Lemon Roasted Chicken

This lemon roasted chicken has tender, juicy meat flavored with aromatic fresh herbs and zesty lemon cooked on a bed of colorful roasted vegetables. It’s an easy and delicious dinner that’s sure to impress.

Savory roasted chicken, perfectly browned roasted vegetables, fragrant herbs, and bright lemon combine in this recipe for a truly delicious meal. Be sure to make the optional pan sauce with savory pan drippings and tangy fresh lemon juice. You know from my Chicken in White Wine Sauce that I’m a sucker for a good sauce! It elevates a traditional roast chicken to something truly special.

Professional Tips For Making Roasted Lemon Chicken

• Cut the vegetables uniformly. To ensure even cooking, be sure the vegetables are cut into uniform pieces. If you are cutting the chicken, like in my Hungarian Chicken Paprikash, the same rules apply! This will allow them to cook at the same rate.
• Properly truss the chicken: Trussing the chicken ensures that it cooks evenly and retains its moisture. Use kitchen twine to tie the legs together and tuck the wings underneath the bird. 
• Use an instant-read thermometer. To ensure the chicken has reached the proper temperature, be sure to use an instant-read meat thermometer. This should be inserted into the thickest part of the thigh and should read 165°F when the chicken is fully cooked.

Ingredients

• Lemons: Choose lemons that are dense for their weight. They typically have more juice than other lemons. It’s also beneficial to have surface area for lemon zest and lemon slices!
• Potatoes
• Tomatoes
• Onions: I love roasted onions, so I recommend adding 2-3 to the dish. This will add lots of sweet, caramelized flavor to the vegetables.
• Garlic: Garlic adds a savory, slightly sweet flavor to the recipe. I recommend using fresh garlic from whole heads. If you don’t have access to fresh garlic, you can use jarred, chopped garlic.
• Carrots: You can use either peeled or unpeeled carrots in this recipe. Unpeeled carrots will have a slightly firmer texture. 
• Rosemary: Fresh rosemary imparts a piney, somewhat floral flavor to the roast chicken. 
• Thyme: Fresh thyme adds depth and aroma to this dish. It has a bright, herbal flavor that is savory with a hint of lemon.
• Oregano
• Whole Chicken: Choose a whole chicken that is an appropriate size for the number of people you are serving. A four-pound bird will serve about four people.
• Chicken Stock: If you have the time, or have it on hand, homemade chicken stock is the best choice for both this recipe and my Baked Chicken Marinara. It’s excellent to have as a base for your favorite recipes for soups! If not, choose a store-bought chicken broth option that does not have too much sodium.
• Unsalted Butter: I like to use unsalted butter in this recipe so that I can control the amount of seasoning in the dish better. You can also use olive oil if you prefer.
• Salt: I like to use kosher salt because it is less salty by volume than table salt or sea salt, making it easier to season as you go. 
• Freshly Ground Pepper
• Lemon Juice
• Liquid From Roasting Pan: Be sure to save the liquid from the roasting pan to integrate into your sauce.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations

• Different Vegetables: Try using sweet potatoes, broccoli, asparagus, or other good roasting vegetables in place of potatoes, tomatoes, and carrots. My Easy Thai Peanut Chicken Noodle Stir Fry is a great place to find some additional inspiration!
• Chicken Legs: Instead of using a whole chicken, you can make this recipe with chicken legs or chicken thighs. You could also save the chicken wings for my ever popular Sweet and Spicy Wings Recipe (Baked). 
• Different Seasonings: Try experimenting with different seasoning blends, like adding fresh parsley, to see what mixture you like best. Any hardy herb will work well in this recipe. If you have shake n bake in the house, this air fryer shake n bake chicken breast is a fun recipe to try!

How to Make Roast Chicken with Lemon

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375°F. 

Step 2: Cut up all vegetables into approximately ½ – ¾ inch pieces. As long as the potatoes are roughly the same size, all is good. Place them in a 2 ½ quart baking dish, or whatever you have. You just want it to be small enough that you have a good 2 inches of vegetables on which to place your chicken. This will keep them from cooking too fast. 

Step 3: Pick and chop the rosemary and oregano, toss on top of the vegetables. Add the picked thyme, black pepper and a generous three-finger pinch of salt or two. 

Step 4: Zest one lemon over the vegetables. Set aside to juice for the pan sauce if making. 

Step 5: Stir the vegetables.

Step 6: Thinly slice half of the other lemon into rings. Squeeze the uncut half over the vegetables and then put the squeezed lemon inside the body cavity of the chicken. Waste not, want not! 

Step 7: Working gently, remove the skin from the breast of the chicken. Start towards the larger end of the breast and work your finger between the skin and the breast. I make a little windshield wiper motion with my finger as I slowly detach the skin all the way down. Once it has been detached, slide the lemon rings between the skin and breast. 

Step 8: Truss the chicken (my one pan roasted chicken video can help!), and place on top of the vegetables. Sprinkle salt on the chicken skin, add the butter and chicken stock, and then bake in a preheated oven until the chicken registers 165°F in the thickest part of the thigh. The time will vary greatly depending on the size of your chicken but will most likely be at least an hour.

Step 9: In the last 15 minutes of the chicken cooking, place a baking sheet in the oven to preheat if you are going to finish your veggies in the oven. 

Step 10: Let the chicken rest 10 minutes before serving. If you are not going to make a pan sauce, dinner is ready! If you are, then keep going. 

Step 11: Pour the remaining liquid from the baking dish into a medium sauté pan. Reduce liquid until it has a sauce-like consistency, approximately 2-3 minutes. It will run off your spoon and coat it rather than just pouring off like water. 

Step 12: While your sauce reduces, pour the vegetables onto the preheated baking sheet and place them back into the oven. 

Step 13: When your sauce is reduced, add the lemon juice and boil just 30 seconds more. Taste for salt, adding more if needed. 

Step 14: Slice the chicken, pull the vegetables from the oven, pour on that delectable sauce, and enjoy!

Frequently Asked Questions

Before You Go

I hope you enjoyed this professional chef-tested recipe. Check out our other delicious, chef-developed chicken recipes, or head straight over to my ground chicken burgers next!