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This tender and juicy Lemon Garlic Roast Chicken with crispy skin is everything a wholesome Sunday roast should be!
A skillet (or pan) roast chicken with zesty, fresh flavours and using easy to find ingredients, is our new go-to Summer roast recipe. Garlic, onions, lemons, olive oil, fresh herbs and a splash of white wine produce the most amazing pan juices loaded with incredible flavour. Not a dry piece of chicken in the house!
ROAST CHICKEN
You all loved this Garlic Herb Butter Roast Chicken recipe so much, it was time to give you another one! As juicy on the inside as our Slow Cooker Whole Chicken and as crispy on the outside as our Garlic Herb Butter Turkey, this chicken is going to hit all of your sweet spots.
Lemon juice and garlic marry into a subtle splash of white wine, drawing out flavours that could rival any restaurant. The pan juice alone is worth a million bucks!
HOW TO ROAST A CHICKEN
This is not a regular old chicken recipe drizzled with a little oil, sprinkled with a sad amount of salt and pepper and roasted until golden. This is a mouth-watering, mind-blowing chicken recipe with a simple to make garlic-herb mixture.
The garlic-herb mixture is used to slather flavour ALL over your chicken, including under the skin for optimal taste and juiciness. The chicken is roasted on top of lemon slices, onion slices and garlic slices to infuse even MORE insane flavour into the skin and flesh of the roast chicken.
HERBS
We use fresh herbs in this recipe: Thyme, Rosemary and Parsley. You can leave out the herbs you don’t necessarily like or substitute them with other herbs, like Oregano, Basil, Dill or Tarragon.
WHITE WINE OPTIONS:
You can use white wine or chicken broth/stock. If using wine, any dry white wine works with this roast chicken. I always use a good quality, dry white wine as opposed to a cheap boxed wine; for example, a $15-$20 bottle usually produces the best flavour.
You can try a:
- Pinot Gris (my favourite)
- Sauv Blanc
- Chardonnay
Don’t be tempted to use a sweeter wine, as it will generally alter the taste of the pan juices.
HOW TO BUTTERFLY (SPATCHCOCK) A CHICKEN
Using kitchen scissors, cut down either side of chicken’s backbone. Turn the chicken over and place it breast side up. Press down on breastbone to flatten.
HOW LONG TO ROAST A CHICKEN
This roast chicken recipe is different in that we use a butterflied (or spatchcocked) chicken to create a uniform thickness, so that it cooks quicker and more evenly. Butterflying a whole chicken helps to reduce cooking time, meaning you can have a roast chicken on the dinner table within a fraction of the time!
- Take your chicken out of the refrigerator 20-30 minutes before roasting to shave off another 5-10 minutes of cooking time!
- Roast at 450°F (or 230°C) for 45-55 minutes, depending on the size of your chook, until the internal temperature of the thickest part of breast reads 165 degrees °F (75°C) and juices run clear.
- Broil for an extra 5 minutes or so until you get a beautiful, golden, crispy skin.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH ROAST CHICKEN
Luckily a classic roast chicken is one of our favourite meals, which means we have an endless list of delicious sides to pair with your chook.
Pair your chicken with our Crispy Garlic Butter Parmesan Smashed Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Roasted Cauliflower, Roasted Sweet Potatoes or our Parmesan Roasted Carrots.
LOOKING FOR MORE ROAST CHICKEN RECIPES? TRY THESE!
Garlic Herb Butter Roast Chicken
Butterflied Portuguese BBQ Nandos Chicken
Roasted Asian Glazed Chicken Thighs
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Lemon Garlic Roast Chicken
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary finely chopped
- 4 teaspoons salt divided
- 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper adjust to your taste
- 1 lemon halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick
- 1 onion halved and sliced 1/4-inch-thick
- 3 garlic cloves large, thinly sliced
- 4-5 pound whole chicken backbone removed and butterflied
- 1/2 cup dry white wine such as Pinot Grigio - or low sodium chicken broth/stock
- 1/4 cup lemon juice juice of one lemon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Thoroughly pat chicken dry all over with paper towel.
- Combine the oil, minced garlic, parsley, thyme, rosemary, 3 teaspoons salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Arrange the lemon slices, onion slices and garlic slices in the base of a 12-inch cast-iron skillet (or oven-proof pan). Place the chicken, skin-side down, on top of the lemon/onion slices. Pour over half of the oil/herbs and rub all over the meat. Turn the chicken over (skin-side up) and pour over remaining oil/herb mixture, rubbing the oil into the meat under the skin as well. Pour the wine and lemon juice into the base of the pan.
- Season chicken skin with remaining salt. Roast for 45-55, basting half way through cooking time, until juices run clear when chicken thigh is pierced with a skewer.
- Baste again, then broil for a further 5-10 minutes until golden. Remove the chicken from the oven, cover skillet tightly with foil and allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving, allowing the juices to recirculate through the meat.
- Cut the chicken into quarters or eighths, sprinkle with a little extra salt and pepper. Serve, drizzled with pan juices and cooked onions/garlic.
Notes
- Make sure to marinate both on and under the chicken's skin for optimum flavour.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Holy cow is this good!! I want to bake everything on lemons and garlic now! And sooo easy. Highly recommend!
Thank you so much Elizabeth! I’m thrilled to hear you loved this combination. There are plenty of recipes on our website for you to explore, or feel free to get creative and come up with your own. Make sure to let me know how your culinary creations turn out!
Made this tonight, it was juicy and tender. Even the breast. Flavor was right on. for the broth I did, 1/4 cup pinot Grigio, 1/4 cup chicken broth. Will definitely make this again.
Outstanding!!!!!