A dish that’s been an absolute staple in my house is also easy to make and nutritious. And that is a rosemary herb roasted chicken recipe with lemons. I’ve made this chicken recipe more times than I can count and know it by heart. It’s been a delight to eat on the holidays, particularly in Autumn and Winter, and is enjoyed by every family member. It even makes for a great lazy Sunday Dinner. But truly if you have the time, it can be made on a weeknight with little effort (just a little extra time to allow the chicken to cook in the oven).
Why This Chicken Is My Family’s Favorite
I’ve had so many chickens in my life, particularly chicken breast, that’s dried out and frankly not good to eat. Sometimes it’s so dry that it’s hard to chew. And stringy. I’ll tell you why this rosemary herb roasted chicken recipe is my family’s favorite…because it’s delicious and moist throughout. Even the breasts are moist and easy to chew. Not to mention the flavor that permeates the entire bird. How does this chicken recipe differ from others online and in grandma’s cookbook? The ingredients that go inside of the bird. The secret is simple…lemons. By stuffing the inside of the chicken with lemon wedges, the inside steams while cooking in the oven, and the citric acid keeps the meat tender and flavorful. In addition, the rosemary and thyme flavors the meat like no other.
Another key step in this chicken-roasting process is to slather the bird with a handful of salt and pepper. This flavors the chicken skin AND helps it to crisp up and provide that crunch at the end.
Ingredients for Rosemary Herb Roasted Chicken Recipe with Lemons
This chicken is truly pretty easy to make and the more you make it, the easier and quicker it gets to prep.
Here’s what you’ll need for the chicken:
- Whole Chicken: I typically choose a 5-6 pounder
- Onion 1/2: quartered
- Lemon wedges: quartered one lemon (IMO the most important ingredient after the chicken itself!)
- Fresh rosemary sprigs: these are important!
- Fresh thyme sprigs (optional): if you don’t have thyme, I’ve even used fresh parsley
- Butter (1/2 stick): unsalted is best
- Salt and pepper (liberal amounts)
How to make the Rosemary Herb Roasted Chicken Recipe WITH LEMONS (don’t forget the lemons!)
So you’re going to need at least an hour and 45 minutes worth of time from start to finish to make this rosemary herb roasted chicken chicken recipe. I prefer to make this on a weeknight when we don’t have extracurriculars, on the weekend, or for holidays. The time it takes to cook your chicken depends on the size, keep that in mind. Obviously you’ll want to prep your ingredients by quartering your lemon and onion, washing and patting dry your chicken (remove the innards, if there is any inside), and getting out all of your ingredients.
Next, Massage the Chicken Skin
For some reason, the next step is my favorite part. After you’ve washed and patted dry your whole chicken with paper towels, you’re going to cover the skin with a liberal amount of salt and pepper. I typically use a palm-ful of salt and a little less of the pepper. Black pepper is best for this recipe. Then I slather and rub it all over the chicken skin. Flip it, smack it, rub it down. OH YES.
Third, Add Your Herbs & Vegg.
At this point, you’ll have your whole chicken with salted skin in a roasting pan. Next, you’re going to stuff the lemon quarters, onion quarters, and your fresh herbs into the chicken. You can tie the legs up at this point too. Sometimes I don’t always have kite string and so I don’t tie the legs. And honestly, it turns out just as good with or without the legs tied together. So no worries there.
Then, Pop It In the Oven
You’re going to preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Now, you’ll calculate how long the chicken goes in like this = 20 minutes per pound. So if you have a five pound chicken, it’ll be 100 minutes or one hour and 40 minutes total. But you’re not just going to throw it in the oven and forget it completely. At about 2/3 through the cooking process, melt your butter. Then pour it all over the chicken. Close the door and let it roast a little longer. At about 30 minutes until the bird is finished, you’ll open it back up and slather the chicken with its juices that have gathered at the bottom of the pan.
Last, ENJOY
We find if we wait 5 to 10 minutes after pulling the chicken out, letting it rest in due time, it’s easier to cut into it and it’s retained its juices well. Once you’ve cut your rosemary herb roasted chicken, serve with your favorite side dishes.
Sides to Serve With Our Rosemary Roasted Herb Chicken Recipe:
- Homemade mashed potatoes
- Crusty bread (homemade or store-bought) with herbed butter
- Lemon thyme green beans
- Pan-roasted asparagus in olive oil and garlic
- Potatoes au gratin
- Steamed broccoli or cauliflower
- Pan-roasted broccoli rabe
- Roasted sweet potatoes
- Any Autumn side dish
Rosemary Roasted Herb Chicken With Lemons
Equipment
- 1 Roasting pan
Ingredients
- 1 whole Chicken
- 1/2 onion quartered
- 1 whole lemon quartered
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme (optional)
- c Salt and pepper Liberal amount
- 1/2 stick Butter Unsalted
Instructions
- Wash and pat dry your chicken with paper towels. Remove innards if included.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Rub liberal amount of salt and pepper all over chicken skin.
- Insert fresh herbs, lemon and onion into chicken.
- Roast at 350 for 20 minutes per pound. At about the halfway done mark, melt your butter and pour over chicken.
- Baste in its own juices 30 minutes before pulling out. And every 5-10 minutes to make sure the skin doesn't burn.
- Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
