The Best Roasted Lemon Chicken Recipes

PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the onions, carrots, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.
• Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.

SKILLET-ROASTED LEMON CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Place the thyme, fennel seeds, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a mini food processor and process until ground. Pour the olive oil into a small glass measuring cup, stir in the herb mixture, and set aside.
• Distribute the lemon slices in a 12-inch cast iron skillet and distribute the onion and garlic on top. Place the chicken, skin side down, on top of the onion and brush with about half the oil and herb mixture. Turn the chicken skin side up, pat it dry with paper towels (very important!), and brush it all over with the rest of the oil and herb mixture.
• Roast the chicken for 30 minutes. Pour the wine into the pan (not on the chicken!) and roast for another 10 to15 minutes, until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 155 to 160 degrees.
• Remove the chicken from the oven, sprinkle it with the lemon juice, cover the skillet tightly with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Cut the chicken in quarters or eighths, sprinkle with salt, and serve hot with the pan juices, cooked lemon, and onion.

THE BEST ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Mix butter, garlic, thyme, rosemary, lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together in a bowl.
• Loosen skin on chicken breast; rub butter mixture between skin and breast meat. Press on the skin to distribute evenly. Rub oil, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper all over; place lemon halves inside cavity. Set in a baking pan.
• Roast in the preheated oven, basting after 30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink, about 1 hour. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone, should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Let rest before carving, about 15 minutes.

LEMON-ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Rinse chicken thoroughly with cold water, empty the cavity, and pat chicken dry with paper towels.
• Place chicken, breast-side down, into a roasting pan. Squeeze juice from 1 1/2 lemons over chicken.
• Mix salt and pepper together in a small bowl and spread mixture all over chicken using your hands.
• Roll 2 lemons on the countertop to soften them a bit. Puncture several times with a fork and cram into the cavity of the chicken.
• Place roasting pan in the preheated oven and lower temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Pull out chicken and turn over using wooden spoons or tongs. Return to the oven and continue to bake until no longer pink in the center and juices run clear when the thigh is pricked with a fork, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone, should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
• Let chicken rest for 10 minutes before serving. Cut remaining lemon into slices. Transfer chicken to a serving dish and garnish with lemon slices and fresh rosemary. Pour juices from the roasting pan over the chicken to make it super juicy.

ROASTED LEMON CHICKEN

Steps:

• Cut up 1 lemon into 8 pieces and rub the outside of the chicken with the peel side of the pieces and then put the lemon pieces into the chicken with the garlic.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Pour a mixture of half of the olive oil and half of the butter on top and pour the rest inside of the chicken.
• Roast for 1 1/2 hours in a preheated oven of 325 degrees.
• Half-hour before chicken is done roasting pour the juice from the second freshly squeezed lemon over the top and sprinkle the chicken with the chopped parsley and return the chicken to the oven to finish roasting.

THE BEST ROASTED LEMON CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a large bowl (enough to hold chicken plus two quarts water) disolve salt in water. Add chicken and submerge, covering with lid. I put a small domed lid over chicken before covering so that the whole chicken is under water. Refrigerate for 1 hour. After one hour remove chicken and pat dry with paper towel. Set aside and prepare rack.
• Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray V-rack (can use another rack, but chicken must be above liquid, at least 2") with cooking spray and set in flameproof roasting pan or lasagna pan.
• Cut lemons lengthwise into quarters. Rub garlic in the cavity of the chicken. Add lemons, fit as many as you can without over stuffing. Thread long wooden or metal skewers through flaps to close cavity. Brush breast side up with butter and season GENEROUSLY with pepper. Then do other side. Place chicken breast side down in V-rack and roast chicken for another 40 minutes.
• Remove roasting pan & chicken from oven and increase temperature to 450 degrees. Using 2 large wads of paper towels turn chicken over to breast side up. Add chicken broth to pan, place chicken back in oven and roast for another 35-40 minutes or until thermometer registers 165 to 170 degrees.
• Once chicken has finished, "remove lemons", and let sit for at least 10 minutes before carving. Then carve and enjoy.

ROASTED LEMON CHICKEN

Steps:

• Loosen skin around chicken breast, leg and thigh. Combine the seasonings; rub half under skin. Cut half of the lemon into quarters and place in the cavity along with rosemary sprigs. Skewer openings; tie drumsticks together with kitchen string. , Place chicken breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Squeeze the remaining lemon over chicken; rub with remaining spice mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until chicken juices run clear and a thermometer reads 180° (cover loosely with foil if browning too quickly). Cover and let stand for 15 minutes. Remove and discard skin, and discard lemon and herbs from cavity before carving.