Crispy Lemon Roasted Chicken
This succulent Crispy Lemon Roasted Chicken boasts a special preparation that makes it extra juicy and delicious! Best. Dinner. Ever.
Crispy Lemon Roasted Chicken
Hi Everyone, I’m back on the blog today with a special Ted’s Takeover offering. It’s a recipe for a whole roasted chicken stuffed with lemon and herbs. There are a hundred ways to make roasted chicken but I always make it this way because the meat comes out juicy and tender while the skin is nice and crispy. I also wanted to share the story below of the experience I had the first time I made it…
It was Sunday afternoon and my boss had just called me to say that our company would be closed the next day. A major winter storm had hit the East Coast and was expected to continue throughout the night. I glanced out the window and saw the streets and sidewalks below were blanketed with a thick covering of snow. The snow plows couldn’t keep up at the rate the snow was falling.
At that point I made a decision- I was going to roast a whole chicken. Supplies were needed and quickly. I put on my winter boots, bundled up in a parka and headed to the grocery store to buy a whole chicken and some root vegetables for roasting. I also bought a couple lemons and some fresh herbs.
It was snowing even harder now but on the way home I ducked into my neighborhood wine shop to pick up a couple favorites, sauvignon blanc and pinot noir. After changing out of my snow covered boots and outer wear I started prepping the chicken and pre-heating the oven in the minuscule “ships galley” kitchen in the tiny Brooklyn apartment that I was living in at the time.
Not long after I got the bird in the oven, the whole apartment filled with the comforting aroma of the fresh rosemary and other herbs that I tossed in with the root vegetables.
As the winter darkness set in and the storm howled outside I poured myself a glass of wine to go with the perfectly roasted chicken and vegetables.
I spent the next several days enjoying the leftovers and I even made soup using the chicken carcass and the stems that I’d trimmed from the parsley.
I’m sharing the recipe here with you in hopes that you will enjoy it as much as I did!
If you love this recipe, you might also enjoy our Rustic Chicken With Olives!
Crispy Lemon Roasted Chicken
- Total Time: hour 20 min, plus refrigeration
- Yield: 1 whole chicken, 6-8 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken
- 1 lemon, halved
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1/2 bunch fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, stems removed
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- paprika
- Your favorite root vegetables for roasting (or green beans, brussels sprouts for Keto + SCD). You can add your veggies, potatoes, carrots, onions, leeks, turnips, parsnips, or celery root (celeriac) under the cooking rack to roast along with the chicken. Toss beforehand with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme if desired.
Instructions
- Remove whole chicken from packaging, pat dry thoroughly with paper towels.
- Rub salt and pepper liberally into the cavity. Squeeze the juice from one half of the lemon into the cavity and then place the rind as far back into the cavity as it will go, peel side in. Place fresh parsley into the cavity along with the fresh rosemary and crushed garlic.
- Now place the other unsqueezed lemon half peel side out to cover the opening to the cavity.
- Truss the chicken with kitchen twine to hold everything in place. Note: I like to bend the legs all the way backward before trussing so that the joints break. This makes them easier to remove after cooking.
- Once the bird is trussed, sprinkle the whole bird liberally with salt and place it uncovered on the bottom shelf of refrigerator for one to eight hours. This will allow the outside of the bird to dry out, which results in crispier skin once roasted.
- Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Place the bird on a cooking rack inside a large roasting pan and sprinkle the top of the chicken all over with paprika.
- Cook at 450 for 20 minutes and then reduce heat to 375. At this point you can remove the roasting pan from the oven and carefully add your root vegetables under the cooking rack. Cook for another 40-45 minutes, until chicken skin is well browned and chicken has an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Do not baste. Please note that larger birds may require an additional 10-15 minutes of cooking time.
- Serve + enjoy! Cover and refrigerate leftovers.
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: about an hour
- Category: Low-Carb
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: Dinner
Thank you for sharing this beautiful story Ted! I could definitely smell how the chicken must have brought such a pleasing aroma to your entire apartment. Such a comforting feeling in the midst of a snow storm. I loved the photos as well. Elegant presentation~ I’m looking forward to trying your recipe 😀
Thank you Noelle! This was a fun post to write because the memory of making it the first time was so distinct in my mind. Also, I wanted to say that Catherine and I were looking at the photos on your blog recently and marveling at your talent! Such excellent recipes and photography!
Thank you so much Ted. That really means a lot to me 😀 You both are equally as talented and make quite a pair!
First of all, that tiny kitchen reminds me of the 1950’s, so nostalgic cute! That roasted chicken is about the most succulent I’ve ever seen. I can’t wait to try and the photos tell the story. TOTAL YUM!
You’re so kind, thank you Kim!! Ted and I both hope you love the chicken!