The Best Roasted Lemon Chicken Recipes

ROASTED LEMON CHICKEN

Steps:

• Cut up 1 lemon into 8 pieces and rub the outside of the chicken with the peel side of the pieces and then put the lemon pieces into the chicken with the garlic.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Pour a mixture of half of the olive oil and half of the butter on top and pour the rest inside of the chicken.
• Roast for 1 1/2 hours in a preheated oven of 325 degrees.
• Half-hour before chicken is done roasting pour the juice from the second freshly squeezed lemon over the top and sprinkle the chicken with the chopped parsley and return the chicken to the oven to finish roasting.

THE BEST ROASTED LEMON CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a large bowl (enough to hold chicken plus two quarts water) disolve salt in water. Add chicken and submerge, covering with lid. I put a small domed lid over chicken before covering so that the whole chicken is under water. Refrigerate for 1 hour. After one hour remove chicken and pat dry with paper towel. Set aside and prepare rack.
• Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray V-rack (can use another rack, but chicken must be above liquid, at least 2") with cooking spray and set in flameproof roasting pan or lasagna pan.
• Cut lemons lengthwise into quarters. Rub garlic in the cavity of the chicken. Add lemons, fit as many as you can without over stuffing. Thread long wooden or metal skewers through flaps to close cavity. Brush breast side up with butter and season GENEROUSLY with pepper. Then do other side. Place chicken breast side down in V-rack and roast chicken for another 40 minutes.
• Remove roasting pan & chicken from oven and increase temperature to 450 degrees. Using 2 large wads of paper towels turn chicken over to breast side up. Add chicken broth to pan, place chicken back in oven and roast for another 35-40 minutes or until thermometer registers 165 to 170 degrees.
• Once chicken has finished, "remove lemons", and let sit for at least 10 minutes before carving. Then carve and enjoy.

LEMON AND GARLIC ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outside dry. Place the chicken in a large roasting pan. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the thyme, reserving enough thyme to garnish the chicken dish, 1 lemon, halved, and 2 halves of the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Cut 2 of the lemons in quarters and scatter the quarters and remaining garlic around the chicken. Lay the bacon slices over the chicken to cover.
• Roast the chicken for 1 hour. Remove the bacon slices from the top of the chicken and set aside. Continue roasting the chicken for an additional 1/2 hour, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove to a platter and cover with aluminum foil while you prepare the gravy.
• Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the bottom of the pan. Add the wine and chicken stock and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes, or until reduced by half.
• Slice the chicken on a platter. Garnish the chicken platter with the bacon slices, roasted garlic, reserved thyme and 1 lemon, sliced. Serve with the gravy.