Lemon and Garlic Roast Chicken

  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Total Time: 2 hrs 5 mins
  • Servings: 4

    • About This Recipe

    “Got this recipe from a friend in Virginia. Thanks Val. :

    Ingredients

  • 2garlic cloves
  • kosher salt
  • 1lemon, halved and juiced, halves reserved
  • 1teaspoonrosemary
  • 1teaspoonsweet paprika
  • 3/4 teaspoonground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoonhot paprika
  • fresh ground pepper
  • 1/4 cupextra virgin olive oil
  • 1 (3lb)chicken
  • 2tablespoonsunsalted butter, softened

    • Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 350.
  • On a work surface, mince the garlic with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt.
  • Transfer the garlic to a small bowl and whisk in the lemon juice, rosemary, sweet paprika, cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, whisk in the olive oil.
  • Using your fingers, gently loosen the skin from the chicken breasts, thighs and drumsticks; try not to tear the skin.
  • Season the cavity of the chicken with salt and pepper and put the chicken in a roasting pan.
  • Using a small spoon, pour all but 1 tablespoon of the seasoning mixture under the skin of the chicken, rubbing it into the breasts, thighs and drumsticks.
  • Rub the butter under the skin of the breast meat.
  • Rub the remaining 1 tablespoon of the seasoned oil all over the chicken and season it with salt.
  • Put the reserved lemon halves in the cavity of the chicken and tie the legs together with twine.
  • Roast the chicken for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices from the cavity run clear and the chicken is browned and crisp.
  • Let the chicken rest in the roasting pan for 15 minutes.
  • Tilt the chicken to drain the juices from the cavity into the pan; transfer the chicken to a carving board.
  • Pour the pan juices into a bowl and skin the fat from the surface.
  • Strain the juice into a small saucepan and keep warm over low heat.
  • Carve the chicken and serve with the pan juices.

    • Reviews

  • “This is the best roast chicken I’ve ever had. I made two changes – I stuffed the chicken cavity with a sliced whole onion and lemons and I stuffed sliced lemon under the skin of the breast meat. I’ve never had chicken this moist and so flavorful! This is a new family favorite, thanks!”

  • “Very tasty, although I had a hard time finding the specific kinds of paprika in the recipe and had to use the plain old stuff.I roasted some potatoes with it, and it made a wonderful zesty gravy also!!!”

  • “Well Dave Caster you certainly have yourself one delicious bird here! I hadn’t roast a chicken in sometime, but I knew there was a lemon / garlic recipe out there that I had previously used and enjoyed… this was it! This oh-so-simple way of roasting a chicken is nothing short of a classic recipe in our kitchen from now on. The bird had a wonderful enhancing not overpowering flavor, the skin was crisp and the meat was especially moist. I also, couldn’t find the difference in paprika so I used Spanish, and it was bang on. I’m submitting a photo of this “Chick” in appreciation of your sharing such a wonderful recipe!”

  • “Great recipe, very easy to make, the smell alonealready attracted my children. The flavor was great. We served it with Basmati rice.”

  • “Excellent.I did not have the sweet or hot paprika, so I also just used the plain paprika I had on hand, and it still came out great.My whole family really liked this chicken.I will definately make it again.”

  • “Absolutely wonderful, can’t wait to make it again!”

  • “This was amazing! I just had normal paprika but everything else was as the recipe called for. I will definitely make this again…and again. Thanks for sharing!”

  • “I used this to make my first roasted chicken. Soooo good!! Everyone loved it, Thank you for sharing!”

  • “I made it with drumsticks. They came out very flavorful and moist. Even DH who doesn’t like drumsticks enjoyed them. A nice recipe for turning the US dullest meat into something yummy. Thanks for posting”

  • “Absolutely Delicious!!!!!! The whole family Loves it!”

  • “This was so good.It was the first time I had ever made a roast chicken, and the results were so fabulous!I followed the recipe pretty much word for word, except that I only had regular paprika.I stuck a meat thermometer in and just left it.So easy!My husband was amazed.Thanks Dave!”

  • “I made this for a potluck dinner, and I’m no cook, so I followed this recipe exactly. 1 problem was that the recipe calls for cumin in the ingredients list, but doesn’t mention where to add it in the step-by-step instructions. So I inadvertently omitted it. Second very important thing I missed as a poultry-cooking novice: the weight of the bird. I overlooked that detail and got a 5-lb bird, which caused it to be undercooked. Even so, my friends complimented the wonderful aroma, savored the cooked parts, and one lady even asked for the recipe. I based my review on their positive esteem-boosting reactions, rather than my own disappointment in my culinary ineptitude. I will definitely try this one out again. This time it’ll be perfect: I just know it.”

  • “Well, I didn’t have rosemary so I used herbes de provence as a substitute and used an onion in the cavity instead of lemon–and most of us loved the chicken!(I did leave out half the paprika on personal preference).My DH didn’t like it that much, but I am starting to doubt that he even likes roast chicken… Also, a great method that would work with other seasonings!Thank you!”

  • “What a moist and succulent chicken. Considering all the spices used, I was surprised the chicken wasn’t more flavourful. I will use more salt next time.”

  • “This is the most awesome roast chicken ever!I use it again and again and again. Yum!”

  • “This is a really good recipe, I put lemon slices, onion slices and a garlic clove inside the cavity and under the breast and leg skin. The breast meat was actually juicy (it is usually dry in roasts), I cooked for longer than specified and it still came out juicy (1 hour and 15 minutes). I really liked the lemon taste and the tenderness, the spices were good but not the tastiest spices I have ever had on chicken, next time I might try different spices, maybe some type of chicken seasoning spice.”

  • “I made this chicken tonight using my Beer Can Roasting Stand in the oven.Super fabulous chicken!The skin was crispy and the breast meat was moist.Thanks for sharing!”

  • “Very lemony. Very moist. Husband and mother in law loved.Daughter and I didnt care for”

  • “Fabulous! Takes boring roasted chicken and gives it incredible flavour. No need for cranberry or stuffing or anything more.The directions were a little vague. I didn’t see where to put in the cumin or hot papriko so I left those out.I used maybe 1 or2 T of olive oil and thought that was plenty for the mixture, especially with the butter. Very simple, but incredibly delicious. I will make this again!”

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