This roasted chicken recipe is simple to make, but packed with flavor from fresh lemon and lots of herbs.
Chicken and lemon seem like they were made for each other and lemon roast chicken is pretty much perfect as it is. Add fresh and dried herbs to create this wonderful lemon and herb roasted chicken and wow – the flavor punch is amazing! It’s a simple and traditional recipe that’s amped up to perfection.
You can serve this roast chicken pretty much any time. It’s a perfect Sunday dinner recipe and a wonderful recipe to serve when you have company. But it’s so simple and easy to make it makes a great any day family dinner too. Just pop it in the oven and let it roast away as you do other things.
The lemon slices take on a whole new flavor when they are roasted around the chicken. Warm roasted lemon juice squeezed on the hot chicken is pretty delicious.
Serve this roast chicken with roasted potatoes and simple vegetables like steamed or roasted asparagus with lemon. You can roast the asparagus in a separate baking dish alongside the chicken. Just put it in the oven for the last 15 or 20 minutes that the chicken cooks.
Roasted carrots would be wonderful too. Add a few of the dried herbs from the chicken, drizzle with oil and let it bake in it’s own baking dish while the chicken cooks.
I love family dinner recipes like this one that take traditional, staple recipes that we remember with love and add a refreshing punch of flavor. We’re taking our favorite old fashioned comfort food recipes and updating them to a whole new level.
And bring on the leftovers! Imagine sliced chicken sandwiches, chicken salad or a great chicken casserole made with leftovers from this tasty chicken. That is if you are lucky enough to have leftovers.
Don’t have shallots? Not a problem. Just leave them out and add a bit more onion. Shallots are a mild flavored mixture of onion and garlic, and you already have both in the recipe, so it won’t change the flavor much if you omit them. That’s what I love about cooking – most recipes (except baking recipes) are pretty “user friendly”. You can switch them up a bit and still have great taste.
I hope you enjoy it.
Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 4 pound roasting chicken
- 1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped, save some for garnishing
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon dried tarragon
- 2 tablespoons garlic, chopped
- 2 lemons
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1/2 cup olive oil, extra virgin, divided in half
- 2 sweet onions, cut into six or 8 pieces
- 4 shallots, peeled and cut in half
- 12 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 lemons , sliced, for a total of 4 in the recipe
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Mix together the herbs, 1/4 cup of olive oil, lemon salt and pepper. Rub chicken thoroughly inside and out with the mixture. Tuck the wings underneath the back breast. Place the chicken on a foiled sheet pan, and spray the foil with nonstick spray for easy cleanup.
- Mix together the onions, shallots, garlic, lemons, herbs, the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil and salt and pepper. Place part of the mixture in the cavity and arrange the rest around the chicken.
- Bake the chicken in a pre-heated 425°F oven for 1 1/2 hours or until the juices run clear.
- Carve the chicken, then squeeze the lemon slices over the meat and arrange the onions around it all. Garnish with roughly chopped Italian parsley.
Nutrition
Let me know what you think of this recipe and how you made it your own. Leave a comment at the bottom of the page.
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Here’s another great roasted chicken recipe, our rosemary roast chicken.
Browse all of our chicken recipes here.
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