Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken is a main course everyone should know how to make! A whole chicken is stuffed with garlic, rosemary, thyme and marjoram then roasted to tender perfection. Pair it with all your favorite side dishes for a wholesome mouthwatering meal.
I first made this Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken recipe in 2011 when this blog was still brand spankin’ new.
A lot’s changed since then but this chicken remains a permanent fixture in our meal rotation.
SAVE THIS EASY ROAST CHICKEN RECIPE TO YOUR FAVORITE PINTEREST BOARD!
Perfectly cooked, tender, juicy chicken filled with herby garlic flavor? Yes, please!
You can serve roast chicken with just about any side dish you love.
Pair it with any kind of Potato Side Dish like these or with a handful of Baked Parmesan Zucchini Sticks.
Most of the time, we just toss together a simple green salad with this chicken and call it a meal!
And the leftovers.
Oh, the leftovers are just as fabulous.
Add it hot or cold to a salad, wrap or sandwich for lunch the next day.
This is a perfect recipe for learning how to roast a chicken too!
Once you master this method (it’s easy) you can experiment with your favorite blends of herbs and spices.
What you’ll need
- whole chicken (5 – 6 pounds is perfect)
- garlic
- onion
- lemon
- fresh rosemary
- fresh marjoram
- fresh thyme
- salt
- pepper
- canola oil
How to roast a whole chicken
Before you get started preparing your chicken, preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.
STEP 1. Clean out the chicken
Now, it’s time for the fun part: cleaning out the chicken!
Remove everything from the cavity of the chicken.
You know, the heart, liver etc.
It’s not the most pleasant part of the process but it only takes a minute!
Now, rinse the chicken well and give it good pat down with a paper towel or two.
You want to make sure the skin is dry so that the canola oil with give the skin a good browning.
STEP 2. Stuff the chicken
Place the chicken on a cutting board.
Insert one clove of garlic, followed by a quarter of both the onion and lemon into the cavity.
Place a sprig of rosemary in, too.
Repeat with remaining onion, lemon and garlic and rosemary until you can’t fit anything else.
You might use it all, you might not. It’s ok.
Don’t get yourself into a tizzy if you don’t.
Be creative.
You can put them in the chicken in any order.
No one’s going to care, especially the chicken!
We’re using them to add flavor to the bird as it cooks.
STEP 3. Rub the chicken with herbs
In a small bowl, combine chopped herbs: marjoram, rosemary, and thyme; add lemon zest, salt, and pepper.
Mix well.
Add canola oil and thoroughly combine.
Separate the skin from the breasts by gently sliding your fingers in between the skin and meat.
With your hands, distribute a couple of teaspoons of herb mixture all along the chicken breasts.
Give that bird a good rubdown all over with the remaining herb mixture.
Make sure you cover the bottom with it as well.
STEP 4. Roast
Transfer chicken to a rack placed in a roasting pan.
Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a meat thermometer reaches 165 degrees F. and the skin is a nice golden brown.
Remove from oven and allow bird to sit for 10-15 minutes before slicing.
This will help to keep the bird moist.
Leftover Roast Chicken Recipes
One huge reason to make a whole roast chicken for dinner: you’ll have leftovers for the rest of the week!
This lemon herb roasted chicken is flavorful but not spicy or overpowering.
That makes the leftovers perfect as a starter for other quick and easy meals like these.
- Easy Chicken Salad – a perfect fast and filling lunch!
- Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup – warming and comforting on a chilly day.
- Loaded BBQ Chicken Nachos – amazing for game day or a family appetizer.
- Greek Quinoa Chicken Salad – packed with protein and greens.
- Chicken ‘N’ Dumplins – the ultimate comfort food, made easy!
Chicken Recipes
Never have a boring chicken dinner again with these deliciously easy family friendly recipe ideas.
- Chicken Enchilada Bites
- Artichoke Tomato Chicken
- Roasted Chicken and Vegetables
- Chicken Noodle Casserole
- Buffalo Chicken Spinach Alfredo
- Pesto Chicken Pasta Salad
- Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli and Rice Casserole
This recipe was adapted from The Pioneer Woman‘s herb roasted chicken. It’s so easy to make and fills your kitchen with an incredible aroma!
Filled with aromatic herbs, this easy Whole Roast Chicken recipe comes out of the oven beautifully brown and full of flavor.
Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken
Equipment
- cutting board
- roasting pan
Ingredients
- 5 lb. whole chicken
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 onion quartered
- 1 lemon
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram sage can be substituted
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Take the chicken out of its' packaging, and remove the giblet package from the inside cavity if there is one. Rinse the inside and outside of the chicken, and pat it dry with a paper towel.
- Place the chicken on the cutting board. Place one of the crushed garlic cloves deep into the chicken followed by a quarter of both the lemon and onion. Put in a sprig of the fresh rosemary, and continue stuffing the chicken with the lemon and onion until full. Note, you may not be able to use all of the pieces.
- In a small bowl, combine the rosemary, marjoram, thyme, salt, and pepper, and mix well. Add the canola oil and mix together.
- By gently sliding your fingers between the breast meat and skin of the chicken, loosen the skin from the meat. Evenly distribute a couple of teaspoons of the herbs in between the skin and the breast. Then coat the rest of the chicken with the remaining herbs, covering the bottom with it as well.
- Place the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the chicken reaches 165°F, and the skin is a nice golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let sit for 10-15 minutes before slicing. This will help to keep the chicken moist.
Nutrition
I rate everything I bake on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best and this Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken earned, as my son said, 9 rolling pins.
Alright, we’ll stick to the original rating system and give it a 4.
This was so doggone delicious, I cannot tell you!
The meat was so moist and the skin…
Oh. My. Dear. Heavens.
I could have eaten ALL the skin off of that bird myself.
It was un. be. lievable.
Spell check isn’t happy with me right now, but it was that good.
This post has been updated in format and with photos on 8/9/21. It was originally published 1/6/12.
The post Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken appeared first on 365 Days of Baking.