Roast chicken is one recipe every home cook needs to know how to prepare. It’s a simple, affordable dish with minimal prep and maximum flavor. A friend of mine taught me how to make this Roast Chicken with Lemon in 2004 and I’ve been making it ever since! Simply stuff a well-seasoned chicken with two lemons and roast until the skin is golden and crispy and the meat is moist and juicy. Smaller chickens can be cooked in under an hour while bigger birds are done in about an hour and thirty minutes. While the chicken is cooking, take some time to prepare a simple side or two. Brown rice, quinoa, a fresh salad and roasted potatoes are all excellent options. Continue reading for the recipe.
The recipe below will guide you on how to make the perfect roast chicken. Here are some additional tips to keep in mind:
They’re also very moist so it helps the bird stay juicier. Plus, it adds to the aroma which, believe it or not, affects the flavor. All in all, it’s an easy way to make your chicken more delicious! Hopefully, you pierced the lemon before stuffing it into the bird…
Roast Chicken with Lemon
- 1 (4 to 5 pound) chicken
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 lemons
- If your chicken is refrigerated, let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before cooking.
- Preheat an oven to 400°F.
- Remove and discard the neck and livers from the cavity of the chicken. Give the chicken a quick rinse under cold, running water then thoroughly pat dry with paper towels (inside and out).
- Place the chicken in a baking dish then drizzle a little olive oil into the cavity, using your hands to evenly coat the inside. Season the cavity with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pierce each lemon several times with a fork then place into the cavity of the chicken.
- Lightly drizzle the outside of the chicken with olive oil. Massage the oil into the chicken making sure all parts (top and bottom) are evenly coated and glistening. Season outside of chicken with a generous amount of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Tuck the tips of the wings underneath the chicken. This will keep them from burning before the rest of the chicken is done cooking. Using kitchen twine (or string), tie the legs together (see above).
- Roast chicken in the preheated oven for approximately 20 minutes per pound. After 1/3 of the total time, carefully flip the bird over and roast breast side down. After the another 1/3, turn the bird breast side up and cook until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Test for doneness 5 to 10 minutes before calculated time. For example, I estimated the bird shown above would take 1.5 hours to roast based on its weight. After 30 minutes, I flipped it breast side down. After another 30 minutes, I turned the chicken breast side up. I tested for doneness after 1 hour and 20 minutes. The chicken had just reached the correct temperature.
- Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes before carving.
I’m Brandon: food explorer, recipe curator, cocktail shaker, dessert lover. Kitchen Konfidence is how I document my time spent in my favorite space, the kitchen. Did you make a recipe? Tag @brandiego on Instagram so I can see the how it went!
Im Brandon: food explorer, recipe curator, cocktail shaker, dessert lover. Kitchen Konfidence is how I document my time spent in my favorite space, the kitchen. Read More…
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Lemon Garlic Rosemary Roast Chicken
FAQ
What does sticking a lemon in a chicken do?
Why put lemon in a chicken?
Why do people put lemon on raw chicken?
What does adding lemon juice to chicken do?
What does lemon chicken do?
What does it accomplish? Lemon, herbs, onions, and garlic too are all aromatics that infuse into the chicken as it cooks giving it a lovely flavor. It doesn’t absorb the flavors enough to call it a lemon chicken, but gives the chicken some flavor depth and acts as an enhancement.
What are the benefits of adding fresh lemon and lime?
Adding lemon and lime to meals will provide vitamin C and acidity. In foods rich in starch or carbohydrates they can delay their absorption, and in foods with iron they can facilitate absorption.
How to cook chicken with lemons?
Sprinkle a generous amount of salt and black pepper on the chicken, rubbing it with your fingers over all its body and into its cavity. Wash the lemons in cold water and dry them with a towel. Soften each lemon by placing it on a counter and rolling it back and forth as you put firm downward pressure on it with the palm of your hand.
How do you make lemon chicken taste better?
It doesn’t absorb the flavors enough to call it a lemon chicken, but gives the chicken some flavor depth and acts as an enhancement. Stuffing the chicken helps these flavors to infuse better into the meat than spreading them around. Salt and pepper,too, should go in the cavity.