’s baking, roasting, pan searing, etc., the internal temperature will need to be 165 ° F. To help make sure I do not over cook my dinners (hello, dried chicken) I keep a kitchen thermometer near by. This prevents the pan drippings from drying up and makes sure I do not produce a dry chicken.
Lemon and Garlic Roast Chicken
More classic chicken meals
More Sea Salt Savorings Classics
- Sheet Pan Gnocchi Caprese with Asiago Spinach Sausage
- Mojo Chicken (baked, grilled, or stovetop!)
- Chicken Margherita(grilled, baked, or stove top!)
- Small Apartment Design
- Grilled BBQ Chicken Thighs
Herb Roasted Chicken with Lemon
Be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram to stay in touch! I love to see your creations! Tag me at #SeaSaltSavorings to show me what you’ve made!
Lemon and Herb Roasted Chicken
This whole chicken is oven roasted with fresh lemons, garlic, and garden picked herbs like rosemary like rosemary and thyme. The skin is crispy and the meat is juicy!
Ingredients
- 1 5 lb whole chicken
- 3 TBS butter
- 1 lemon squeezed, 1/2 of the lemon zested
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 TBS fresh rosemary
- 1 TBS fresh thyme
- salt & pepper
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 450° F.
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Remove the chicken from the package. Discard gizzards and pat dry the chicken with paper towels.
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Seperate the chicken skin from the meat by sliding your hand between them. Separate the skin from the meat from the chicken breasts to the thighs.
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Melt the butter. In a food processor, add butter, garlic, herbs, and lemon juice & zest. Blend until the garlic is finely chopped. Add a dash of salt and pepper to the mixture and stir.
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Using a brush, slather the butter mixture directly on the meat under the skin. With the left over butter, glaze the chicken skin.
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Place the chicken in a cast iron pan, then roast in the oven for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven to 350° F and roast for another hour or longer until the internal chicken meat is 165°F.
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Remove the chicken from the oven, and let it rest for 15 minutes to allow the juices to settle (this provides a juicier bird!) Mangia!
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