Roast Chicken with Lemon and Garlic
For your next easy dinner, you must make Roast Chicken with Lemon and Garlic. It’s simple to make with only a few ingredients and comes out perfect every time. So, whether this is for a holiday dinner or a weeknight hands-off dinner, this is the recipe!
All you need is a nice chicken, a lemon and a head of garlic. Ok, you’ll need butter too…you must coat the bird in melted butter to create that crispy exterior and to also contribute to the lemony, garlicky sauce that will be drizzled over the carved chicken. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!
This really is a no-fail recipe! When prepping the bird, make a slice in the skin that connects the leg to the breast on both sides. This will allow the legs to cook more evenly. It also means you don’t have to fuss with trussing the chicken. Yay.
Slice the garlic and lemon crosswise and melt the butter in a small saucepan or microwave.
Season the chicken with lots of salt and pepper…inside the cavity, along the backbone, under the wings, etc. Every where!
Transfer the chicken breast side up to an oven-safe skillet and place the garlic and lemon halves cut-side down around the chicken. Drizzle butter all over the chicken.
Roast for at least 45 minutes and then start checking to be sure it’s done (see recipe for tips on doneness). Let the chicken rest for 15 minutes and then carve it and transfer to a platter.
Pour the buttery pan juices over the meat and serve with the roasted lemons and garlic alongside.
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Roast Chicken with Lemon and Garlic
Makes: 4 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45-55 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour & 10 minutes plus rest time 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 lemon
- 1 head of garlic
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter or extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 3 & 1/2–4 lb. whole chicken
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Arrange a rack in the center of your oven, and preheat to 425°. Cut 1 lemon in half crosswise and remove any visible seeds.
Cut 1 head of garlic in half crosswise. If it falls apart a bit, don’t sweat it.
Melt 1/2 stick butter in a small saucepan or microwave in a small bowl.
Place 1 chicken on a cutting board (best to use a plastic one you can sterilize). With chicken breast facing up and legs pointing toward you, use a sharp knife to slice through loose area of skin connecting the leg and breast, making about a 3″-long incision. Continue cutting downward until you hit the joint that connects the thigh to the body, then stop (once you get through the skin, there’s not much there; if you are cutting through flesh, you’re too close to the breast). This exposes the leg joint, making it easy to tell if chicken is cooked. Repeat on second side.
Season every surface of chicken, including skin along backbone, inside cavity, under wings, and inside part of the leg you just exposed, with lots of salt and pepper. If you’re using kosher salt, it should take you 4–5 generous—as in, four finger—pinches, which will be around 4 whole teaspoons.
Transfer chicken breast side up to a large oven-safe skillet. Arrange lemon and garlic cut sides down in skillet around chicken. Drizzle chicken all over with melted butter (mmmmmmm) and transfer to oven.
Roast until chicken is nicely browned and cooked through, checking for doneness after 45 minutes. To check, carefully remove skillet from oven (the handle is hot!), poke a knife into leg joints, and pierce the meat. If juices run clear, the chicken is done. If you see a rosy pink color, it needs more time. Continue to roast, checking every 5 minutes, until juices run clear. (If you’re not sure, you can also use the knife to lightly shred some of the meat along the thigh bone—the meat should look opaque and the fibers should separate easily.)
Let chicken rest in skillet at least 15 minutes before carving—this will help the juices in the meat to settle, and will also get it down to a temperature that is cool enough to handle with your bare hands while carving. Don’t worry: It’s a big piece of meat, so it will still be plenty warm by the time you serve it. Transfer chicken to a platter. Pour all of those glorious, buttery pan juices over top of the meat and serve with roasted lemon and garlic alongside. Winner, winner, chicken dinner!
Do Ahead:
Chicken can be made 2 days ahead. Let cool. Cover and chill; bring to room temperature before serving.
Recipe from Bon Appetit
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